The Coaching Carousel

There will be 11 teams next year with new head coaches. At least. That will be the most in NFL History. Two Super Bowl Winning Coaches were Fired. Two Coaches with Rings Retired and seven other coaching positions were vacated.

 Mike Nolan was fired on October 20th by the 49ers. He had a little over 3 seasons as the Head Coach there and won less than 1/3 of his games. DC and Hall-of-Fame Linebacker Mike Singletary was given the interim job. Singletary led the 49ers to a winning record in the second half of the season. Singletary was given a four year contract after the season.

Nolan has already gotten a new job, as the defensive coordinator of the Denver Broncos. I think there is actually a decent chance that he gets another shot at being the top guy for somebody if he does a good job there. He was respected for the effort he put in in the bay and he has a high-profile position now.

I think Singletary gets one year to turn the 49ers all the way around. That may not be fair, but with several Hall-of-Fame caliber coaches with ties to the 49ers being available next year Singletary might have to do something special to keep his job.

St. Louis was another team that made a change mid-season. Scott Linehan took over a team that was really not that bad and turned them into something much worse, winning just 11 games in over two years. He was replaced by Jim Haslett who went just 2-10 as interim coach, but did have the support of the team. St. Louis decided, however, to go with former Giants DC Steve Spagnuolo who had been a hot candidate for a job all season long.

Linehan has signed on to be the new Offensive Coordinator in Detroit. He acquires some talent, though he certainly had that in St. Louis, and a Pro Bowl QB.

Spagnuolo takes over a team with a lot of question marks. The defensive ones are obvious and they are the ones that he will focus on first. Spagnuolo is great at creating schemes to pressure the QB and was brought in to make Chris Long worthy of his top 5 draft pick. On offense, Bulger is aging, Holt is leaving and Jackson is unhealthy. I look for Spags to push for a QB with their first pick.

The least surprising coaching dismissal of the off-season was certainly Rod Marinelli. After leading the Lions to the first 0-16 season in NFL History there was little hope of keeping his job. Marinelli was replaced by Jim Schwartz, who spent the last seven years with Tennessee and was the Defensive Coordinator of the second best defense in the league this year.

Marinelli actually gained respect throughout the league for the way he kept the Lions fighting no matter how bad things got. And they got bad. Immediately after his dismissal he became a candidate for a number of jobs in the league and settled in as the defensive line coach in Chicago.

Schwartz has perhaps the easiest job in the league this year. Win a game and you’ve improved, win 4 or 5 and you’re up for Coach of the Year. People in Detroit are hoping that Schwartz has the stroke to bring Albert Haynesworth with him. While that is unlikely his time in Tennessee suggests he should make Detroit a much more stable place to play and perhaps along with OC Scott Linehan turn around the eternally struggling Lions.

Romeo Crennell won 24 games in four seasons in Cleveland. This year was the toughest for Romeo because there were actually expectations for the Browns this year. He was replaced by another Belichek disciple in former Jets coach Eric Mangini.

Crennel is unlikely to receive another opportunity as a Head Coach. Things never really got turned around in Clevleland and this season certainly made last year’s 10-6 record look like a fluke. There was some possibility he could end up the DC in Cleveland, though the more likely scenarios are that he ends up back in New England or takes a year off and gets a DC position next year.

A somewhat surprising hiring, given that most considered his stint in New York to be a disappointment and he is viewed as a younger, whiter Romeo Crennel my many. The real question is what did the Browns see to convince them he was the right man for their job? Another question is who does Mangini make the starting QB? The office will certainly want Quinn, who will likely get the job, but the comparisons of Quinn to Pennington are undeniable and Mangini did not like Chad.

Mangini, of course, leaves the Jets. I’m not sure if he left them better or worse than when he got there. The firing seemed premature and was a little bit of a knee jerk reaction to the New York media. The new big guy in New York is a Big Guy. Rex Ryan, the former Ravens DC and son of Buddy Ryan.

Two years after being dubbed the Mangenius, Eric was Man-Gone. Obviously Mangini was tied to the Brett Favre experiment and dubbed at least partially responsible for it’s failure. Mangini landed on his feet much quicker than most.

Ryan has been a hot prospect for a Head Coach job for a couple of years after working his way up through the Ravens Defensive Coaching System. He finally gets his shot in the Big Apple. He is a cordial and likable interview which will go a long way in New York. He will have to make a decision on Brett Favre sooner than later whether he wants to admit it or not. This team was not far off, though they are aging in some key areas. He inherits a very good offensive line, a good young defense and Thomas Jones at HB, which are all positives.

After five years in New York and two years in Kansas City, Herman Edwards finally ran out of excuses. His quarterback was always hurt, his team was always young and they never signed the right Free Agents. All of that may be true, but so is his 54-74 record as a head coach. And yet, it took seven years for somebody to fire him. It may take just as long to replace him as the Chiefs can not seem to get over the fact that Mike Shanahan has no interest in coaching there right now. They have now began targeting Bill Cowher, apparently confused as to their current standing within the league. More likely options are Cardinals OC Todd Haley, Dolphins DC Paul Pasquireli and Chan Gailey.

Big Herm may well get another chance at a head coaching gig. He is a respectable guy with a lot of experience so his name is bound to come up. Personally, I’d like to see him get Gene Upshaw’s job. I think he would be a great guy to work with young players and help them understand their responsibilities to the game.

I’d go with Todd Haley. The Chiefs have some pieces in place on both sides of the ball and a good young coach is the perfect fit for them right now.

The Oakland Raiders will hire another head coach this offseason. Their sixth in a decade.  Lane Kiffin was unsurprisingly fired after going 5-15 in twenty games and replaced by Tom Cable who won 4 of 12 the rest of the way. Al Davis is now trying to find somebody to take the job. The usual suspects don’t apply here because none of them will work for Davis. It will also be hard to get a hot coordinator to take on this as their first coaching job.

Kiffin looks to go the Pete Carroll route. Though not entirely successful in the NFL he was able to use that experience to shoot himself into a high profile and highly sought after college job, as the new Head Coach of the University of Tennessee.

My pick to be the new Raider coach is Jim Fassel. He wants a job just bad enough to take this one. Al Saunders is another guy who could take this job.

Future Hall of Famer Mike Holmgren announced his intentions to step down from the position before this season and have Special Teams Coordinator Jim Mora Jr. take his post. He could not have imagined his final season would go the way it did, and it was a shame. In ten seasons Holmgren won five division titles and an NFC Title with Seattle. Mora Jr. is the former head Coach of the Atlanta Falcons.

Holmgren led two teams, Seattle and Green Bay, to the Super Bowl, winning Super Bowl XXXI with the Packers. He already has a street named after him in Green Bay and could well get the same treatment in Seattle if they ever run out of dead rock stars. Holmgren will likely take a year or two off, depending on how long it takes for the job in San Francisco to open up.

Mora Jr. gets another chance at Head Coach after spending three years in Atlanta and accumulating a winning record. If Mora has matured any and can keep from saying stupid things in interviews he could be a good head coach. He takes over a team with a closing window and aging players. The draft will be very important for Seattle this year.

On January 12th Tony Dungy retired after more than three decades in the NFL as a player, assistant and head coach. He spent 13 seasons as a Head Coach, seven in Indianapolis. Dungy won more than 75% of his games coached in Indianapolis and led the Colts to a victory in Super Bowl XLI. He will be replaced by Colts QB Coach Jim Caldwell.

Tony Dungy may just be the guy who can actually walk away from the game. He is already an ordained minister and would like to focus time on pastoral activities. After the suicide of his son a couple of years ago, he has put a renewed emphasis on his family life as well. I could easily see Dungy being able to stay out of the limelight, but hope that he eventually finds a way to work with the league. The NFL can always use a guy like Tony Dungy.

Jim Caldwell has no NFL Coaching or Coordinating experience. He spent eight years as the Head Coach of Wake Forest, but went just 26-63. You have to wonder if he got this job more because of his relationships with Dungy and Manning and less because of actual credentials. That said, he inherits a team managed by Peyton Manning so that side of the ball should be fine. Losing DC Ron Meeks is a big deal. Indianapolis has all of it’s cap tied up in four or five players so the defense is made up largely of guys that nobody else wants. While they’re never a top 5 defense, Meeks always made them good enough.

Jon Gruden was the most successful coach in Tampa history, winning 57 games in seven years and Super Bowl XXXVII. A collapse in which Tampa Bay lost it’s last four games and missed the playoffs cost him his job however. Tampa Bay promoted Raheem Morris to the head coaching job. Some think this was a reactionary move to keep Morris from taking a job elsewhere.

Gruden will likely get a head coaching job somewhere soon. The question is whether that will be in the NFL or College. He won’t take the Oakland job this season and does not appear to be a candidate in KC. Next year will bring more possibilities, but he will be in contention with other Super Bowl winning coaches for all of those jobs. My prediction is that in 2010, Jon Gruden is the Head Coach of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.

Morris was a candidate for several jobs in the off-season before being promoted by the Bucs. He was their secondary coach this year and helped them to the number one pass-defense ranking. The Bucs see him as being in the Mike Tomlin vain, and he is already popular amongst the team.

Certainly, the most surprising coaching change comes from the Mile High City, where Mike Shanahan was let go after 14 years, 146 wins and two Super Bowl rings with the Broncos. While this change came much more amicably than the one he had in Oakland it was still jarring none the less. Josh McDaniels will look to fill his very big shoes. McDaniels had been a defensive and offensive assistant for the Patriots, including being their offensive coordinator this year.

Shanahan was the greatest coach in franchise history. If he had stayed just that he may well still be there today. Mike Shanahan was not a great GM. He was downright bad at picking defensive players. D.J. Williams and Elvis Dumervil are the only ones he’s drafted in the last five years that have made any real impact. Still, the X’s and O’s of the Mastermind will be dearly missed and hard to replace. I look for Shanahan to be the Head Coach of the Dallas Cowboys in 2010, if not sooner.

He’s very similar to Shanahan in some ways. He’s an offensive guy who comes to Denver from a dynasty-like team. He’s got a lot of offensive parts already in place, though who will be the running back is up for debate. He runs a much different offense than Shanny, with less bells and whistles and more straight-forward approach. On defense he and Nolan will run a 3-4, a drastic change for Denver, but one that would seem to benefit their current personnel. He will be expected to win very soon.

Baltimore Ravens 9-5 @ Dallas Cowboys 9-5

Announcers: Bob Papa, Deion Sanders and Marshall Faulk a.k.a. Train Wreck

Storylines: Two teams who control their own destiny. A loss for either team would mean they would need a win and/or major help in week 17 to earn a wild-card bid. This is also the final game at Texas Stadium.

The Key to a Ravens Victory: Baltimore can’t abandon the run game. It could be tough going early against a very motivated Dallas defense, but the Ravens need to continue pounding away at them and hopefully get Willis McGahee involved late in the game to provide a possible home run threat.

The Key to a Cowboys Victory: Dallas needs to blitz Joe Flacco. He played very poorly last week against Pittsburgh, in the face of constant pressure. Baltimore can’t score a lot of points with their pedestrian run game so the key is to not let them score any through the air. If they force Flacco into another awful game, 17 points would be enough to win.

Pick: Cowboys. The emotional high of the game, a prime-time game for the final time in Texas Stadium, mixed with the experience difference in the two QB’s gives Dallas the edge. Look for the Cowboys to settle for short passes and set up a couple of deep ones later. I just haven’t seen that Flacco is able to win a “playoff caliber” game yet.

Pittsburgh Steelers (11-3) @ Tennessee Titans (12-2)

Announcers: Jim Nantz and Phil Simms

Storylines: This game will go a long way towards deciding not only the favorite in the AFC, but also home-field advantage.

The Key to a Steelers Victory: Pittsburgh needs to take advantage of Kerry Collins mistakes. They will do a good job against the run, which means Collins will have to throw the ball 25+ times. Pittsburgh needs to turn some of them into interceptions and give a suspect offense a short field to work with.

The Key to a Titans Victory: With Albert Haynesworth out, can they continue to dominate at the line? The Steelers don’t have a great O-line or run game, which is why they always have to win in the last couple of minutes. They are not able to sustain a flow on offense. The Titans can’t let them create one here.

Pick: Steelers. I’m not a huge Pittsburgh believer yet, but with Tennessee missing it’s best defensive player in a game that seems destined to be an under 24 total, you have to go with the Steel Curtain 2008.

Cincinnati Bengals (2-11-1) @ Cleveland Browns (4-10)

Announcers: Kevin Harlan and Rich Gannon

Storylines: Just the pride and the chance to beat an in-state rival. Also a loss here, and Pittsburgh next week, could land the Browns in last place in a year when many thought they could make the playoffs.

The Key to a Bengals Victory: Ryan Fitzpatrick needs to be able to get the ball downfield to T.J., while avoiding a defense that is tied for first in the league in interceptions.

The Key to a Browns Victory: The Browns need to score touchdowns, something which they haven’t done in four weeks on offense. With nothing to lose they should play as aggressively as possible and take a lot of shots at the end zone.

Pick: Is there a third team to choose from? No? Then Bengals.

San Francisco 49ers (5-9) @ St. Louis Rams (2-12)

Announcers: Sam Rosen and Tim Ryan (who’d they piss off)

Storylines: The 49ers face the Rams and the Redskins the next two weeks and are winners of 3 out of the last 5. Finishing 7-9 would be good momentum going into next year. The Rams just try not to get anybody injured. They also welcome back Isaac Bruce to St. Louis.

The Key to a 49ers Victory: San Francisco needs to be much better in the red zone this week. They were very good on offense last week, until they got into scoring distance, settling for 3 field goals. They need to be better than that against a team giving up more than 4 touchdowns per game.

The Key to a Rams Victory: St. Louis needs to figure out a way to create turnovers on defense. The 49ers will give up the ball sometimes and if the Rams can give their struggling offense easier drives, they at least have a chance.

Pick: 49ers. San Fran is playing decent football lately and decent should be more than enough to beat the Rams.

San Diego Chargers (6-8) @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers (9-5)

Announcers: Greg Gumbel and Dan Dierdorf

Storylines: Once more the Chargers are a loss away from elimination. A win leaves the door open for a possible playoff position. Tampa Bay has loss two in a row in their division, but still have a great shot to make the playoffs if they can win here.

The Key to a Charger Victory: Philip Rivers needs to continue to get the ball downfield to Vincent Jackson and Malcolm Floyd. Tomlinson is not what he once was and teams try to take Gates out of the picture. That has often times, like last week in KC, left WR’s wide open downfield. Steve Smith and Roddy White both had good games against the Bucs defense the last two weeks.

The Key to a Bucs Victory: Tampa needs to disrupt the passing motion of Philip Rivers. Like many QB’s he is at his best once he gets into a rhythm. If they make him move or hurry his passes, he will make mistakes.

Pick: Buccaneers. I think either Garcia or Griese would be able to make throws against the San Diego defense. The Chargers have played poorly on the road this year and now must travel all the way to the East Coast.

Miami Dolphins (9-5) @ Kansas City Chiefs (2-12)

Announcers: Dick Enberg and Randy Cross

Storylines: After winning one game last year, a win in Arrowhead would put Miami one week away from a match-up with the Jets, with the AFC East Title likely being on the line.

The Key to a Dolphins Victory: Miami needs to have Ronnie Brown involved in the game plan, both running the ball and receiving. He has lost carries in recent weeks to Ricky Williams, but he is their best shot at an explosive play.

The Key to a Chiefs Victory: Kansas City had just six sacks in their first twelve games. But they had three last week against San Diego. If they can put the same kind of pressure on Chad Pennington they could get the chance to blow another late lead.

Pick: Dolphins. Chad Pennington will make the playoffs this year. Herman Edwards Will Not.

New Orleans Saints (7-7) @ Detroit Lions (0-14)

Announcers: Ron Pitts and Tony Boselli

Storylines: The Lions try to avoid becoming the first 0-15 team in NFL History. They get their last best shot at a win this year against the Captains of Mediocrity, the Saints.

The Key to a Saints Victory: Pierre Thomas needs to outnumber Reggie Bush’s carries by a 2-1 margin. He is a pure running back and is their most productive out of the backfield. Get Reggie the ball in the open field, but his chances to prove he can be a 3 down back are running out.

The Key to a Lions Victory: Take your shots at Calvin Johnson. He is the lone bright spot in a hapless season. If they can get him the ball deep early, they will have an opportunity to hand the ball off to the promising rookie, Kevin Smith.

Pick: Lions. If anybody’s going to lose to Detroit, it’s the Saints.

Arizona Cardinals (8-6) @ New England Patriots (9-5)

Announcers: Kenny Albert and Daryl Johnston

Storylines: The Cardinals spot is set. The Patriots could well fall out of the playoff race with a loss.

The Key to a Cardinals Victory: Kurt Warner needs to protect the football. Arizona is 0-4 on the East Coast and a big reason for that is that Warner averages 2 interceptions per game. Opportunities will be there against a less than stellar Patriots DB group, but he needs to be patient and wait for the best shots. Until they’re there, underneath stuff to Boldin and Fitz can be just as effective.

The Key to a Patriots Victory: New England ran for 277 yards against Oakland last week and Arizona’s run defense isn’t much better. That kind of output on the ground sets up Matt Cassel to be very effective. They need to run Sammy Morris early, mix in Lamont Jordan and get Kevin Faulk touches with screens an draws.

Pick: Cardinals. Call me crazy, but I think Warner and the two Pro Bowl Receivers get it done in Foxboro.

Houston Texans (7-7) @ Oakland Raiders (3-11)

Announcers: Bill Macatee and Steve Beurlein

Storylines: The Texans look to go .500 for the second consecutive year under Gary Kubiak, and possibly better.

The Key to a Texans Victory: Get the Ball to Andre Johnson. The Raiders have a talented secondary, but have been beaten for big plays all year. Johnson is one of the most talented receivers in the game and the Texans are a much better team when the offense runs through him.

The Key to a Raiders Victory: Maybe beating the Broncos really was the Raiders Super Bowl. They haven’t played a game since then. There best chance is by finding some way to create a spark and some points. Whether that be on special teams, defense or gadget plays.

Pick: Texans. Houston is playing terrific football and though a trip to the Abyss is not easy, it should be no problem for a Mike Shanahan protege.

New York Jets (9-5) @ Seattle Seahawks (3-11)

Announcers: GUS JOHNSON! and Steve Tasker

Storylines: The Jets need to keep winning in order to win the East. That means Brett Favre needs to once again get the better of his old coach, Mike Holmgren.

The Key to a Jets Victory: The Jets need to play well on the defensive line. That unit was excelling during the Jets winning streak, but has really fell off over the past three weeks.

The Key to a Seahawks Victory: Seneca Wallace must be careful with the football. Wallace has just one pick in six games, but he has three fumbles. Stripping the ball is something the Jets excel at, see last week against Buffalo. Wallace and Seattle can not give Favre and the Jets easy points.

Pick: Seahawks. Seattle is 0-3 against East Coast teams in Qwest Field. New York is 0-3 on the West Coast. Something has to give. I have been completely underwhelmed by the Jets over the past month and think Seattle could steal this one from them.

Atlanta Falcons (9-5) @ Minnesota Vikings (8-6)

Announcers: Dick Stockton and Brian Baldinger

Storylines: Atlanta needs a win to stay alive. A Vikings win gives them the NFC North Title. Don’t expect Minnesota to call on Gary Anderson to attempt a game-winning field goal.

The Key to a Falcons Victory: Atlanta needs to be able to take advantage of the missing Pat Williams. Minnesota will still be very capable against the run, but Atlanta needs to continue to pound with Michael Turner if they are going to have a chance to win.

The Key to a Vikings Victory: They need to exploit the mobility of Tarvaris Jackson. They need to find John Abraham before the snap and roll away from him with keepers and bootlegs.

Pick: Vikings. I think Minnesota has it figured out right now and will be able to get the job done at home against what should be a very game Atlanta Team. As long as Peterson outruns Turner, they should win this game.

Philadelphia Eagles (8-5-1) @ Washington Redskins (7-7)

Announcers: Joe Buck and Troy Aikman

Storylines: An elimination game in the NFC East.

The Key to an Eagles Victory: If Donovan McNabb can avoid the mistakes he made last week, the Eagles will have an excellent chance.

The Key to a Redskins Victory: The Redskins need to show something different. They are vanilla on offense and predictable. If they could come out with a no-huddle or a spread offense, they might catch the Eagles.

Pick: Redskins. I do realize it seems kind of out there given the different directions these two teams have gone in, but I think Campbell and the Skins have a good feel for what to expect from Philadelphia and will have answers for it.

Buffalo Bills (7-7) @ Denver Broncos (8-6)

Announcers: Ian Eagle and Solomon Wilcots

Storyline: If the Broncos win, they’re in.

The Key to a Bills Victory: Buffalo needs to feed the ball to Marshawn Lynch and hope their defense is successful against the Broncos. If Lynch has less than 20 carries in this game, it will be a Bronco Blowout.

The Key to a Broncos Victory: Keep Jay Cutler Standing. Jay should have success against the Bills defense, as long as he’s not sacked three times, as he was last week.

Pick: Broncos. If they don’t win this game, they have no right to be in the playoffs. No matter what the Chargers do.

Carolina Panthers (11-3) @ New York Giants (11-3)

Announcers: Al Michaels and John Madden

Storyline: Winner gets home-field advantage throught the NFC playoffs.

The Key to a Panthers Victory: Carolina needs to balance their offense, running the ball enough that the Giants can’t pin their ears back, but taking enough shots downfield to give Steve Smith an opportunity to dominate.

The Key to a Giants Victory: The Giants need to ride the arm of Eli Manning. There is always debate about how good Eli really is. This is the kind of game where he needs to prove he’s elite.

Pick: Panthers. I think they’re the best team in football right now and their style is built to travel.

Green Bay Packers (5-9) @ Chicago Bears (8-6)

Announcers: Mike Tirico and Ron Jaworski

Storyline: The oldest rivalry in football. A Viking win on Sunday would render this game meaningless. If they lose though, the Bears would need to win to stay alive.

The Key to a Packers Victory: Green Bay needs to play a west coast style of offense and get the ball into their wide receivers hands as quick as possible.

The Key to a Bears Victory: Chicago needs to score early and force Green Bay to become desperate.

Pick: Bears. I never pick a sweep in this series.

Looking Back at Week 15

Chicago Bears 27

New Orleans Saints 24

Bears: Chicago remains one game behind Minnesota in the NFC North. They did so despite a less than stellar performance from their defense. Special teams were a key as Daniel Manning compiled 135 return yards. That was more than the Bears had on 28 offensive plays. One concern for Chicago was that they seemed to be trying to prove they could win by throwing the ball. Matt Forte rushed just 11 times. You can’t get into a shootout mentality if you don’t have to.

Saints: While mathematically alive, the Saints probably saw their playoff hopes go up in flames with the overtime loss. Two key pass interference calls, including the one in overtime, covered over 70 yards and set up 10 Chicago points. The Saints will say they were a few plays away from being 10-3, but their inconsistency put them in their current position. They also need to stop trying to make Reggie Bush a great back and just accept that they have a very good back in Pierre Thomas.

Atlanta Falcons 13

Tampa Bay Buccaneers 10

Falcons: Atlanta proved they are able to win even when their QB plays poorly. A big part of that was the 152 yards that Michael Turner had on the ground. He has become one of the two or three biggest acquisitions from last off-season. Another reason was John Abraham, who had three sacks. He now has 15.5 on the season, silencing critics who were calling him a flop in Atlanta.

Bucs:  I talked a little bit about it last week and we saw it again against Atlanta. This team’s age is showing. Garcia missed last week and may miss this one. Derrick Brooks will probably miss his first game in 13 years this Sunday. The defense looks slow against the run and Joey Galloway has been a non-factor this season. Their schedule is favorable, but there is a real chance that they could miss the playoffs.

Cincinnati Bengals 20

Washington Redskins 13

Bengals: This game wasn’t even as close as the score indicates. The Bengals dominated from the opening whistle. Ryan Fitzpatrick played easily his best game of the season, accounting for 2 touchdowns and no turnovers and mixing it up well amongst his receivers. Cedric Benson had 163 yards from scrimmage and the defense held Clinton Portis to just over 3 yards per carry.

Redskins: I said it months ago and several of our loyal readers owe me an apology. The Redskins aren’t just now blowing up, they were never that good. All it took was for the rest of the league to realize that Jason Campbell can’t beat them and they can play man on man with an 8 man box. Like the Bucs they are clearly slowing down. Might be because they are a collection of parts (Taylor, Fletcher, Hall, Springs, Carter) rather than a well coordinated team. Such is the Redskin Way.

Houston Texans 13

Tennessee Titans 12

Texans: Don’t the Texans wish they could replay September. This has been a very good team over the past two months, on both sides of the ball. They throw the ball well, especially to Andre Johnson, they’ve found their RB and they have some dynamic playmakers on defense. Here’s hoping they can finally turn it into something meaningful next year. Steve Slaton is one of only two running backs to go over 100 yards against the Titans and he’s done it twice.

Titans: It’s not time to jump off the bandwagon yet, but there are some problems on this team. The game plan against them has been let Collins beat us for a while now. We saw on Sunday what happens when Collins doesn’t play well. They were 2-13 on third down. The longer-term question for the Titans is which Collins shows up in the playoffs.

Jacksonville Jaguars 20

Green Bay Packers 16

Jaguars: David Garrard had his best game of the season, throwing for 238 yards and two touchdowns. Had he been able to play that well all season, the Jaguars might not be a huge disappointment.

Packers: Speaking of huge disappointments. I never totally bought into the Packers, but who could have thought they’d lose six out of seven and end up a below .500 football team?

Miami Dolphins 14

San Francisco 49ers 9

Dolphins: Does any team win uglier than the Dolphins? Of course after a 15 loss season last year, I don’t think they’re complaining. The Dolphins defense has been amazing since Thanksgiving. They haven’t given up a TD in three weeks. Chad Pennington continued to play very well and has been the most effective Dolphin QB in nearly a decade. Miami has two road games to finish the season, but winning both would likely make them a playoff team.

49ers: The 49ers dominated this game. They had the ball for 17 more minutes than Miami. But they could not turn their 60 more yards of offense into points. I think a 5-9 team can take some positives out of the fact that they had no turnovers and committed just 4 penalties, but they are clearly a couple of playmakers away.

Seattle Seahawks 23

St. Louis Rams 20

Seahawks: Seneca Wallace is a free-agent after the season. He’s played well enough in the last 3 weeks that he may get some good offers. Mike Holmgren got his 160th win, two of the three he got this year came at the expense of the Rams.

Rams: They took a 17-7 lead into halftime, but as is the case with most bad teams they couldn’t finish. They can not wait for this season to be over and should be one of the more interesting teams to watch in the off-season.

New York Jets 31

Buffalo Bills 27

Jets: Talk about an early Christmas present. Despite doing everything they possibly could to lose this game, the Bills just wouldn’t let them. For every mistake the Jets made, and there were plenty, the Bills would make 2. Culminating with a JP Losman fumble inside their own 20, on 2nd and 5, with two minutes left in the game, returned by Abram Elam for a TD.

Bills: What the hell are they doing throwing in that situation? They had run for 187 yards in the game. Losman had already thrown two interceptions. It may well end up being the play that cost Dick Jauron his job. 

Indianapolis Colts 31

Detroit Lions 21

Colts: Indianapolis did a great job of taking the Lions seriously. They formulated a game-plan to take advantage of the Lions weaknesses at linebackers, getting the ball to Dallas Clark 12 times for 142 yards. They also ran the ball 27 times, showing 0nce again they are a far more balanced team than they were earlier this year. All that said, in the seven game win streak, six of them are against teams with a losing record. Even those often weren’t very impressive. I question how they’ll do in New England, New York, Denver or even San Diego.

Lions: I don’t think they’re quitting, you have to credit Rod Marinelli for that. They have their running back of the future and Dan Orlovsky played well. I’m sure they’re looking at a QB with that number one pick, but their real deficiencies are on defense.

San Diego Chargers 22

Kansas City Chiefs 21

Chargers: Well, San Diego felt robbed after the week 2 loss to Denver, Kansas City has more than made up for it. For the second straight game against San Diego, the Chiefs snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. How do you not catch that onside kick, if you’re the team’s number one receiver. More importantly how do you give up a 40+ yard pass play on the next play? The Chargers are now VERY much alive in the playoffs. It’s still a bit of a longshot, but with the Bucs injuries San Diego can beat them and is there anybody willing to guarantee a Bronco win in Mile High against Buffalo?

Chiefs: F-ing Chiefs

 Minnesota Vikings 35

Arizona Cardinals 14

Vikings: Minnesota is that team playing their best football at the right time. They have a great defense and a great running game. If they could get Tarvaris Jackson to play for the rest of the season like he did on Sunday, they’d be a real danger. The potential loss for the season of Pat Williams is obviously a major concern.

Cardinals: We’re seeing what often happens to teams that aren’t used to the spotlight. The good news for Arizona is they have a couple more meaningless games to get used to it. They have to figure out some way to get production out of the running game and play more consistenlty on defense. Arizona ran the ball just 7 times and none of the carries belonged to Edgerrin James.

Pittsburgh Steelers 13

Baltimore Ravens 9

Steelers: First of all, I think it was a touchdown. Secondly I have no idea how they could have overturned the initial call of short of the end zone. That being said, phenomenal drive orchestrated by Ben Roethlisberger. There are still a ton of questions about the Steelers, but they are 11-3 and headed possibly for home field advantage. They are also a team that I hope Denver gets to play in the playoffs, because I think we could beat them. I’ll explain why if the situation arises.

Ravens: They looked a lot like the Ravens of the past few years. Great defense, bad quarterback and an inconsistent run game. The playoff road is much tougher for the Ravens now, the weight lies on the shoulders of Joe Flacco.

New England Patriots 49

Oakland Raiders 28

Patriots: I didn’t learn anything new about New England in this game. They’re still tied for first. They still can put up points against bad defenses and their defense is still bad enough to give up 28 points to the Raiders. If you’re a QB and your dad dies you definitely want to play the Raiders that weekend.

Raiders: Did anybody think they could actually be worse than last year?

Carolina Panthers 30

Denver Broncos 10

Panthers: Best team in football today. They’re the kind of team that could lose that title pretty easily, but they were clearly the best team on the field on Sunday. The duo at RB is as good as anybody in the league, the defense is threatening and Steve Smith is starting to dominate. Who’d want to play them right now?

Broncos: I think their was a clear effect on the Broncos when they learned that the Chiefs had blown it. They were very good at the start of the game on offense, every other drive looked flat. They were never aggressive in the second half and the team looked to already be looking forward to Buffalo. They better get it done against the Bills. If not they will lose in San Diego and it will be one of the biggest collapses in NFL History.

Dallas Cowboys 20

New York Giants 8

Cowboys: I know the attention is on the offense, but give a lot of credit to the Cowboy defense. They have really been getting it done lately, even against Pittsburgh. In this game they gave up just 218 total yards and accumulated 7 sacks against an offensive line with three pro-bowlers on it.

Giants: Something is wrong with this team. Maybe it’s the missing parts, maybe it’s distraction, I don’t know. Whatever it is, they seem to be doing the opposite of last year. They are hitting their first pitfall at exactly the wrong time.

Philadelphia Eagles 30

Cleveland Browns 10

Alright this game sucked, so let me just comment on the announce team. I thought there could be nothing worse than Kornheiser, until I met giddy Jaworski. Could he have been any more excited about how well the Eagles were playing? You could just picture him in the booth rocking in his chair, with a huge grin and rubbing his hands together. It’s pretty well known that Jaws is one of the most bias announcers around, for Philadelphia and Kansas City, thanks in large part to his relationships with Dick Vermeil and now Herman Edwards. This was disgusting though. The Eagles made some huge mistakes in this game and Jaws had an excuse every time. He refused to even acknowledge that Andy Reid may throw the ball too often and could not accept even the notion that McNabb may not be back next year.

Week 15 Preview

Don’t you love December football?

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (9-4) @ Atlanta Falcons (8-5)

Announcers: Dick Stockton and Brian Baldinger

Storylines: Two teams in the ultra-competitive NFC South look to bounce back from divisional losses and solidify some playoff standing.

The Bucs Should Win If: Monday was a fluke instead of a sign of the times. Tampa has to play exponentially better against the run than they did on Monday. They can not let Michael Turner and Jerious Norwood repeat the Panthers success against them, especially in what will be a rowdy Georgia Dome.

The Falcons Should Win If: Roddy White is able to capitalize on a Tampa defense that may attempt to overcompensate against the run. The Buc defense will not be embarrassed twice in a row. So Atlanta will need some big plays to pull out the win.

Pick: Falcons. Matt Ryan and the Falcons offense are improving by the week. Tampa Bay on the other hand seemed to be showing signs of slowing down last week.

Washington Redskins (7-6) @ Cincinnati Bengals (1-11-1)

Announcers: Kenny Albert and Daryl Johnston

Storylines: The ‘Skins hope to take advantage of the first break in their schedule in quite some time to maintain some level of relevence. It is a must win game for them.

 The Redskins Should Win If: Two guys with ties to Miami get their game going. Former Hurricane Clinton Portis needs to be the center of attention on Sunday to take some of the pressure of a struggling Jason Campbell. Former Dolphin Jason Taylor needs to give Daniel Snyder some return on his investment and start playing up to his Hall-of-Fame credentials.

The Bengals Should Win If: T.J. Houshmanzadeh gets double digit catches. The Bengals can not beat the Redskins by playing conservatively. They will have to take shots downfield at their best playmaker.

Pick: Redskins. Nobody in the league needs a win any more than the Redskins this week. Not only to maintain playoff possibilities, but for the confidence of Jim Zorn and to make Clinton Portis happy for a week.

Tennessee Titans (12-1) @ Houston Texans (6-7)

Announcers: GUS JOHNSON!!! and Steve Tasker

Storylines: The Titans can lock up home-field advantage with a win over a team that they have traditionally dominated. It may not be as easy as it looks though.

The Titans Should Win If: Chris Johnson outrushes Steve Slaton. The Titans have struggled only when they are unable to be explosive on the ground. Chris Johnson should have plenty of opportunities this week, he can’t let this be a game where he doesn’t show up.

The Texans Should Win If: Matt Schaub is able to pick apart the 3rd ranked pass-defense in the league. It isn’t an easy task, but Schaub has played well over the past month and if Houston has any run game it will make his job a lot easier.

Pick: Texans. Yeah, going for the upset here. Houston is eliminated from the playoffs, which makes this their Super Bowl. They have played well which guarantees a great crowd and we know divisional games are where anything can happen.

Green Bay Packers (5-8) @ Jacksonville Jaguars (4-9)

Announcers: Ron Pitts and Tony Boselli

Storylines: Arguably the two most disappointing teams in the league. Green Bay still has a glimmer of playoff hope, that disappears with a loss here. The Jaguars hope to finish strong and maintain some sense of dignity.

The Packers Should Win If: Aaron Rodgers throws three touchdowns. The Packers best hope appears to be that this somehow becomes a shoot-out. They have a terrible run defense and have struggled to move the ball themselves for much of the season.

The Jaguars Should Win If: They can avoid falling two scores behind. Jacksonville can’t overcome adversity with their offense. They need to be able to run the ball and not put the game on David Garrard’s shoulders. Especially with his best receiver, Matt Jones, finally being suspended.

Pick: Jaguars. Look for MJD to have a big game here and put the Pack out of their misery.

San Francisco 49ers (5-8) @ Miami Dolphins (8-5)

Announcers: Sam Rosen and Tim Ryan

Storylines: The Dolphins have been hot and can get one step closer to one of the best turnarounds in league history by knocking off the 49ers at home. The 49ers have played well in the past couple of weeks and look to add another big road victory to Mike Singletary’s resume.

The 49ers Should Win If: They keep Shaun Hill’s Jersey Clean. Hill has been very good since replacing JTO as starting QB. If given time he can make some plays against the Dolphins secondary.

The Dolphins Should Win If: Chad Pennington outplays Hill. Chad has quietly had his best season this year and if he can continue to complete 66% of his passes and avoid turnovers we may be watching the Dolphins play in January.

Pick: 49ers. Miami has been walking a tight rope for the past few weeks, eeking out victories over teams they’re supposed to be much better than. San Francisco is playing just well enough at this point to make the Dolphins regret a poor performance.

Seattle Seahawks (2-11) @ St. Louis Rams (2-11)

Announcers: Matt Vasgersian and JC Pearson

Storlines: Ummm….

The Seahawks Should Win If: Seneca Wallace and the Seattle Offense gets into a rhythm. They were there for 3 quarters last week and once they fell apart in the fourth, they were done.

The Rams Should Win If: Marc Bulger takes advantage of the worst pass defense in the league and actually, you know, connects on some plays downfield.

Pick: Rams. They’re at home.

Buffalo Bills (6-7) @ New York Jets (8-5)

Announcers: Greg Gumbel and Dan Dierdorf

Storylines: Both teams have hurt their chances with their recent slides, the Bills worse than the Jets. Both teams should play this one as an elimination game.

The Bills Should Win If: Somehow they’re able to get the ball deep to Lee Evans. The Jets have given up nearly 300 yards passing per game over the past month. The Bills will have to stretch the field, not just accept the underneath stuff and settle for a field goal on the scoreboard.

The Jets Should Win If: Brett Favre plays like he was prior to the Denver game. He hasn’t thrown a touchdown in two weeks and the offense has become anemic. They may not need many big plays to win the game, but they will to get back into a flow headed towards the playoffs.

Pick: Jets. Aside from the loss to Denver, the Jets defense has played well in the past two months. I don’t think the Bills offense will be able to score enough points to beat a Brett Favre who is backed into a corner.

San Diego Chargers (5-8) @ Kansas City Chiefs (2-10)

Announcers: Ian Eagle and Solomon Wilcots

Storylines: You know the refrain by now. A Chargers loss means they’re done, a win may keep their slim hopes alive. Just ask the Talking Heads, they’ll tell you all the reasons the Chargers are still the favorites to win the West.

The Chargers Should Win If: LaDainian Tomlinson rushes for 100 yards. I know they’ve won games without LT coming up big, but not many of them. He only had 78 yards in their win earlier this season over KC, but many argue that was a game they were lucky to win.

The Chiefs Should Win If: Tyler Thigpen is able to make throws to Dwayne Bowe and Tony Gonzales. The Chargers are susceptible in the pass game and KC has had success when these two guys are focus points of the offense.

Pick: Chargers. I really want to go the other way and a Chief win wouldn’t shock me, because I actually don’t think the Chargers are much better than them right now. San Diego played motivated last week and had 10 days to get ready for the Chiefs.

Detroit Lions (0-13) @ Indianapolis Colts (9-4)

Announcers: Thom Brennaman and Brian Billick

Storylines: The Colts look to hold off their wild-card competition. The Lions are still looking for that elusive win.

The Lions Should Win If: {crickets}… alright, if the Lions QB can avoid turnovers and Kevin Smith is able to dominate the game, they have a puncher’s chance.

The Colts Should Win If: Hell is Hot. It will be even easier if their talented defensive ends are able to force Orlovsky or Stanton into 3 or 4 interceptions.

Pick: Colts. The Colt defense has been playing really well recently. The offense is still off a step, but that shouldn’t matter much in this game. They are also way too smart to overlook anybody.

Minnesota Vikings (8-5) @ Arizona Cardinals (8-5)

Announcers: Joe Buck and Troy Aikman

Storylines: The only meeting of the week between two division leaders. The Cardinals spot is secure, the same can not be said for the Vikings thanks to Chicago’s win on Thursday.

The Vikings Should Win If: They are able to hit Kurt Warner early. With little hope of getting a first-round bye, the Cardinals have little to play for. Fear of losing their franchise QB could turn them conservative in a hurry.

The Cardinals Should Win If: They are able to force Tarvaris Jackson to attempt more passes than Kurt Warner.

Pick: Vikings. Adrian Peterson should have a good game against the Cardinals defense and be able to protect the young QB. I know the Cards will play hard, I just think teams have a tendency to play too vanilla when they know they have more important games down the line.

New England Patriots (8-5) @ Oakland Raiders (3-10)

Announcers: Kevin Harlan and Rich Gannon

Storylines: The Patriots have been on the West Coast all weekend to avoid having to make the trip on consecutive weeks. They didn’t play all that well in Seattle last week, so we’ll see how this strategy works out. They would not make the playoffs as of now, a loss obviously can only hurt their chances.

The Patriots Should Win If: Their potpourri of linebackers plays well. They have young guys (Jerod Mayo and Pierre Woods) and not so young (Mike Vrabel and Junior Seau) starting. They looked confused last week and hope to have worked out all the kinks during the week.

The Raiders Should Win If: Zach Miller has a big day. He is the player most apt to take advantage of the previously mentioned linebacker problems. John Carlson had a nice week for Seattle in their near win, the Raiders should target him no less than 10 times.

Pick: Patriots. There are obvious traps here, but with Oakland running such a generic offense, the Patriots defense should actually find it fairly easy to adapt to.

Pittsburgh Steelers (10-3) @ Baltimore Ravens (9-4)

Announcers: Jim Nantz and Phil Simms

Storylines: The two best defenses in football, for first place in the AFC North. A loss could take the Ravens out of the current playoff picture.

The Steelers Should Win If: They are able to get to Joe Flacco. This will be the biggest game of his career and he is playing the best pass-rushing linebackers in the league in Harrison and Woodley. He will need to accept the occasional sack and not make a poor decision.

The Ravens Should Win If: Ed Reed is the safety making plays instead of Troy Polomalu. The Ravens are certainly scoring more than they have in recent weeks, but that has as much to do with their defense as offense. They will have to find ways to give Flacco and maybe Matt Stover, as short of fields as possible.

Pick: Ravens. The biggest game in Baltimore in years and a team that defensively, feeds off that fire better than any.  I think they will force more mistakes and win a very good game.

Denver Broncos (8-5) @ Carolina Panthers (10-3)

Announcers: Dick Enberg and Randy Cross

Storylines: The Panthers can clinch a playoff spot with a win and some help. They can at least create some real seperation with the Saints already losing and the Bucs and Falcons playing each other. The Broncos clinch the AFC West with a win and if the Ravens beat the Steelers, the Broncos join the conversation for a bye.

The Panthers Should Win If: They are able to do what everybody thinks they will do. Run for 200 yards on one of the worst defenses in the league.

The Broncos Should Win If: The Panthers don’t turn all of those yards into touchdowns. Jay Cutler has been playing very well and will put up points on any defense. The Panthers can’t just outgain the Broncos, they have to outscore them.

Pick: Broncos. They have been very good on the road this year and the Panthers are just the kind of team to have a letdown after a great week. We saw on Monday that their are shots to be had downfield against Carolina and Cutler and Marshall, Royal are more equipped to exploit it than even Garcia and Bryant were.

NewYork Giants (11-2) @ Dallas Cowboys (8-5)

Announcers: Al Michaels and John Madden

Storylines: A bunch of off-field crap and what should be a great game with playoff implications for both teams.

The Cowboys Should Win If: They are able to get at Manning consistently. The Passing game was off last week and one of the keys for Dallas is to keep them out of rhythm. Especially since Brandon Jacobs isn’t playing, the Giants will be much easier to make one-dimensional.

The Giants Should Win If: Their receivers step up and play much better than last week. They can’t drop balls and run poor routes. They play a much softer secondary this week and they all, especially Hixon, need to take advantage of that.

Pick: Cowboys. I think Jacobs not playing is huge. They don’t have the power back in short yardage situations that they need which could result in a much less relaxed offensive unit.

Cleveland Browns (4-9) @ Philadelphia Eagles (7-6-1)

Announcers: Mike Tirico and Ron Jaworski

The Browns Should Win If: They are able to find ways to get the ball in Josh Cribbs hands. He is the player most capable of an explosive play right now on the Browns roster.

The Eagles Should Win If: They stick to last week’s game plan and get the ball into Brian Westbrook’s hands 30 times.

Pick: Eagles. I don’t know if Andy Reid can keep running the ball, but it might not matter against the Browns.

Looking Back at Week 14

San Diego Chargers 34                                

Oakland Raiders 7

Chargers: The Chargers keep hopes of a playoff berth alive with this win. All it took was a win over the Raiders for every talking head to jump back on the bandwagon again. The Raiders were able to make plays downfield and take advantage of Raiders mistakes. Their linebackers played very well. The Chargers have won 11 in a row in December. The last team to beat them? The Broncos.

Raiders: The Raiders fall to 2-7 under interim head coach Tom Cable, all but assuring he will not be back with the team next year. The Raiders were able to score wins over the Jets and Broncos, both of which might be ploayoff teams, but were never able to build any consistency.

Chicago Bears 23

Jacksonville Jaguars 10

Bears: The Bears got good QB play from Kyle Orton and big plays from Greg Olsen and Devin Hester. That combined with the fact that Matt Forte had his sixth straight 100+ yard game from scrimmage offer a glimpse of what the Bears wish their offense could be every week. The D and Special Teams are not as dominant as they once were, but they still make big plays and create points. The Bears remain just one out of first and still have a great shot at the division title.

Jaguars: Jacksonville suffers it’s fourth consecutive loss and things are getting worse. I think Jack Del Rio is safe because of all of the offensive line injuries, but their will have to be some changes made in the off-season to get this once promising franchise back on the right page.

Minnesota Vikings 20

Detroit Lions 16

Vikings: The Vikings were certainly lucky to maintain the Williams Wall this week as they came very close to doing the impossible, losing to the Lions. On offense, the team actually got better when Gus Frerotte went down and Travaris Jackson came in. The much-maligned Jackson went 8-10 and threw a touchdown. He was also very good at handing the ball off to Adrian Peterson, who finished with 105 rushing yards.

Lions: Time is running out for Detroit. They’re down to three games to avoid history and none of them look winnable. On one hand I love Marinelli going for it on fourth down for the entire first half as they had nothing to lose. On the other hand, why run it right at the Williams’ both times? Daunte Culpepper got hurt at the end of the game and now the Lions may have to try to get that win with Dan Orlovsky at QB.

Houston Texans 24

Green Bay Packers 21

Texans: At some point, if the Texans are ever going to be competitive they are going to have to get more consistent. They won their third in a row but still look to finish the season under .500. They look going into next season as they have terrific playmakers on both sides of the ball. But, we thought that this year didn’t we?

Packers: Green Bay can not figure out a way to win close games. They are 0-5 in games decided by four points or less. Thus is probably the biggest difference between last year’s Packers and this year’s version. Unlucky? Inexperienced? Hard to say, but whatever it is the Packers will have to figure out a way to fix it in the off-season as it looks over this year.

Indianapolis Colts 35

Cincinnati Bengals 3

Colts: There is no hotter team in the league right now than the Colts. They have won six straight and are playing well on both sides of the ball. They still haven’t even hit their stride. What’s going to happen if they ever get it going full tilt? They could be the most dangerous team in the playoffs.

Bengals: Cincinnati is a really bad team. They are 0-7 on the road and are unsure whether to play Ryan Fitzpatrick or Jordan Palmer at QB. That is not a decision you want to make. Is Carson Palmer getting healthy really all it’s going to take?

New Orleans Saints 29

Atlanta Falcons 25

Saints: New Orleans maintains a little hope, moving to 7-6. Drew Brees completed his first fourth quarter comeback as a Saint, of course it was only from one point down. New Orleans actually plays okay defense and they have a ton of offensive weapons. Which makes you wonder, is Sean Payton any good? Well, he can be. Though if the Saints had failed on their fourth-down attempt in the red-zone late in the game I think most would answer in the negative.

Falcons: I don’t think you would take much negative out of this game when it comes to the Falcons. Unfortunately, it might have really hurt their playoff chances. Because it was a divisional loss they went fromthe sixth-seed to out of the playoffs. The future is still bright however, as the defense is improving and on offense they can both run and throw.

Philadelphia Eagles 20

New York Giants 14

Eagles: What do the Eagles look like when Brian Westbrook gets almost 40 touches? Like a team that can beat the Conference’s best in their own house. Too bad it took so long for Andy Reid to figure it all out. The Eagles are still mathematically alive in the playoffs, but as has been their trend the past couple of years they digged a deep hole that will be hard to get out of.

Giants: New York lost in the Meadowlands for the first time this season and looked terrible in doing so. For the entire week leading up to the game, every talking head told us that the Giants were too mature and well-led to be distracted by the Plax Situation. So of course right afterwards the same “experts” told us that was why they lost. I don’t know if that’s the case or not, but they better shake off whatever it was because their year is not going to get any easier.

Tennessee Titans 28

Cleveland Browns 9

Titans: Tennessee clinched the AFC South for the first time in six years and did it in typical Titan-fashion. Businesslike. Chris Johnson ran for 136 yards and LenDale White ran for 99. The Titans defense was also terrific giving up just 185 yards of offense. They’re not sexy and nobody will pick them, but they are the clear favorite to represent the AFC in the Super Bowl.

Browns: Cleveland has lost five of their last six games and have not scored a TD in six weeks. Rumors swirled right after the game that Romeo Crennel would be fired at the end of the year and the Browns would attempt to get Marty Schottenheimer back. Also, look for Bernie Kosar to be the new backup, Earnest Byner to replace Jamal Lewis and Webster Slaughter to catch way more balls next year than Braylon Edwards.

Miami Dolphins 16

Buffalo Bills 3

Dolphins: The Dolphins have won six out of seven and this one was just as ugly as most of them. But a win is a win and eight wins is seven more than they had last year. Chad Pennington may be the biggest reason for the turnaround as his efficiency fits a “Parcells” offense perfectly. He has thrown for more yards this season than Brett Favre. Miami is a serious playoff contender with a great defense and an offense that doesn’t beat itself.

Bills: J.P. Losman did not provide the spark that the Bills were hoping for. I don’t know what happened to this team’s offense, but Trent Edwards went from MVP Candidate to being very unsure whether he’ll be the starting QB next season.

San Francisco 49ers 24

New York Jets 14

49ers: This game should be enough to earn Mike Singletary a permanent position. They not only beat a pretty good Jets team, they dominated them. If they have their coach and Shaun Hill is as good as he’s looked in limited action we can all go into next year pretending they’re going to be better again.

Jets: IF the Jets make the playoffs, they better hope they don’t have to head west to say Denver. They’ve been horrible out west, losing to San Diego, Oakland and now the Niners. Don’t count the Jets out though. They do still have a hall of fame QB, a sometimes solid defense and a good run game. What they are missing is something intangible. It’s up to Coach Mangini to figure that out.

New England Patriots 24

Seattle Seahawks 21

Patriots: The game was a microcosm for the New England Season. They weren’t great, but in the end they figured it out and came out on top. They also lost a couple more key players in Vince Wilfork and Tedy Bruschi. The Patriots may have to win their last three in order to make the playoffs. They are all winnable games, but with their injuries it’s easy to imagine them slipping as they almost did here.

Seahawks: Seattle has lost six straight and five in a row at home. Not how they wanted to send Mike Holmgren out of Seattle. They have already lost more games than they ever did in the Holmgren Era and will struggle to win another this year.

Arizona Cardinals 34

St. Louis Rams 10

Cardinals: Arizona wins a division title for the first time in 33 years and will make their first playoff appearance in a decade. They will host their first playoff game in 61 years.  They certainly have the offense to contend once they get there and if their defense can contribute 14 points as it did here they could be very dangerous.

Rams: St. Louis will not have Jim Haslett back next year. Torry Holt has already said he’s not interested in playing there next year.  Marc Bulger figures to be expendable. Who else will be gone? Ladies and Gentlemen, Meet the Mid-West Raiders. Super Bowl to joke in less than a decade.

Pittsburgh Steelers 20

Dallas Cowboys 13

Steelers: How good is the Steelers defense? They haven’t given up 300 yards of offense all year, the 88 yards Tashard Choice had on Sunday was the most they’ve given up on the ground all year, they’ve given up 50 points in their last four games and they are beating good teams with no offense at all. They had 3 sacks and forced 4 turnovers. I don’t know if they can win in the playoffs without an offense, but they’ll get there.

Cowboys: They had it. Romo had a big win in December. They had a game won in freezing temperatures. They were going to live up to the hype. Then reality punched them in the face and returned a third Tony Romo pick for a game-winning touchdown. Jerry Jones may or may not question Marion Barber’s toughness, but I question the toughness of the whole team.

Denver Broncos 24

Kansas City Chiefs 17

Broncos: I saw in the most recent Power Rankings that the Broncos were ranked behind Dallas, the Jets, Atlanta and Tampa Bay. This is a team that is going to shock people in the playoffs. When Cutler is on I really don’t believe there is a defense in the league that can stop him. He made passes on Sunday that were incredible and only he could make. Yeah, he threw a pick-six, but that’s what you get with a gunslinger. We’ll get a stronger sense of just how good the Broncos can be this Sunday against Carolina, but their upside is extraordinary. They will of course have to go forward with their sixth different starting Half-Back this week.

Chiefs: The Chiefs didn’t play bad, they’re just not talented enough to win. Herman Edwars is likely safe for the next two years at least, but when are they going to get better.

Baltimore Ravens 24

Washington Redskins 10

Ravens: They looked a lot like the Ravens of old. Stifling defense, an okay run game and not much out of the QB. I thought Flacco played poorly, but the defense and Ed Reed in particular certainly were able to hide him. The Ravens have the Steelers and Cowboys in the next two weeks and have to win at least one to stay in the hunt.

Redskins: Anybody still want to argue with me about the Redskins being a bit of a farce? They are unable to make plays downfield and Jason Campbell is very inconsistent. Teams began putting eight in the box on them about a month into the season and we’ve seen the impact of that on Portis and the team as a whole.

Carolina Panthers 38

Tampa Bay Buccaneers 23

Panthers: Probably the most impressive win of the week. Did anybody think Carolina would put up over 200 yards rushing on the Bucs? As long as they can move the ball like that on the ground they are going to dominate. Some flaws were also exposed. Jake Delhomme has taken a big step back in the past month and is making horrible decisions. His only success in the passing game comes from chucking up prayer balls to Steve Smith. They are also vulnerable on pass defense as evidenced by Antonio Bryant’s success.

Buccaneers: I think some of the age was showing on Tampa in this game, especially on defense. They are often called a young team and maybe that’s true as a whole, but they are aged at some key spots. QB, RB, WR, DL, LB, CB…they’re all pretty old. They looked much slower than Carolina in this game.

Power Rankings: Week 13

NFC

1. GIANTS (1) The Clear Cut Favorite in the NFC, though maybe not by as much as people think.

2. BUCCANEERS (2) Very consistent. Do you think the Browns and Lions would love to have Garcia?

3. FALCONS (5)  Not intimidated by anybody and a steadily improving team.

4. PANTHERS (4) Some questions about Delhomme recently, but great defense and great run game.

5. COWBOYS (6) Romo makes all of the difference in the world.

6. VIKINGS (11) Easy favorites to win the North and have won 6 out of 8 now.

7. CARDINALS (3) Can this team win a road game? If not, they are fairly meaningless in the playoffs.

8. REDSKINS (7) Still very much in the hunt, but offensive woes are becoming more obvious.

9. EAGLES (12) Stayed alive, but very unlikely to make it.

10. SAINTS (9) A threat to win on any week, but not a threat in the playoff race.

11. BEARS (8) Could still make a late run, but it’s getting tougher.

12. PACKERS (10) Is there still a question about whether the Packers did the right thing?

13. 49ers (13) Of the Bottom Four in the NFC, they seem to have the most upside.

14. SEAHAWKS (14) Next year, they try again, without one of the best coaches of our generation.

15. RAMS (15) I actually think they’re the worst team in the NFC, but they have two wins

16. LIONS (16) I still think they could steal one from Minnesota or New Orleans

AFC

1. TITANS (2) Yeah it was the Lions, but the win was impressive enough to get back the top spot.

2. STEELERS (3) Incredible Defense.

3. RAVENS (4) Still a very good chance that this team wins the North.

4. JETS (1) Needed to get that win on Sunday to be an elite team

5. COLTS (6) There’s questions here, but they are very good at finding ways to win.

6. BRONCOS (7) Will win the West. If they can play at home like they have on the road, could be scary. 

7. PATRIOTS (5) Very easy schedule down the stretch, they’ll make the playoffs.

8. DOLPHINS (9) Easy Schedule, but they won’t make the playoffs.

9. BILLS (8) 2-6 in the past 8, wha’ happened?

10. CHARGERS (10) Only this high because they’re technically still alive in the West.

11. TEXANS (13) As has been the case the past couple of years, they’ll be optimistic next year.

12. JAGUARS (11) A lot of people thought they’d go to the Super Bowl. Oops.

13. BROWNS (12) What a waste of a season. Can’t even get Quinn ready for next year.

14. CHIEFS (16) Who Cares?

15. RAIDERS (14) Yep, the Raiders still suck. My post-season article on them is going to be sweet.

16. BENGALS (15) As bad as the Lions, Rams or anybody Else.

MVP

1. KURT WARNER (1) In a year without a clear-cut winner, it will go to the stat monster.

2. JAY CUTLER (3) Take Cutler off the Broncos, they have 2 wins.

3. PEYTON MANNING (4) Bad week, but he’s a media darling.

4. TONY ROMO (9) If the Cowboys make the playoffs, it will be because of him.

5. ELI MANNING (6) Doesn’t have huge numbers, but he’s proven to be a winner.

6. MICHAEL TURNER (8) A bigger reason for the turnaround than Ryan, who will be ROTY.

7. THOMAS JONES (-) Why is this guy on his fourth team?

8. BRETT FAVRE (7) Will likely get some votes from the heart.

9. MATT CASSEL (5) Can’t deny the impressiveness of what he’s done.

10. DEANGELO WILLIAMS (-) Any regrets about using that first pick on a RB?

Looking Back at Week 11

New York Jets 34                    

New England Patriots 31

Why the Jets Won: Both teams piled up yardage, but the Jets were the more consistent offense, converting 56% of their third downs, to only 28 for New England.

Why the Patriots Lost: It was a game of ups and downs for Matt Cassel and ultimately the downs caught up with him. He was unable to successfully stretch the field and had to instead settle for underneath stuff or simply took off scrambling. He was his teams leading rusher.

MVP: Brett Favre was 26-33 for 280 yards and two touchdowns. He completed five of six passes on the game-winning overtime drive.

What It All Means: The Jets are now in the driver’s seat in the East and control their destiny. They’ve won four in a row, but have some tough games left on the schedule, including Titans this week. The Patriots are unable to consistently win this year and are right now on the outside of the playoff race.

Carolina Panthers 31                

Detroit Lions 22

Why the Panthers Won: Carolina’s talented running back duo of DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart combined for 250 yards and three rushing touchdowns.

Why the Lions Lost: They moved the ball well, were decent on third down and committed only one penalty. But, Daunte Culpepper continues to struggle and turn the ball over. He was responsible for 3 of the Lions four turnovers.

MVP: You could give it to either back, but I’ll go with DeAngelo who averaged over 8 yards per carry and scored twice.

What It All Means: The Panthers continue to roll and are built for a playoff run, with a strong pass and a dominant run game. If the Lions were looking for something from a dreadful season to hang their hats on it may be rookie Kevin Smith. He has emerged over the last couple of games and ran for 112 yards against a stingy Carolina defense on Sunday.

Philadelphia Eagles 13              

Cincinnati Bengals 13

Why the Bengals Didn’t Lose: The much-maligned Bengal defense forced 4 turnovers and TJ Houshmanzadeh dominated Pro-Bowler Sheldon Brown.

Why the Eagles Couldn’t Beat the Bengals: 17 touches for Brian Westbrook. Only 1 Carry by another RB. The Bengals are one of the worst run defenses in the NFL, Donovan McNabb clearly didn’t have it on Sunday, It was windy in Cincinnati and Andy Reid calls 58 pass plays.

MVP: TJ had 12 catches for 149 yards and a touchdown.

What It All Means: Well, not a lot. It was a tie. This may have been the game that simultaneously saves Marvin Lewis’ job and costs Andy Reid his. Lewis showed that he can still get this team to play for him. Reid showed once again that he is one of the worst game day coaches in the NFL. Certainly the worst to have his job for a decade.

Green Bay Packers 37              

Chicago Bears 3

Why the Packers Won: The Packers had 6 drives that lasted more than four game minutes and controlled the ball for more than 15 minutes better than the Bears. They wore out the Bears defense and were opportunistic on offense.

Why the Bears Lost: The Bears averaged just under 10 yards per completion and had just one pass play of more than 20 yards. Once they fell behind by a couple of scores, they did not have the big play offense to catch up.

MVP: Ryan Grant finally showed up. He ran for 145 yards and a touchdown.

What It All Means: A three-way tie atop the NFC North. Everybody likes the Pack to win it now, but that could change by the week. All three teams travel this week and GB has the toughest assignment in New Orleans.

Indianapolis Colts 33                

Houston Texans 27

Why the Colts Won: The Colts converted 10-15 third downs, including two long ones on the game-winning drive.

Why the Texans Lost: They were 0-4 on the road and missing two key defensive pieces coming in. Also, in a shoot-out they underutilized their best bullet. Andre Johnson had just 4 catches for 55 yards.

MVP: Joseph Addai showed up this week also. He had 153 total yards and 2 scores. See those first round picks you used on Addai and Grant are great for the playoff run, fantasy geeks.

What It All Means: The Colts have played themselves right back into the playoff hunt and already have wins over wild-card contenders Baltimore and New England. The Texans will likely fall back below .500 this year and look to rebuild once again.

New Orleans Saints 30             

Kansas City Chiefs 20

Why the Saints Won: New Orleans fell behind early in this game and it would have been easy for them to fold. The vocal leaders on the team Drew Brees and Deuce were seen on the sidelines keeping their team fired up and their heads in the game.

Why the Chiefs Lost: Twice the Chiefs had first-and-goal and had to settle for field goals. Hard to figure that out since they had LJ back.

MVP: Pierre Thomas had 141 total yards and a rushing TD. He likely will make Deuce expendable in the off-season.

What It All Means: The Saints remain alive, though hanging by a thread. They could help their cause a lot with a win Monday over GB. The Chiefs continue to play teams hard, but are unable to come away with victories for their effort.

Miami Dolphins 17                   Oakland Raiders 15

Why the Dolphins Won: Though the points don’t show it, the Dolphins were efficient with the ball. Chad Pennington completed 60% of his passes and Ronnie Brown went for 101 yards. They committed just 3 penalties and one turnover.

Why the Raiders Lost: The Raiders offense is terrible. I mean in epic proportions. Historically. They have converted under 25% of their third downs for the season and score less than 10 points per game. They played their best game in a while on Sunday, with no turnovers, but that hardly matters if you accumulate less than 200 yards of offense and your only touchdown comes on special teams.

MVP: Ted Ginn Jr. continues to impress. He finished with 166 total yards and a 41 yard rushing touchdown.

What It All Means: The Dolphins last two wins, against Seattle and Oakland, were less than impressive, but they were wins and the Dolphins now sit in second in the East and would make the playoffs if the season ended today. The Raiders are still the Raiders. No sign of hope, change or success in the future. Unless their new Coach is Barack Obama I don’t see how that will change any time soon.

New York Giants 30

Baltimore Ravens 10

Why the Giants Won: The Giants ran for 207 yards against the best rush defense in the league. They did it with 3 different backs all contributing. Though, I guess the Ravens defense can still say that they haven’t given up a 100 yard rusher in over 2 years. Ahmad Bradshaw finished with 96.

Why the Ravens Lost: The offense was worse than the defense. Joe Flacco led the team with 57 rushing yards and his twenty completions were worth less than 8 yards a pop. Baltimore completed no pass for greater than 16 yards.

MVP: Aaron Ross had 6 tackles and two interceptions.

What It All Means: The Giants have a tremendous shot at repeating as Champs as they are better than last year and getting better by the week. This was an extremely impressive win. Baltimore doesn’t travel well, which we knew and though I think they will make the playoffs, could have a hard time in a wild card game in the Meadowlands, Heinz Field or Mile High.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers 19

Minnesota Vikings 13

Why the Bucs Won: Tampa sacked Gus Frerotte 5 times and forced 2 fumbles.

Why the Vikings Lost: Minnesota was unable to come up with big plays on either side of the ball. They had just 1 sack and after the first quarter had no play for longer than 20 yards.

MVP: Jeff Garcia’s mobility was huge in this game, I think somebody predicted that, as he was able to scramble and find open receivers for 255 yards.

What It All Means: The Bucs are pretty close to being a playoff lock and have a win over division leader Carolina. The Vikings are in the muddle that is the NFC North.

Denver Broncos 24

Atlanta Falcons 20

Why the Broncos Won: That Jay Cutler is not mentioned in the MVP Debate more is ridiculous. With little run game, a rookie left tackle and an injury-plagued underperforming defense, Cutler seems to be able to will the Broncos to victory and gets there by making throws that no other QB in the league can make. The game winning throw to Daniel Graham being an example.

Why the Falcons Lost: The Falcons controlled the clock and ran 15 more plays than Denver, but failed to cash in early, settling for 2 field goals from inside the 20.

MVP: Rookie Spencer Larsen played the entire game at FB, MLB, on the kick return team and on the kick coverage team.

What It All Means: Aside from the jets winning in Foxboro, this was the most impressive win of the week. Denver started rookies at MLB, ROLB, CB, FS, FB, RB, LT, WR, K, KR and still went into Atlanta where the Falcons were 4-0 and playing great and pulled out the win. Anybody still question how great Mike Shanahan is?

San Francisco 49ers 35               St. Louis Rams 16

Why the Niners Won: The 49ers were able to score TD’s on all five red-zone trips.

Why the Rams Lost: Apparently they still haven’t figured out that you can’t spot the other team 35 points in the first half and win.

MVP: Why wasn’t Shaun Hill starting all along? Was it just because Mike Martz wanted to prove that he could make another nobody QB a household name? Hill was 15/20 for 213 yards and two touchdowns.

What It All Means: Well not a whole lot. Maybe the 49ers have found a QB and a system that could work for them next year. The Rams are probably starting to shop their veterans and see if they can find a big name head coach to excite their fan base next year.

Arizona Cardinals 26

Seattle Seahawks 20

Why the Cardinals Won: Anquan Boldin had 186 yards. Larry Fitzgerald had over 150 and they didn’t even score. JJ Arrington, the third RB had both scores. Too many weapons.

Why the Seahawks Lost: Matt Hasselbeck’s comeback didn’t go quite as planned. He was picked off three times, twice by Domonique Rodgers-Cromartie.

MVP: Adrian Wilson had 5 tackles, a sack and a forced fumble. It would be a crime if you all forgot about him on your pro-bowl ballot again this year.

What It All Means: The Cardinals will still win the West. Matt Hasselbeck is not the cure to what ales the Hawks.

Tennessee Titans 24

Jacksonville Jaguars 14

Why the Titans Won: Kerry Collins was once again able to pick up the slack. He threw for 230 yards and 3 touchdowns to compensate for the backs each going for less than 65 yards.

Why the Jags Lost: Jacksonville had 3 punts and an interception while the score was 17-14.

MVP: Justin Gage became the first Titan WR to go over 100 yards this season. Finishing with 146 yards and two touchdowns.

What It All Means: The Titans will go undefeated. No, I actually still think they lose, but I have no idea how. Jacksonville is done. They could chalk this season up to injuries and start looking towards next year.

Pittsburgh Steelers 11

San Diego Chargers 10

Why the Steelers Won: In terrible weather, they were the team that was able to run the ball. Willie Parker gained 115 yards on the ground.

Why the Chargers Lost: LT gained just 57 rushing yards and Philip Rivers, an MVP candidate a few weeks ago, continue to struggle by throwing two interceptions.

MVP: Big Ben completed 31 passes for over 300 yards in the snow.

What It All Means: The Steelers needed this win bad and put some seperation between them and the Ravens. The Chargers are also done, though you wouldn’t know it by watching the talking heads who still insist that the Week 17 match-up between the Chargers and Broncos will be for the division. If Denver goes 3-2 in the next five games, that game will be irrelevant.

Dallas Cowboys 14

Washington Redskins 10

Why the Cowboys Won: Marion Barber iced the game in the fourth quarter, eating up 114 yards in the game and the final six minutes.

Why  the Redskins Lost: Their offense runs through Clinton Portis and when he only gets 17 touches in a game, they are gonna lose.

MVP: The MVP was Barber, but I’d also mention Jay Ratliff who had 2 sacks and dominated the line of scrimmage all night.

What It All Means: While the East has likely escaped both teams, the wild-card race in the NFC is going to be alot of fun with 8 teams still fighting for 2 spots.

Cleveland Browns 29

Buffalo Bills 27

Why the Browns Won: They won the turnover battle 4-0. They turned them into 16 points.

Why the Bills Lost: Four turnovers.

MVP: Braylon Edwards had a key drop early, but finished with 108 receiving yards. He’s Mr. Monday Night, as his two best games this year have both come in the week’s final game.

What It All Means: Romeo Crennel may be able to use this game as a launching pad towards saving his job. The Bills, once the darlings of the league, are now all but done.

 

Week 11 Power Rankings

Number in paranthesis is their ranking a week ago.

NFC

1. GIANTS (1)

2. PANTHERS (2)

3. CARDINALS (3)

4. BUCCANEERS (5)

5. FALCONS (4)

6. PACKERS (11)

7. COWBOYS (9)

8. REDSKINS (6)

9. EAGLES (8)

10. SAINTS (12)

11. BEARS (7)

12. VIKINGS (10)

13. 49ERS (14)

14. SEAHAWKS (13)

15. LIONS (16)

16. RAMS (15)

 

AFC

1. TITANS (1)

2. JETS (2)

3. STEELERS (3)

4. RAVENS (3)

5. BRONCOS (8)

6. PATRIOTS (5)

7. DOLPHINS (6)

8. COLTS (7)

9. BROWNS (12)

10. BILLS (9)

11. CHARGERS (10)

12. JAGUARS (11)

13. TEXANS (13)

14. RAIDERS (16)

15. CHIEFS (14)

16. BENGALS (15)

 

MVP POWER RANKINGS

1. KURT WARNER

2. JAY CUTLER

3. PEYTON MANNING

4. BRETT FAVRE

5. CLINTON PORTIS

6. ADRIAN PETERSON

7. MICHAEL TURNER

8. BRANDON JACOBS

9. CHAD PENNINGTON

10. DEANGELO WILLIAMS

 

OFFENSIVE ROOKIE OF THE YEAR

1. MATT RYAN

2. CHRIS JOHNSON

3. JAKE LONG

4. JOE FLACCO

5. RYAN CLADY

6. MATT FORTE

7. EDDIE ROYAL

8. DESEAN JACKSON

9. STEVE SLATON

10. JOHN CARLSON

DEFENSIVE ROOKIE OF THE YEAR

1. CHRIS HORTON

2. JEROD MAYO

3. LEODIS MCKELVIN

4. KENNY PHILLIPS

5. BRANDON FLOWERS

6. TOM ZBIKOWSKI

7. DWIGHT LOWERY

8. XAVIER ADIBI

9. JACK WILLIAMS

10. DOMONIQUE RODGERS-CROMARTIE

Week 11 Preview

Detroit Lions (0-9) @ Carolina Panthers (7-2)

Announcers: Ron Pitts and Tony Boselli

Storylines: The Panthers try to bounce back from an ugly win over a terrible Raiders Team and establish some dominance against another terrible team in Detroit. The Lions are looking for their first win of the season to keep Rod Marinelli from being the first coach to go 0-16 in a season. They will start Daunte Culpepper for a second straight week.

Key to the Game: Quarterback Play. Jake Delhomme can not play like he did last week and expect another victory. Daunte Culpepper was not terrible last week, especially considering that he started on 3 days practice for the entire season.

Fantasy Note: Look for DeAngelo Williams to get a lot of touches against a bad run defense, when he has 80 yards in his career the Panthers are 9-0.

Pick: Panthers. I’ve said before that the Lions won’t get their first win on the road and I stand by that. Look for Delhomme to bounce back here and have a nice game en route to maintaining first place in the South.

Philadelphia Eagles (5-4) @ Cincinnati Bengals (1-8)

Announcers: Kenny Albert and Daryl Johnston

Storylines: The Eagles look to bounce back from a close loss to the Giants. The Eagles are now 0-4 this year in games decided by less than a touchdown. They are 1-8 over the last two years in close games. The Bengals had a week off to celebrate their first win of the season over Jacksonville in week 9.

Key to the Game: Brian Westbrook. He needs to touch the ball more than 13 times, like he did last week. If he can get more than 20 touches, the Eagles have an excellent chance to win.

Fantasy Note: Chad Johnson is averaging 6 catches per game over his last four and has scored touchdowns in three of those four games.

Pick: Eagles. I look for the Eagles defense to dominate this game. They will blitz young Ryan Fitzpatrick all day long and Cincinnati does not have the run game to counter that.

New Orleans Saints (4-5) @ Kansas City Chiefs (1-8)

Announcers: Thom Brennaman and Brian Billick

Storylines: The Saints are at the point where even the most dim-witted pundit has to see that their season is hanging by a string. Though many have been unwilling to give up on the preseason favorites, they are in a spot where they will need to go at least 6-1 to make the playoffs. The Bengals have played well in recent weeks, but have no wins to show for it. They will look to get it done at Arrowhead.

Key to the Game: Larry Johnson. He will return as the featured back this week and the Chiefs will need him to be effective in order to control the clock and keep the Saints offense off the field.

Fantasy Note: Drew Brees is on pace to break Dan Marino’s single-season yardage record. He has thrown for 300 yards in three consecutive starts against the Chiefs.

Pick: Chiefs. Tyler Thigpen has played well enough in the past couple of weeks. The Chiefs will put up enough points to upset a very one-dimensional Saints offense. Remember what they did to Cutler and the Broncos in week 4.

Baltimore Ravens (6-3) @ New York Giants (8-1)

Announcers: Greg Gumbel and Dan Dierdorf

Storylines: Baltimore rides a four game win streak into the Meadowlands to face the team that many believe is the best in the league. A rematch of Super Bowl XXXV. The Ravens will be without a league high 16 players due to season ending injuries.

Key to the Game: Strength vs. Strength. The Ravens are the number one rush defense in the league. The Giants are the number one rushing offense. The Ravens haven’t given up a 100 yard rusher in 28 games.

Fantasy Note: Joe Flacco has played well recently and has gotten picked up in most leagues. Don’t start him here. He hasn’t faced a top 12 pass defense in over a month. This week he faces the second best pass defense in the league and number 3 in sacks.

Pick: Giants. The Giants defense will win this game by a close margin. They can take away the Ravens run game and force rookie Flacco to beat him. Something I don’t think he is ready to do yet.

Minnesota Vikings (5-4) @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers (6-3)

Announcers: Sam Rosen and Tim Ryan

Storylines: The Vikings try to make it 5 out of 6 against a Tampa team coming off a bye. The two old NFC Central Rivals are both right in the hunt for playoff spots and both need wins here to maintain that position. Cadillac Williams makes his 2008 debut.

Key to the Game: Garcia’s Mobility. Jared Allen has been dominant in recent weeks and will be taking on Donald Penn this week. Jeff Garcia will have to be aware of him at all times and use his legs to make some plays.

Fantasy Note: Adrian Peterson is not as strong a start as you think this week. He has, in his young career, shown a trend of inconsistency. He has never run for 80 yards in five straight games. He has over 100 in his last four. The Bucs have only given up 66 yards per game on the ground at home and are 4-0 in those games.

Pick: Vikings. Look for Chester Taylor to actually play a bigger role than Peterson this week. The Bucs are susceptible to screens and short passes, so look for Brad Childress to return to his true west coast roots. Both teams could struggle to run the ball and Gus Frerotte is the more likely QB to come up with the deep balls taht could be the difference in what will likely be a low-scoring game.

Oakland Raiders (2-7) @ Miami Dolphins (5-4)

Announcers: Ian Eagle and Solomon Wilcots

Storylines: The Dolphins are just one of several teams who had top 10 picks last year and are now driving for the playoffs. After a 1-15 season in 2007, The Dolphins could be in second place in the East with a win here. Yet, the Raiders will have their seventh straight losing season.

Key to the Game: Oakland’s Offensive LIne. They gave up 3 sacks and a forced fumble to John Abraham. They gave up 3 sacks and a forced fumble to Julius Peppers. This week they face NFL Sack Leader Joey Porter.

Fantasy Note: Both Miami running backs should be starts. Oakland has struggled against the run and Ricky Williams is becoming a bigger part of the offense, coming off his first 100 yard game. Ronnie Brown hasn’t gotten huge yards in recent weeks, but has 10 touchdowns in his last 8 games.

Pick: Dolphins. It’s hard enough to travel across the country and play in Miami, it’s harder when you’re an awful team.

Chicago Bears (5-4) @ Green Bay Packers (4-5)

Announcers: Joe Buck and Troy Aikman

Storylines: The first meeting of the season in one of the game’s best rivalries. The Bears have won five of the last six meetings. The Packers, once the favorites in the North, try to just get back into the picture. The Bears seek some consistency.

Key to the Game: Aaron Rodgers. The Bears are terrific against the run, but are ranked 30th against the pass. Rodgers will need a Kerry Collins-esque performance to get his team back in the win column.

Fantasy Note: The Packers have given up 178 and 220 yards on the ground the last two weeks. Now they’ll have to play without MLB Nick Barnett. Look for Rookie RB Matt Forte to have a huge game for Chicago.

Pick: Bears. Lambeau is not quite as intimidating as it used to be, but Brian Urlacher is. Look for him to get into Rodgers face and possibly his head. The Packers can not stop the run and will not win against a smashmouth team like Chicago until the relearn how to do just that.

Houston Texans (3-6) @ Indianapolis Colts (5-4)

Announcers: GUS JOHNSON!!! and Steve Tasker

Storylines: The Streaky Texans look to get back into the win column against a team that has dominated them since their debut in the league. The Colts are 12-1 in the series, including a gift win courtesy of Sage Rosenfels earlier this season. Rosenfels played well last year, but has turned the ball over 7 times in 3 starts this season.

Key to the Game: Colts Secondary. They will have the unenviable task of covering Andre Johnson, who is averaging 120 yards per game over the last 6. If they can come up with the interceptions, as they did against the Steelers last week, the short field will mean a lot to a suddenly inconsistent Colts Offense.

Fantasy Note: Dallas Clark has 3 touchdowns in the past 3 games.

Pick: Colts. If you can’t win the division game at home, it is very hard to win it on the road. This time Bob Sanders will be on the field, which won’t make it any easier for Sage.

Denver Broncos (5-4) @ Atlanta Falcons (6-3)

Announcers: Kevin Harlan and Rich Gannon

Storylines: At the beginning of the year, you probably would not have expected the Falcons to be the overwhelming favorites in this game. Rookie Matt Ryan has played very well and a win here solidifies them in the playoff picture. The Broncos try to build off a very impressive fourth quarter against the Browns last week and had another 10 days to get ready for this game. Could the game be a shoot-out that culminates in a last second Jason Elam field goal attempt?

Key to the Game: Broncos Run Game. The way the Broncos can pull off the upset here is by establishing a run game that has been marred by injuries. They will start back-up fullback Peyton Hillis at Halfback and spell in recently returning Tatum Bell.

Fantasy Note: Michael Jenkins will line up against a struggling Karl Paymah this week. Jenkins is averaging over 16 yards per catch this season.

Pick: Falcons. If Denver came up with a game-plan that catches Atlanta completely off guard, during their ten day layoff, then they’ve got a chance. As things stand though, it’s hard to envision how the Broncos can win this game with all their injuries and having to travel to what will be a very excited Georgia Dome.

St. Louis Rams (2-7) @ San Francisco 49ers (2-7)

Announcers: Matt Vasgersian and JC Pearson

Storylines: Ugh. Martz and Isaac Bruce vs. The Rams. Martz vs. Singletary. Singletary vs. The Overwhelming Need to Drop His Drawers in Front of Grown Men.

Key to the Game: Focus. A game like this between two teams with no hopes of the playoffs will always come down to which team still decides to show up.

Fantasy Note: How will Frank Gore respond to not being called on for that Goal Line Carry on Monday?

Pick: 49ers. Shaun Hill has played well in his two starts and this one will be against a team that appears to have quit. Steven Jackson will not play which means the game is on Marc Bulgers Sore Shoulder and that has been bad news the past couple of seasons for the Rams.

Arizona Cardinals (6-3) @ Seattle Seahawks (2-7)

Announcers: Dick Stockton and Brian Baldinger

Storylines: Arizona travels to Qwest Field in their continuing Journey to grab the torch from the Seattle Seahawks. Seattle has won the NFC West four straight years. Arizona has not had a division champion in 33 years. Their magic number is 3. The Return of Matt Hasselbeck.

Key to the Game: Penalties. Arizona was flagged 10 times on Monday. They will not get two straight wins playing that sloppy.

Fantasy Note: The return of Matt makes Bobby Engram a solid contender for your third receiver slot.

Pick: Seahawks. I don’t think Matt Hasselbeck being back under center for the Seahawks can be overstated. They will look like a different team and should be the kind of team that is hard to beat at home once again.

Tennessee Titans (9-0) @ Jacksonville Jaguars (4-5)

Announcers: Dick Enberg and Randy Cross

Storylines: The Titans are not hunting down perfection, just another win this week. The Jaguars try to get on track before it is too late. A loss here eliminates the Jags from the division title race.

Key to the Game: Chris Johnson. The Titans dynamic running back will need to bounce back from a terrible week against Chicago and set the tone. The Jags have a much better pass defense than Chicago, so they do not want to ask Kerry Collins to win again this week.

Fantasy Note: Bo Scaife caught ten passes last week and is averaging nearly 50 yards per game. In a weak Tight End year, he is an every week starter.

Pick: Jaguars. Jacksonville is a tough place to play and you have to believe at some point that we will get a glimpse of the Jacksonville team we thought we’d see this year.

San Diego Chargers (4-5) @ Pittsburgh Steelers (6-3)

Announcers: Jim Nantz and Phil Simms

Storylines: The inconsistent Chargers travel to Heinz Field to take on a Pittsburgh team nursing a lot of injuries. Including those to Ben Roethlisberger and Willie Parker.

Key to the Game: The Running Backs. Neither The Other LT or Willie Parker has lived up to their expectations this year. If one of them can go for 100-120 yards in this game, that team will win.

Fantasy Note: Tyler Thigpen threw 3 touchdowns in San Diego Last Week. Big Ben, even hurt, is better than Tyler Thigpen.

Pick: Steelers. The Steelers have lost consecutive games at home. They seem unlikely to lose a third. For the talking heads who keep assuming that at some point the Chargers will suddenly become a great team again and are still the favorites to win the west, here’s some things to consider.

The Broncos have the 27th ranked pass defense. The Chargers are 32nd.

The Broncos stink against the run, but the Chargers give up over 100 yards per game as well.

The terrible Broncos defense gives up just 3 more points per game than San Diego.

The Broncos are the Third Best Pass Team in the League. The Chargers are 6th.

The Broncos are struggling at running the ball and are 18th in the league. The Chargers, with their hall of fame back, are 25th.

The Chargers are a sub .500 team. What is it that everybody still loves about them?

Dallas Cowboys (5-4) @ Washington Redskins (6-3)

Announcers: Al Michaels and John Madden

Storylines: It’s the Cowboys-Redskins, what more could you ask for? How about the return of Tony Romo? Will Portis gut it out and play hurt? Will the Cowboy season be saved or ended in Prime Time?

Key to the Game: Jason Campbell. With Portis unlikely to play, it will be up to Jason Campbell who hopes to get his biggest win as a Redskin. He threw two interceptions at home on a Monday Night in his last start.

Fantasy Note: Santana Moss averages 8 catches for 130 yards and a touchdown in his last three games against Terrance Newman and the Cowboys.

PIck: Cowboys. I don’t think Romo playing is the difference maker here. Portis not playing is. The Cowboys willl put eight it the box and pin back their ears and get after Campbell. He struggled against the blitz vs. the Steelers.

Cleveland Browns (3-6) @ Buffalo Bills (5-4)

Announcers: Mike Tirico and Ron Jaworski

Storylines: The Bills try to stop the bleeding at home against a desperate Browns team.

Key to the Game: Brady Quinn. If he can play as smart and efficiently again he gives his team an excellent chance to pull off the upset.

Fantasy Note: Kellen Winslow obviously has great chemistry with Quinn. Don’t worry about the mistakes, he will still be a big part of the game plan this week.

Pick: Browns. The Browns play well in Prime Time and Buffalo is still missing some key pieces (most notably Aaron Schoebel). This game could look a lot like the Cleveland-Denver game, though I don’t think the Bills can score 34 right now.

WEEK 10 POWER RANKINGS

NFC

1. GIANTS (1)

2. PANTHERS (2)

3. CARDINALS (5)

4. FALCONS (7)

5. BUCCANEERS (4)

6. REDSKINS (8)

7. BEARS (6)

8. EAGLES (3)

9. COWBOYS (11)

10. VIKINGS (12)

11. PACKERS (9)

12. SAINTS (10)

13. SEAHAWKS (13)

14. 49ERS (14)

15. RAMS (15)

16. LIONS (16)

AFC

1. TITANS (1)

2. JETS (4)

3. RAVENS (3)

4. STEELERS (2)

5. PATRIOTS (5)

6. DOLPHINS (7)

7. COLTS (8)

8. BRONCOS (9)

9. BILLS  (6)

10. CHARGERS (10)

11. JAGUARS (11)

12. BROWNS (13)

13. TEXANS (12)

14. CHIEFS (15)

15. BENGALS (16)

16. RAIDERS (14)