That 4.3 40 Routt ran a few years ago is still paying off. First it got him drafted in the 2^nd, multiple rounds too high. Now it gets him 31.5 million dollars over 3 years. Despite having an amazing pass rush and Nnamdi Asomugha, the Raiders still ranked 19^th against the pass last year and this guy was a huge part of the reason why. Now they’ve chosen to resign him for way more than anyone else would offer him and in the process have essentially eliminated the possibility that they will have enough money to resign Nnamdi Asomugha. They also have to worry about longterm deals for Jason Campbell and Kamerion Wimbley, both of whom become free agents after next season.

Update: 

Routt signed a 3 years 31.5 million dollar deal earlier this offseason. He had to restructured that deal for the Raiders to get under the cap. His restructured deal significantly reduces his cap number for 2011, but ends up paying him 54.5 million over 5 years, meaning he gets 5.5 million dollars less over 5 years than Nnamdi Asomugha. Ridiculous.

 

Grade: F

 

 

New England Patriots 34 New York Giants 24 Lock Pick

Pick against spread: New England -2.5 (-120) 6 units

The Pats’ D sucks and now they have to face their first elite quarterback of the season. How on Earth will they stop Hakeem Nicks, Victor Cruz, and Mario Manningham? That seems to be what everyone is saying. In fact, the Giants have become a public underdog (more on that later), with 60-70% of the action on New York, so much so that this line has shifted about a full point in the past week.

However, I think that’s far from the truth. Yes, the Patriots defense has given up the 3^rd most yards in NFL history, in front of only the 1981 Baltimore Colts (2-14) and this year’s Green Bay Packers. However, in terms of points, they actually ranked 15^th with 21.4 points per game allowed. They bend but don’t break. For reference, New York ranked 25^th with 25.0 points per game allowed, though they have been much better on their 5 game winning streak, allowing 13.4 points per game over their last 5 (Jets, Cowboys, Falcons, Packers, 49ers).

The Patriots might not have played the toughest slate of quarterbacks, but that’s not their fault. And if you look at the best quarterback they’ve played this season, you can see that they held him to 20 of 39 for 250 yards, 2 touchdowns, and a pick. That quarterback, some slouch named Eli Manning. The Patriots’ defense actually played really well the last time these two teams met, keeping Eli in check and holding the Giants to 24 points. I know the Giants didn’t have Hakeem Nicks in that last one, but Nicks won’t be at 100% this week either with injuries. The Pats defense has been a little better of late as well, allowing 17.0 points per game in their last 3.

I’m not saying the Patriots defense will shut out the Giants or even hold them under 20, but the Giants won’t be able to score at will like some are suggesting. I still like the Patriots if this game were to be a shootout.  They have an excellent pass rush that has gotten better in the playoffs and the Giants’ offensive line still remains a weak point. I think they’re going to have trouble scoring in the 30s. They’ve done that 5 times this season, but that was against Dallas twice, Green Bay twice, and Arizona.

The Patriots, meanwhile, have failed to score 30+ just 6 times in their last 27 regular season and postseason games. They’re actually 3-2 this year when scoring less than 30, including a win last week. Unlike last year, they can win ugly, although they’d definitely much rather play this game into the 30s. The Giants have a good defense, but I still like the Patriots’ chances of getting into the 30s.

The Giants held the Packers to 20, but that doesn’t mean they’ll do the same to the Patriots. I have 3 reasons for that. One, the Patriots’ offensive line is much better than the Packers’ was, especially if the Patriots get back Sebastian Vollmer this week, which it looks like they will. The Giants’ pass rush is amazing, but if Brady can get time, I have no doubt he can carve up a Giants secondary that is a weakness. It hasn’t been exposed of late because their pass rush has been so good, but if Brady gets time, it’s going to get exposed again.

Two, Brady’s receivers won’t drop a dozen balls like the Packers’ did. The Packers’ receivers had 8 (8!!!) dropped passes in that loss, leading to a less than stellar 26 of 46 for 264 yards, 2 touchdowns, and a pick for Aaron Rodgers. If only 1 ball is dropped, you can expect something like 33 of 46 for 340 yards or so for Rodgers and that’s a totally different game. The Packers might still lose, but that’s because their defense gave up 37. The Patriots have a better pass rush so I don’t expect that to happen, especially after they held them to 24 last time.

Three, this game is indoors, which is always friendly to passing offenses. Eli Manning and company have a great passing offense and Manning has played himself into the top 5 of all quarterbacks in the league (have him 4^th behind Brady, Rodgers, and Brees, with Peyton Manning’s health being a question mark). However, as I said earlier, if this is a shootout, and I expect it to be, I think the Patriots have a very good chance of winning. Tom Brady is 9-3 ATS in domes. Meanwhile, when the line is 52 or higher in the playoffs (55 in this one), the over is 10-2 in the last 12 instances. Meanwhile, in the last 22 Super Bowls to go over the total, the favorite has won 18 times. Just something to think about.

 

Brady and company struggled last week, but I highly doubt that will happen again this week. The Ravens defense is better than the Giants and Tom Brady rarely has back to back bad games. He knows he’s lucky to have won last week and his comments after the game suggest that he could be in eff you mode this week, and when that happens, there’s no stopping him.

I have other reasons why I feel he’ll be in the eff you mode. For one, it’s the Super Bowl, obviously. Two, this is a huge revenge game. The loss in the Super Bowl to the Giants in 2008 is one of the few dents on his Hall of Fame resume so you know he badly wants to make things right, especially at his age (35 this offseason). He knows his chances are limited, even more limited to avenge it in such a fashion as beating the Giants head-to-head would. He came into the postseason in eff you mode against Denver because he knew how few chances he had left. I expect that to be only stronger this week after a bad week and against the Giants.

This is also a same season revenge game. As I’ve mentioned on several occasions, the Patriots lost to the Giants 24-20 earlier this season. As head coach of the Patriots, Bill Belichick is 11-2 ATS in same season revenge games. Brady also has to feel disrespected with most of the attention being on the Giants. Brady is 14-4 ATS in his last 18 as underdogs. He’s not an underdog here, but don’t try to tell him that with all the attention off him (much different than last time he was in the Super Bowl, when the Patriots were basically planning their Super Bowl victory parade all week). 

Going off from Brady’s ATS record as an underdog, Brady is 42-21 ATS as an underdog or a favorite of 3 or fewer. He might not always blow teams out, but he wins so often, 135-43 SU as a starter, 16-5 SU in the playoffs. The Giants are also a public dog, as I already mentioned. I love betting against the public when they back an underdog. Not only is betting against the public generally a good idea (Vegas is rich for a reason), favorites tend to feel disrespected in this situation and come out playing well as a result.

Speaking one more time about their regular season matchup, the Patriots didn’t exactly play bad offensively in that one. Brady threw for 342 yards, the Patriots put up 438 yards of total offense and Brady did lead a game winning drive, he just left a little bit too much time on the clock for Eli Manning and company, who marched downfield for the winning score thanks to a crazy catch by Jake Ballard, some poor defense by the Patriots, and a questionable pass interference call.

In addition to that final drive, their problem was 4 turnovers, including 2 fumbles. I don’t expect that to happen again, especially the fumbles. I wouldn’t be completely shocked if Brady threw 2 picks, but this team is not going to fumble twice again. If they put up 400+ yards again, which I expect them to for all the reasons I listed above, I think they score in the 30s once more and that’s with Rob Gronkowski’s injury.

Gronk’s injury looked bleak last week, but he’s out of the walking boot now and should be at least 80-85% for the game and 80-85% of Gronk is still impossible to single cover, especially in the red zone. An ankle injury won’t affect him so much because he doesn’t do a lot of cutting on the field. He just runs people over. Besides, no team adapts better to injuries than the Patriots.

I’m taking the Pats here, scoring in the 30s and winning by about 10 as the Giants hang in the mid 20s. I don’t expect this to be as close a game as everyone is expecting. I picked the Patriots at the beginning of the season and I’m sticking with them for all the reasons I listed above (going for back-to-back seasons of picking the correct Super Bowl winner in August). I’m making this a very large bet, because it is the Super Bowl. Normally 6 units bets are reserved for those rare “holy crap this line is too good to be true” type games (3-0 in the last 2 years on them), but I’m making one here. If this were a normal week, this would probably be a 3-4 unit bet, but it’s not so I’m going 6. 

 

By Trey Huguley 

With the season a Quarter of the way done things are looking really good for the Houston Texans. Most people believe that Quarter Season awards don’t mean much, but I’ve decided to have a little fun and dive into the first four weeks performances of the Texans to evaluate who might be going to the Pro Bowl.  

Texans Pro Bowl Players After Weeks 1-4

Arian Foster – Obviously Foster is going to make it. He’s quickly burst onto the scene and emerged as one of the leagues top backs. The league leader in Rushing thus far, there’s no doubt in my mind that Foster would be a unanimous Pro Bowl selection.

Vonta Leach – Behind every great running back like Foster is a good Fullback. Perhaps instead of “behind” I should say “in front.” Vonta Leach is having a great year lead blocking for Foster and laying out defenders. He also has a talent for making catches out of the backfield and charging down field like a bull. Count him in as the second Texans player that is a sure fire Pro Bowl candidate.

Matt Schaub – Schaub barely makes it in, but he does due to his ability to lead the team to victory and command games. Averaging 260 yards per game even while his running back is leading the league in rushing is pretty strong. Oh yeah…then there was the Redskins match-up where Schaub threw for nearly 500 yards leading the team to victory. 

Mario Williams –  Super Mario is off to an excellent start with 5 sacks – third in the NFL. Incredibly, Williams is on a pace to have 20 sacks, which will be a record year. Probable, no. Possible, yes. Tenacity has been something that Williams had lacked in the past, but he is exuding it this year – except in the Cowboys game. Hopefully he’ll keep it up all season long making every Quarterback he faces hate life.

The Offensive Line – Someone on the Texans offensive line would be going to the Pro Bowl for sure. Heck, all five of the starting linemen have been playing so well, you could make a case for all of them.  These beasts have been leading the way and opening holes for Foster and show some strength on every play. If they can improve a little more on pass blocking, they will be the best line corp in the league.

Also Receiving Votes 

Kevin Walter –  Walter is a beast who has been flying under the radar. Week after week he does what he has to do to get the job done. Whether it’s throwing a key down field block or making a catch over the middle, Walter does the dirty work.  He may have barely missed the Quarter Season Pro Bowl, but if he continues his pace I’d bet he makes the real deal. 

Andre Johnson – His injury high ankle sprain has been limiting Johnson this year. His game tying catch against the Redskins, might have gotten him into the Pro Bowl alone, but it’s just too hard to call until we get to see more action. As long as he gets healthy, he’ll be in the real Pro Bowl.

While I realize the Quarter Season Pro Bowl doesn’t mean diddly, but it’s definitely a fun evaluation tool for how the Texans are doing this season. The team itself would have 5-7 Pro Bowlers and would be 12-4 at the end of the season. We’ll just have to see how it all turns out. First we have to get passed the Giants though. 

http://www.houstonsportblog.com/ 

 

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1. RB Ray Rice (Baltimore)

2. RB Arian Foster (Houston)

3. RB Adrian Peterson (Minnesota)

4. RB Rashard Mendenhall (Pittsburgh)

5. RB Chris Johnson (Tennessee)

6. QB Aaron Rodgers (Green Bay)

7. WR Calvin Johnson (Detroit)

8. RB LeSean McCoy (Philadelphia)

9. RB Steven Jackson (St. Louis)

10. RB LeGarrette Blount (Tampa Bay)

11. WR Andre Johnson (Houston)

12. WR Mike Wallace (Pittsburgh)

13. RB Matt Forte (Chicago)

14. WR Hakeem Nicks (NY Giants)

15. QB Michael Vick (Philadelphia)

16. WR Larry Fitzgerald (Arizona)

17. WR Greg Jennings (Green Bay)

18. RB Frank Gore (San Francisco)

19. RB Jamaal Charles (Kansas City)

20. QB Tom Brady (New England)

21. RB Darren McFadden (Oakland)

22. WR Miles Austin (Dallas)

23. WR Brandon Lloyd (Denver)

25. RB DeAngelo Williams (Carolina)

26. WR Roddy White (Atlanta)

26. RB Ahmad Bradshaw (NY Giants)

27. WR Mario Manningham (NY Giants)

28. QB Tony Romo (Dallas)

29. RB Felix Jones (Dallas)

30. RB Knowshon Moreno (Denver)

31. RB Chris Wells (Arizona)

32. WR Steve Johnson (Buffalo)

33. RB Shonn Greene (NY Jets)

34. RB Michael Turner (Atlanta)

35. TE Antonio Gates (San Diego)

36. RB Jahvid Best (Detroit)

37. WR Kenny Britt (Tennessee)

38. RB Peyton Hillis (Cleveland)

39. RB Tim Hightower (Arizona)

40. RB Maurice Jones Drew (Jacksonville)

41. QB Josh Freeman (Tampa Bay)

42. QB Drew Brees (New Orleans)

43. QB Philip Rivers (San Diego)

44. WR Vincent Jackson (San Diego)

45. WR Santonio Holmes (NY Jets)

46. RB Mark Ingram (New Orleans)

47. RB Ryan Mathews (San Diego)

48. WR Percy Harvin (Minnesota)

49. WR Austin Collie (Indianapolis)

50. RB Cedric Benson (Cincinnati)

 

51. QB Matt Ryan (Atlanta)

52. WR Chad Ochocinco (New England)

53. WR DeSean Jackson (Philadelphia)

54. WR Mike Williams (Tampa Bay)

55. RB Reggie Bush (Miami)

56. WR Marques Colston (New Orleans)

57. RB Marshawn Lynch (Seattle)

58. RB Ryan Grant (Green Bay)

59. RB BenJarvus Green-Ellis (New England)

60. RB Joseph Addai (Indianapolis)

61. TE Jason Witten (Dallas)

62. TE Vernon Davis (San Francisco)

63. WR Reggie Wayne (Indianapolis)

64. TE Owen Daniels (Houston)

65. WR Dez Bryant (Dallas)

66. RB Brandon Jacobs (NY Giants)

67. WR Jeremy Maclin (Philadelphia)

68. TE Jermichael Finley (Green Bay)

69. RB Fred Jackson (Buffalo)

70. QB Sam Bradford (St. Louis)

71. QB Ben Roethlisberger (Pittsburgh)

72. RB Mike Tolbert (San Diego)

73. WR Mike Sims Walker (St. Louis)

74. WR Dwayne Bowe (Kansas City)

75. WR Santana Moss (Washington)

76. TE Jimmy Graham (New Orleans)

77. TE Dallas Clark (Indianapolis)

78. WR Lance Moore (New Orleans)

79. WR Wes Welker (New England)

80. WR Nate Burleson (Detroit)

81. WR Braylon Edwards (San Francisco)

82. QB Matt Schaub (Houston)

83. QB Peyton Manning (Indianapolis)

84. WR Jacoby Ford (Oakland)

85. RB Michael Bush (Oakland)

86. TE Rob Gronkowski (New England)

87. WR Greg Little (Cleveland)

88. WR Brandon Marshall (Miami)

89. RB CJ Spiller (Buffalo)

90. WR Mike Thomas (Jacksonville)

91. WR Julio Jones (Atlanta)

92. RB Danny Woodhead (New England)

93. RB Willis McGahee (Denver)

94. QB Matt Stafford (Detroit)

95. WR Lee Evans (Baltimore)

96. RB Jason Snelling (Atlanta)

97. TE Ben Watson (Cleveland)

98. WR Anquan Boldin (Baltimore)

99. RB Jonathan Stewart (Carolina)

100. WR Sidney Rice (Seattle)

 

No financials for this deal have been released, but I’m guessing the Bears got him very cheap. Gholston is definitely a bust. In fact, with no sacks in 3 seasons after being drafted 6^th overall, he might be one of the biggest busts of the last decade. However, he’s still only 25 and now he’s going back to a 4-3 scheme, the one that he dominated in at Ohio State, and he gets to work with Rod Marinelli, an excellent defensive line coach. They could get something out of him. If not, they didn’t spend much. This is a low risk, high reward signing for them.

Grade: A

 

32. Buffalo Bills 0-8

Sometimes it’s just meant to be (or not meant to be depending on how you look at it). This team looks like it could go the distance (and by distance I mean, 0-16). They’re just inventing ways to lose now. After losing back to back games in overtime against +.500 teams, they lost to the Bears when Rian Lindell missed his first career extra point in 322 career attempts.

Both the Bears and the Bills had 3 touchdowns and 3 touchdowns only. However, after Lindell, who missed a game winning kick in overtime the week before against Kansas City, missed that extra point, the Bills tried to compensate with a 2 point conversion on their next touchdown, failing. The Bears, on their next touchdown, choose to try to lead by 3 rather than lead by 2, attempting a 2 point conversion and converting it.

If Lindell makes that kick, the Bills don’t try that 2 and the Bears don’t have a chance to go for 2 of their own and this game goes to overtime. Don’t blame Lindell though. This team probably would have lost in overtime anyway. Ryan Fitzpatrick doesn’t have the arm strength to lead a consistent 2 minute drill type drive for points. Oh and I guess I should congratulate CJ Spiller on tying his career high in carries, 7. Way to use your first round pick.

Speaking of Spiller, check out this comment I got on Twitter.

spiller looking like another draft bust for the bills..they missed on maybin also

Spiller doesn’t look like a bust. He doesn’t look like anything. He’s not playing. He could be better than Best, but I have no idea because Chad Gailey is refusing to use him. Maybin is terrible though. He was recently called the worst player in the NFL and I think that may be true. And yes, I know Jake Delhomme still exists. The Bills should just stop drafting in the first round. It’d safe them some money.

31. Carolina Panthers 1-7

The Panthers used 3 different quarterbacks this week in a 31 point loss at home to the Saints. All 3 of them did terribly. Of course it doesn’t help that they have no offensive line (25 sacks allowed) and their receivers are incredibly inconsistent. David Gettis and Brandon LaFell combined for 216 yards 2 weeks ago against San Francisco. Since then, they have combined for 76 yards in 2 games. Even Steve Smith is showing his age and not looking nearly the receiver he’s been in years past. And that running game that averaged 4.8 YPC last season; it’s averaging 3.6 YPC this year. Everything is just going terrible for them this year.

However, there is good news. Matt Moore’s done for the season. Now, you’re probably wondering why this is good news. He’s their starting quarterback. Well, the only reason he’s their starting quarterback is because he gives them the best chance to win this year and John Fox wants to pad his resume for when he gets fired after the season.

Clausen, however, is the future, or maybe not. Either way, they need to know whether they have something or not with him so they can know whether or not they need to draft a quarterback with their top 3 pick. Clausen has been terrible this season, but he’s faced tough teams in each of his 3 starts. Chicago (1^st in YPA allowed), New Orleans (3^rd in YPA allowed), and Cincinnati (12^th in YPA allowed) all have good if not great pass defenses. A few more starts, more time with the playbook and his receivers, and Clausen could prove to be something. Or he could not, in which case, they’ll probably have a top 3 pick and might be able to land Andrew Luck if they get “luck”y.

30. Dallas Cowboys 1-7

Just one week after declaring that he wouldn’t fire Wade Phillips midseason, Jerry Jones fired Wade Phillips midseason on Monday. I guess a 38 point loss will do that to you. My initial reaction “Wait, he didn’t have blackmail on the owner? Why wasn’t this done years ago?” This firing has to at least approach Matt Millen’s firing as the best move that should have been done years ago.

When Tony Romo went down with an injury, the Cowboys were leading the Giants 20-7. Since then, they have been outscored 114-39. I know losing your quarterback hurts, but their defense has given up 114 points in 10 quarters. They have absolutely thrown in the towel. No respectable coach would let his team throw in the towel like that.

Of course it’s very possible that they all threw in the towel in order to make Jerry Jones fire Phillips, but either way, he had to go. In a post game interview after their embarrassing 45-7 loss to the Packers, Wade Phillips said he didn’t even know who his team was playing next week. I guess it doesn’t matter now though. Phillips isn’t playing anyone this week. I hope the Cowboys hire Jon Gruden to replace him. Mostly just so I don’t have to listen to him on Monday Night Football anymore, but still.

29. Denver Broncos 2-6

Bye.

28. Cincinnati Bengals 2-6

The Bengals have had their chances this season and they’ve put up good fights, but to no avail. They almost completed comebacks against Atlanta and Pittsburgh in garbage time, losing to those two by less than a touchdown after trailing by 3 scores early. After trailing by 4 scores to the Patriots, they cut that lead to 14. Their losses to Cleveland, Tampa Bay, and Miami were by 8 points or less.

However, they just aren’t getting the job done. They’re 2-6 and 4 back in the division. They’ve once again failed to live up to expectations after winning and sweeping the division last season. Failing to live up to expectations seems to be a staple of the Carson Palmer/Marvin Lewis era.

Speaking of the Palmer/Lewis era, I think it’s coming to a close. Palmer is due a ton of money next season and Marvin Lewis is in the last year of his contract. There’s a really good chance neither of them are back next season. They had 7 years and no playoff wins. It’s time for them to start over.

Chad Ochocinco also has a 6 million dollar option for next season. It once appared to be an afterthought that the Bengals would pick that up, but with Ocho catching 40 passes for 473 yards and 2 scores and complaining midgame about being 2nd fiddle to Terrell Owens, that doesn’t look like as much of a sure thing anymore. A new regime might decide it’s not worth the trouble or pick it up and try to trade him elsewhere. The soon to be 33 year old looks like a fraction of his former self with only three games of 45 yards or more this season.

27. San Francisco 49ers 2-6

Bye.

26. Detroit Lions 2-6

The Lions are 5-43 in their last 48 games and are 2-6 this season, despite having a +15 point differential this season. They lost because of a bullshit rule week 1, lost to Philly by 3, Green Bay by 2, and this week they lost to the AFC East leading Jets on a missed extra point. The catch, the extra point was missed by 1^st round pick DEFENSIVE TACKLE Ndamukong Suh, a 307 pound former soccer player. That’s the definition of inventing ways to lose.

Also in this week’s game against the Jets, Matt Stafford landed funny on his previously separated shoulder late in the 4^th quarter. Stafford missed nearly 6 whole games with that separated shoulder earlier this season, essentially killing their season. He had an amazing game in a win over Washington in his first game back, but now he appears out for at least this week’s game against Buffalo, probably more.

With Shaun Hill possibly still out with a broken arm, this means we could see Drew Stanton start against the Bills this week as the Lions try to ensure that the Bills are still in the running for 0-16, thus potentially making the 2008 Lions no longer the only team to never win a game. This is the same Drew Stanton who is 55 for 104 for 611 yards, 2 touchdowns, and 7 picks in his career (49.0 QB rating). Once again, the Football Gods hate the Lions.

25. Arizona Cardinals 3-5

Derek Anderson didn’t look terrible last week against Minnesota, throwing for 179 yards and 1 touchdown on 15 for 26 and more importantly no picks. The Cardinals still lost, but I think that was more the fault of the defense than Anderson, though Anderson did have some overthrows in overtime that could have won them the game.

Still, I’d say the Cardinals have the worst quarterback situation in the NFL. The Panthers’ quarterbacks are playing worse, but they don’t have any good receivers really. The Cardinals have Larry Fitzgerald and Steve Breaston to help out their quarterbacks and their quarterbacks are still 31^st in the league in QB rating, 59.7, only 7 points behind the Panthers. The next closest team, Seattle, 9.2 points away at 68.9.

24. Jacksonville Jaguars 4-4

Bye.

23. Cleveland Browns 3-5

The Browns have won the only game they’ve played this season against a sub .500 team. They hung within a touchdown of Tampa Bay (5-3), Kansas City (5-3), and Baltimore (6-2) and they beat New Orleans and New England by a combined 33 points.

This team is much, much better than their record would suggest and with Colt McCoy looking like the best quarterback the Browns have had since…ever, the future is actually bright in Cleveland. Another strong draft, combined with an easier schedule, and the continued development of McCoy, and this could be a playoff team next year. (Yes, a playoff team).

On another note, Peyton Hillis has been amazing this season. He has 644 yards on 133 carries and 7 scores this season. Note to Josh McDaniels, who traded Hillis for Brady Quinn (remember him) during the offseason: If a football genius like Mike Holmgren calls you up and offers his starting quarterback for your 4^th string running back/2^nd string fullback, you might want to reevaluate that back before sending him away.

22. Seattle Seahawks 4-4

Uhh…why did the Seahawks give up a 3^rd rounder and a swap of 2^nd rounders (the equivalent of a 3^rd rounder) for Charlie Whitehurst again? I thought Pete Carroll was supposed to be smart. When he made that move and gave Whitehurst a ridiculous extension, despite the fact that the former 3^rd rounder had never thrown a pass in the NFL, everyone gave him the benefit of the doubt with talent because he built USC. Apparently not.

The Jesus Christ look alike threw 23 passes, completing 12 of them for 116 yards a touchdown and 2 picks. Those numbers don’t even say everything. Most of that was in garbage time in an embarrassing 34 point loss to the Giants. He led the offense to a mere 162 total yards. In the last 2 weeks, the Seahawks have lost by a combined 64 points, this one possibly even more embarrassing because it came at home, in front of their legendary 12^th man.

Of course I’m going to be fair. I can’t just bash their quarterback. Their defense (74 points allowed) has been terrible. Their run defense, once one of the best in the league, has allowed 395 rushing yards in the past 2 weeks after losing Colin Cole and Red Bryant for the season.

Marshawn Lynch has rushed for 55 yards on 20 carries. So much for him turning around their running game. It looks like it wasn’t just the Buffalo offensive line that was making him look so bad in recent years. He’s just bad.

21. St. Louis Rams 4-4

Bye.

20. Kansas City Chiefs 5-3

Has there ever been an uglier game between teams in first and second in their division week 9 or later than Kansas City/Oakland on Sunday. Jason Campbell was 4 for 10 for 18 yards in the first half…and the Chiefs still lost to the Raiders. The Chiefs had multiple drops in the second half. They had 2 fumbles and gave up a kickoff return touchdown.

Matt Cassel was 20 for 35 for 216 yards, 2 touchdowns, and a pick, but was really worse than that, unable to lead drives and forcing his team to punt 9 times, including once in overtime on a 3 and out. Jamaal Charles had 664 yards on 103 carries coming into this game and was fresh off gutting the Bills for 177 yards on 22 carries.

Against an Oakland run defense that is one of the worst in the league, all they had to do was run with him. Instead, he got 10 carries for 53 yards, as opposed to 32 yards on 19 carries by Thomas Jones. Todd Haley still is using his lesser players over his best player, Charles. I know the game went into overtime, but there was no reason for Matt Cassel to throw 35 times either.

19. Chicago Bears 5-3

All the Bears problems are solved!!! Jay Cutler was only sacked once!!! Well, maybe, but we won’t know until they face the Vikings next week if they solved their problems during the bye. After all, it was only the Bills. The Bills haven’t won a game this season and they have only 12 sacks in 8 games, 4^th fewest in the NFL. And they still only won by 3 and probably would have needed overtime if that early extra point by Rian Lindell had gone through the uprights.

18. Oakland Raiders 5-4

I waited 3 weeks for the Oakland stinker, the inevitable disappointing performance following a strong win. After outscoring opponents 92-17 in the past 2 weeks, I finally got the stinker last week. The catch, they still won, their first 3 game winning streak since 2002.

In fact, they’re now 5-4 record is their first +.500 record since 2002 and unless they lose out the rest of the way, they’re going to win 6 or more games for the first time since 2002. I would say the fact that the Raiders are finding ways to win even when they play badly is a sign that their catch Kansas City and win the division, but I don’t think it’ll matter. I think San Diego is going to go on one of their patented runs and take this.

17. Minnesota Vikings 3-5

This team was in absolute chaos coming into this week’s game against Arizona. Brad Childress cut Randy Moss (apparently without front office approval) 3 weeks after they traded a 3^rd rounder for him. Chilly’s reason for doing so apparently is that Moss didn’t hustle on one route against New England, Moss threw the coaching staff under the bus and praised Bill Belicheck after his Vikings lost to BB’s Pats (he didn’t say anything that wasn’t true), Moss said he wouldn’t be answering anymore questions for the rest of the season and that he would be asking himself the questions (I’m actually curious to see this), and Moss insulted the team’s cooking.

Chilly was almost fired for cutting Moss and then later in the week, Percy Harvin and Brad Childress got into a heated verbal confrontation, a confrontation that Harvin’s teammates had his backs in, saying, among other things, that Harvin did what everyone there had wanted to do for years. Brad Childress was looking like he wouldn’t have a job after this week, but his job appears to be saved and it’s all because of (who else) Brett Favre.

At 41 years and 28 days old, Brett Favre set a new career high with 446 passing yards against the Arizona Cardinals. Considering every record he has in his career and considering his age, his elbow tendonitis, his double ankle fracture, his lacerated chin, his team’s poor record, that total is very amazing. He just keeps going and going. He’s like the energizer bunny, only with a smaller penis.

 

16. Washington Redskins 4-4

They were on bye this last week, but let me say this. Mike Shanahan benched Donovan McNabb for Rex Grossman (kids reading this at home, Rex Grossman is never, ever the answer) citing McNabb’s durability issues in a 2 minute drill. Then he brought JaMarcus Russell in for a workout, the same JaMarcus Russell who ballooned up to 300 pounds in Oakland last season. How did this guy win 2 Super Bowls again? Oh yeah, John Elway.

15. Miami Dolphins 4-4

I know he’s in his 2^nd year, but Chad Henne seems to be holding this team down. He’s still got time, but he’s got to turn it around fast. This is a talented team all around, but they are only 4-4. Henne has led this team on 11 touchdown drives in 8 games this season. They stink in the red zone (the conservative play calling isn’t helping him though).

Sure Dan Carpenter is a beast, 19-22 on field goals this season (9-12 40+ 10-10 within 39), but when he does miss a field goal, like he did last week, it hurts them and you can’t count on kickers to win you games in the playoffs. Of course, the Dolphins 7 turnovers against Baltimore didn’t help. 5 of those were by Henne (3 picks, 2 fumbles). I know Baltimore’s defense is good, but that’s inexcusable and this really doesn’t look like a playoff team right now.

On a more hilarious note, check out some of these quotes from Channing Crowder in a post game interview about Ravens fullback Le’Ron McClain allegedly spitting in his face. “A guy just spit in my face! I don’t give a damn about Karlos pulling somebody’s facemask. Like they didn’t see Chad Henne get hit twice when he slid. Yeah, a little Stevie Wonder and Anne Frank.”

When asked what he meant by Anne Frank, he responded by saying “Who was that? Is that the blind girl? Helen Keller … I don’t know who the fuck Anne Frank is. I’m mad right now. Fuck it. I’m not as swift as I usually am.”

I actually see the similarility. Helen Keller couldn’t see. Anne Frank couldn’t be seen. The refs didn’t see McClain spit in Crowder’s face. I get it.

14. Houston Texans 4-4

It looks as if the Texans will miss the playoffs once again. They were billed as a sleeper pick because of their 5 losses by less than a touchdown last season. However, everyone seems to have forgotten that they won 5 games by less than a touchdown last season as well.

Their schedule is ridiculously hard this season and after starting 2-0, they are now 4-4 and have their backs up against it. 7 of their next 8 opponents have .500 or better and the only team they face that isn’t is Denver. Going into Denver and winning is no easy task.

13. Tampa Bay Buccaneers 5-3

The self proclaimed NFC’s best team hasn’t beaten anyone with a winning record. The teams they have beaten have a combined 13-27 record and I’m still convinced that they would lose to St. Louis (who they beat by 1 in Tampa) on a neutral surface. However, their loss to Atlanta by a mere 6 points was a lot better than their losses to the Steelers and the Saints, especially in Atlanta where the Falcons flat out don’t lose when Matt Ryan starts (one career regular season home loss for Ryan in 2 and a half seasons).

However, with the Saints winning easily and the Bucs not owning the tiebreaker with either the Falcons or the Saints, they have a uphill battle to the playoffs, even if they win 9 or so games like this Josh Freeman led squad is capable.

On another note, what was with Raheem Morris giving Cadillac Williams 8 carries? LeGarrette Blount had 120 yards on 22 carries the week before and Cadillac has been running like an Oldsmobile this season with a 2.4 YPC. Yet Oldsmobile Williams stole 8 carries from Blount, who only got 13 and only had 1 carry the entire first half.

Williams turned his 8 into 13 yards, while Blount turned his 13 into 46 yards. Oldsmobile is the better pass catcher, but should only be used on 3^rd down. Why do so many coaches insist on not using their best runner?

12. San Diego Chargers 4-5

After the bye, the Chargers get Antonio Gates and Malcom Floyd back from injury. They’re on a 2 game roll right now, looking good in both victories. Philip Rivers is playing like an MVP this season, 215 for 329 for 2944 yards 19 touchdowns and 8 picks and on pace to shatter Dan Marino’s single season passing yards record by over 150 yards.

In their remaining 7 games, they play three teams with winning records, the Colts (who they have dominated in the Peyton Manning era) and the Chiefs and Raiders, who we all know are worse than their combined 10-7 record would suggest. Other than that, they play the 2-6 49ers, the 2-6 Broncos (twice), and the 2-6 Bengals. This team could very realistically finish the season with 10 wins, and I would be very surprised if they didn’t finish with at least 9.

11. Tennessee Titans 5-3

Bye.

10. Philadelphia Eagles 5-3

I went on the record earlier this season saying that Vick was comparable in talent to Kevin Kolb. After last week’s win over Indy, I’m taking that back. The Vick of old was comparable in talent to Kolb. However, for whatever reason, Vick looks like a better quarterback post-jail than pre-jail.

I don’t know what it is, but his arm is stronger, he’s faster (if you can believe it), he’s making better decisions with the football. I think the decision making is actually the most shocking thing. He looked great in his first two games, but those were against the Lions and the Jaguars.

This week, he ripped up the Colts defense and more importantly, kept the ball out of Peyton Manning’s hands. That’s the only way to beat Manning and he did it. There isn’t a ton of talent in the NFC right now, so this could be a sleeper Super Bowl team.

9. New York Jets 6-2

In the last 4 weeks, they’ve needed a PI call to beat Denver, had their bye, lost to Green Bay, getting shutout in the process, and needed a missed extra point to beat Detroit. Yeah, they’re 6-2 and technically in first in their division and tied for best record in the NFL. But they don’t look like an elite team at all. I wouldn’t be surprised if Cleveland beat them next week.

Also, I’d just like to point out that if Santonio Holmes had ran in a straight line to the goal line instead of zigzagging a bit (the quickest way between two points is a straight line Santonio), the Jets would have won by 6 and covered and I would have won that pick. Of course I can’t complain when my first ever 6 unit pick got a backdoor cover, beating the spread by 1 (more on that later).

8. Baltimore Ravens 6-2

The Ravens won last week, but I’m not sold on them yet. They still shoot themselves in the foot too much and their defense is not what it used to be, even since they got Ed Reed back from injury. Joe Flacco is a good quarterback, but he struggles in games when his running game can’t find room. I don’t think Flacco can win a Super Bowl just yet.

7. New Orleans Saints 6-3

The Saints just won by 31 after beating the Steelers by 10 and now head into their bye. After their bye, they should get both Pierre Thomas and Reggie Bush back, helping their terrible red zone offense. They should also get key defensive players back to 100%. This bye week is at the perfect time for this banged up team.

After their bye, they face Seattle on the road, the Cowboys, the Bengals, the Rams on the road, the Ravens in Baltimore, the Falcons in Atlanta, and the Bucs. This team could easily be 11-5 going into the playoffs and if they win a tough road game in Baltimore or Atlanta, they could be 12-4 and on a roll into the playoffs. That’s going to be a scary opponent for an NFC playoff team.

6. Green Bay Packers 6-3

At the beginning of the season, I had them as my Super Bowl team citing Aaron Rodgers’ development and the fact that I felt they had the most talented supporting cast in the NFL. They faced some early injury problems, but they are now 6-3 going into the bye riding a 45-7 win over Dallas. They have the bye to get healthy and if they put everything together, there’s still time for them to go on a run and make my Super Bowl prediction come true.

Also, I think Clay Matthews is officially the scariest player in the NFL. Ever since Troy Polamalu started doing those, however hilarious, shampoo commericials, he’s seemed slightly more human, more down to earth. Matthews is a 250 pound quarterback killing machine and he’s nimble enough to return a pick for a long touchdown like week against Dallas, with his crazy, seemingly never washed hair flowing in the air. In fact, I think his hair is scarier than several players in the NFL. In fact, if his hair were an NFL player, it would probably have at least 5 sacks right now.

5. New York Giants 6-2

They’d be higher if they didn’t have such a tendency to shoot themselves in the foot. That obviously wasn’t a problem last week in their destruction of Seattle, but it had been up to that point. They do everything well, except take care of the football.

They rank 4^th against the pass, 3^rd against the run, 6^th in run offense, and 4^th in pass offense (all rankings based on YPA/YPC). However, they have the 3^rd most turnovers in the NFL, 22. The only teams that have more are Carolina and Arizona.

4. Atlanta Falcons 6-2

I think the Falcons have more to gain from homefield advantage than any team in the NFC and maybe the league (though the Pats and their 23 straight at home with Brady could give them a run for their money in that debate). Matt Ryan has lost 1 career regular season game at home.

I know the playoffs are a different animal, but Ryan seems to love the energy of playing big games at home and I think they can ride that to the Super Bowl in a wide open NFC. Standing between them and homefield is a tough schedule.

They have to face Baltimore, go to St. Louis, Green Bay, go to Tampa Bay, go to Carolina, go to Seattle, and then New Orleans and Carolina at home to finish the season. Also standing between them and homefield, their 29^th ranked pass defense.

3. New England Patriots 6-2

I think last week’s loss to the Browns had some cause for concern, but was more of a bump in the road than anything. The Pats are a young team and were caught looking forward to the Steelers and Colts in the next two weeks and overlooked the Browns, who have had the 2^nd toughest schedule in the NFL so far and were fresh off beating the Saints in the Superdome.

The Patriots still have conference games against the Steelers, Colts, Jets, and a non-conference game against the Packers on their schedule. We’ll know a lot more about them after those games, but I’m not too worried about where they are as a team right now. They’re still tied for best record in the league.

Sticking with the theme of extra points, I’d like to comment on Wes Welker kicking the extra point and the subsequent kickoff last week. He looked good kicking that extra point. The kickoff, not so much, but the extra point looked good. I say they use him in that role for often. Imagine it, what’s he going to do, kick or run, or, dare I say it, pass.

It would be like the wildcat, but insane. I think the potential of that is the best extra point story of the week over Rian Lindell missing his first extra point in 232 tries and costing the Bills the game and Ndamukong Suh kicking his first career extra point and missing it, costing the Lions the game. Who would have though extra points would ever be such a riveting topic in the NFL. 

2. Indianapolis Colts 5-3

I made my first ever 6 unit pick last week, betting the underdog Colts +3 over the Eagles. I figured, Peyton Manning has destroyed the Eagles in the past, Peyton Manning can tear apart the Eagles weak secondary and his impeccable timing could nullify their pass rush, and that Mike Vick wasn’t a good enough throwing to keep up.

However, Vick did a great job of keeping the ball out of Peyton Manning’s hands and the Colts defense, which already was missing a starting linebacker, lost two more starting linebackers midgame, making it even tougher for them to stop Vick and get Peyton the ball back. Peyton played well, but almost lost the cover.

If it wasn’t for the fact that the back of Manning’s helmet was touched on a 4^th down fail late in the 4^th quarter, the Eagles would have won by 9, but that penalty gave the Colts new life in route to a 2 point Colts loss and cover. Phew! That cover wasn’t the only reason I loved watching the Colts/Eagles game. The other was this clip that was shown during the game of Andy “Ried” at age 13. Yes, 13.

Everything about that video was amazing. The fact that Andy Reid was about two times bigger than every other kid in the contest (I seriously thought that was him now competing against a few kids), the fact that they spelled him name Ried (whose name is Ried), everything.

The reason the Colts are #2 with 3 losses, moving up a spot after that loss, the Pats lost, meaning that there were no more 1 loss teams in the NFL. The Colts are a mere game back of the best record in the NFL and with Peyton Manning’s experience, that makes them a scary opponent going towards the end of the season.

 I’m sure they’ll still somehow pull 12-4 out of their asses once again, especially once their defense gets healthy again and because they won’t be able to rest their starters down the stretch, they’ll be at game speed going into the playoffs, as they were the one year they won the whole thing.

1. Pittsburgh Steelers 6-2

The Steelers move up to #1, but they’re hardly a perfect team. Their offensive line is really hurting right now, the defense hasn’t been the same since Big Ben came back, and they almost blew a 20 point lead against Cincinnati last week.

Blowing leads was their thing last year and they did that en route to a 5 game losing streak that forced them to sit home for the playoffs. They were sitting pretty and on top of the world last season when that streak hit. They need to avoid one this year.

However, they’re still #1 this week because they’re the most complete team in the NFL. Bad news for Steelers fans though, teams ranked #1 in my Power Rankings are 4-4 the following week. It’s just been that kind of season.

The Steelers have Tom Brady and the Pats coming to their place after they lost to the Browns. They already lost to one team coming that was coming off a loss to the Browns. In fact, both of their losses have come to teams that had just faced the Browns. Just saying. Also, Tom Brady has only lost back-to-back games once since 2003. That I’m not just saying.

Speaking of the Steelers and Ben Roethlisberger, I have my second hillarious video of the week to show you, this embarrassing moment by ESPN’s Chris McKendry. Enjoy.

Shoulda had a V8. 

Like the Andy Ried clip, this Ben Roethliscockberger clip is pure perfection. Whether it be the lead up “get low, get penetration, inches, take ’em up high, get down low” or the actually slip (how do you make that mistake?), pure comedy gold.

On a final unrelated note, I want to comment on ESPN letting go to Sunday Night Baseball team of Joe Morgan and Jon Miller after 21 years. Those were the only 2 good announcers ESPN has left. I don’t understand this network. They employ Jon Gruden, who never has anything bad to say about anyone. They employ Steve Young, who says…I don’t even know. I have no idea what he’s talking about half the time. They employ Matt Millen who is…Matt Millen. They employ Keyshawn Johnson, who never has anything insightful to say and occasionally has issues forming sentences. But Jon Miller and Joe Morgan, two excellent baseball guys, no. They don’t employ them anymore.

 

 

Week 15 Pickups

WR Steve Breaston- Arizona

Out

RB Ray Rice- Baltimore

He’s being called a game time decision, but indications are that that game time decision will be a go. However, he’s still a question mark and even if he does play he’ll be doing it with a bad knee against a defense that held Chris Johnson and Michael Turner under 50 yards a piece. I doubt he’ll be very effective if he starts, but if you have no other choice, check back tomorrow morning or follow me on Twitter as I will be tweeting game time decisions Sunday Morning.

RB Cedric Benson- Cincinnati

A sore knee kept him out of Wednesday’s practice, but he practiced the rest of the week and is listed as probable and is expected to go. Start him against the Browns.

WR Josh Cribbs- Cleveland

Cribbs has been taken off of Cleveland’s injury list which means he should play, but he’s not worth a start against Cleveland’s tough defense.

RB Jerome Harrison- Cleveland

Likely to play with a thigh injury, but the Browns are just stupid if they start him over Peyton Hillis after what Hillis did last week. Don’t start him. He is hurt and backup and still a question mark for Sunday, even though he is listed as probable.

RB Knowshon Moreno- Denver

Out.

QB Matt Stafford- Detroit

Out.

RB Jahvid Best- Detroit

After practicing Friday, Best looks like he is going to start Sunday, in fact, he guaranteed it. However, toe injuries can sap a running back’s explosiveness and he is facing a tough Packers run defense, so there may be better options this week.

TE Owen Daniels- Houston

Just when he got back to playing full time after ACL surgery, Daniels is likely to miss this week’s game with a hamstring injury.

WR Andre Johnson- Houston

Johnson is going to be a game time call, though he has been getting ready as if he’s playing Sunday. I’d say there’s about a 30% chance he sits, so check back here tomorrow or follow me on Twitter. If he does start, he may still be limited by that injury and by Nnamdi Asomugha who will be guarding him. There may be better options, but at the same time, it’s Andre Johnson.

RB Joseph Addai- Indianapolis

Downgraded from probable to questionable after missing Friday’s practice, a bad sign. You want him in there if he plays against Jacksonville’s crappy defense, but he might not play. Check back tomorrow or follow me on Twitter as it appears he’ll be a game time call.

RB Donald Brown- Indianapolis

Brown hasn’t practiced all week and in all likelihood won’t play Sunday. If both he and Addai don’t play, Mike Hart would get the start against a weak Jacksonville defense.

WR Anthony Gonzalez- Indianapolis

Out.

WR Pierre Garcon- Indianapolis

He hasn’t practiced for two weeks so I would be very surprised to see him play this week.

RB Fred Taylor- New England

He hasn’t practiced all week and Benjarvus Green Ellis is the main guy anyway so don’t start him.

RB Pierre Thomas- New Orleans

He’ll be a game time decision with an ankle injury. You know the drill, check back tomorrow or follow me on Twitter.

WR Mario Manningham- NY Giants

Expected to play as his head injury was not nearly as serious as it once seemed to be.

RB Michael Bush- Oakland

Expected to play, but again he’ll be Darren McFadden’s backup. It might be time to give up on Bush this season.

TE Brent Celek- Philadelphia

He’s been practicing all week with a wrist injury and will play. However, Michael Vick simply isn’t throwing to Celek as McNabb and Kolb would.

RB Ryan Mathews- San Diego

He’s expected to play after practicing in full on Friday.

WR Mike Williams- Seattle

He’s likely to play, but I don’t think he’s really start worthy at all.

RB Steven Jackson- St. Louis

Sjax is a tough player, but he admitted he’s not sure he can play this week. He practiced on a limited basis on Friday so consider him a game time decision. Check back tomorrow or follow me on Twitter.

RB Clinton Portis- Washington

Reports say he will start, but he is losing carries to Ryan Torain so he might not be worth a start for you.

 

 

32. Buffalo Bills 0-6

In Ryan Fitzpatrick’s last 5 starts, he is 97 for 153 for 1124 yards, 14 touchdowns, and 4 picks. That production has many Bills fans saying that they’ve found their quarterback of the future and that they don’t need to draft a quarterback with the first overall pick and instead should focus on defense. The those people I say, how many games of those has Fitzpatrick won? Yeah, I thought so. 1, a 30-7 win week 17 last season against the Peyton Manning less Indianapolis Colts. Stats are nice, but wins are nicer. Fitzpatrick doesn’t have the arm strength to lead consistent touchdown drives. They need a quarterback who does. The Chiefs had a quarterback named Tyler Thigpen in 2008. Thigpen was 230 for 420 for 2608 yards 17 scores and 12 picks. His offensive coordinator was Chan Gailey, the Bills coach now. His stats looked nice. However, the Chiefs went 2-14 that year. Gailey is good at inflating quarterbacks stats with short throws, without having them do a lot to sustain drives and score points. In fact, you could say it’s his specialty.

31. San Francisco 49ers 1-6

Remember when 49ers were calling for David Carr to start at quarterback. Whoops. The 49ers were beating ther previously 0-6 Panthers before Alex Smith got hurt and David Carr threw a game losing pick six. It’s pretty obvious that the answer at quarterback is not on this roster, unless Troy Smith has something, but that’s a long shot (one they should still test out though). They need to draft a quarterback this draft. Mike Singletary didn’t draft Alex Smith so he should have no loyalty to him, assuming he still has a job, which I hope he does. It’s not his fault his quarterbacks suck. Plus, he’s intimidating and goes on great rants. That’s half of what being a coach is all about.

30. Carolina Panthers 1-5

The Panthers offensive explosion last week was a result of the fact that San Francisco can’t stop anyone through the air, not the fact that their offense is all that much better with Matt Moore over Jimmy Clausen. Moore threw for 308 yards, 125 to David Gettis, 91 to Brandon LaFell, and 50 to Steve Smith. However, Matt Cassel threw for 250 yards as well against San Fran and their defense is in the bottom 3rd in the league in almost every major pass defense stat. When they play St. Louis next week, they should have a tougher time moving the ball through the air.

29. Cleveland Browns 2-5

In 2008, the Browns beat the Giants, the defending Super Bowl champs. In 2009, the Browns beat the Steelers (splitting the season series), the defending Super Bowl champs. Now they’ve knocked off the Saints, the defending Super Bowl champs. In the last 3 years, the Browns are 3-1 against defending Super Bowl champs, and 8-25 against everyone else. Oh and the jury’s still out on Colt McCoy, who only had to attempt 16 throws against the Saints last week, thanks to 4 interceptions by Drew Brees, two of which were returned for pick sixes by David Bowens. The Browns also brought trick plays, running for 68 yards with their punter (it was a sight to see). Peyton Hillis also threw a 13 yard pass to Colt McCoy. Yes, former fullback Peyton Hillis.

28. Detroit Lions 1-5

Bye week

27. Arizona Cardinals 3-3

I told you the Cardinals beat the Saints in spite of Max Hall. Last week, they lost to Seattle because of Max Hall. Hall was benched mid game for Derek Anderson. That sadly was the right move. You can’t go 4 for 16, especially against a defense like the Seahawks, and expect to keep your job. Anderson was better, but not much, 8 for 17 for 96 yards. It’s safe to say the answer at quarterback is not on this roster, unless they start the extremely raw John Skelton and he plays well, a very long shot.

26. Dallas Cowboys 1-5

The Cowboys are now 3.5 games back of the Giants for first place in the division, at 1-5, having lost the tiebreaker. They also could be without their starting quarterback for the rest of the season, and at least 6 weeks, more likely 8-10, meaning 8-10 weeks of Jon Kitna. That’s what we call up shit creek without a paddle.

25. Oakland Raiders 3-4

The Raiders scored 59 points last week. I’ll bet anyone 50 dollars they lose this week. They always disappoint after a big win, especially at home. Wait, that’s what my NFL picks are for. Either way, I thought it was weird the Raiders were able to run up the score like that without much controversy. If that were the Patriots, the media would have been all over it. I guess the Raiders deserve to run up the score after all those years of hardship. Speaking of hardship, I expect that to continue this year. I haven’t seen enough consistently from this team that suggests to me they can win 7 or more games and avoid 7 straight seasons of double digit losses.

24. St. Louis Rams 3-4

The Rams are 0-3 on the road. That makes a ton of sense. They’re a young team with a rookie quarterback. Even their coach is young and in only his 2nd season as a head coach. Those type of teams normally struggle on the road. They’re a talented team and they could win the division even if they go 1-7 or 2-6 on the road, but that doesn’t look likely now that Seattle is actually playing like a playoff team. Yeah, I know, I’m shocked as well that an NFC West team is playing like a playoff team.

23. Jacksonville Jaguars 3-4

They lost by 22 to the Chiefs last week. Many of their fans will try to blame it on Todd Bouman, the quarterback who hasn’t won a game as a starter since 2001. However, their defense gave up 22 points. That’s a huge issue. Matt Cassel only threw for 193 yards, but their pass defense allowed him to be very economical, going 13 for 18. This is Matt Cassel we’re talking about. The reason he only had to attempt 18 passes of because of the running game, which ran for 236 yards. That loss was the defense’s fault, not Todd Bouman. Hell, Bouman (18-34 222 yards 2 touchdowns 2 picks) played better than David Garrard does some weeks. This team is in trouble. 

22. Denver Broncos 2-5

Well that’s embarassing. How do you lose to by 45 points to anyone, let alone the Raiders. The Raiders looked like a top 10 NCAA Football team playing an non-FBS team, running up the score in an attempt to improve their ranking. The Broncos offense is not necessarily to blame. Orton only threw for 198 yards, but that’s because Nnamdi Asomugha shut down Brandon Lloyd completely, allowing one reception for 46 yards late in the 4th quarterback. They actually ran better than they normally do, 75 yards on 17 carries, not like they were given much of an opportunity to run the football. The offense should be fine going forward. Why Broncos fans were chanting that they wanted Tebow in over Orton, I don’t know and this is coming from a Tebow fan. The defense was the issue. The Raiders rushed for 328 yards, on only 52 carries. That’s a lot of carries to give up 6.3 YPC on. This run defense is very bad. Jason Campbell played well too, 12 for 20 for 204 yards and 2 scores, but he didn’t even need to do anything. The Broncos defense is in trouble.

21. Cincinnati Bengals 2-4

Carson Palmer, on paper, had a good week last week. In reality, he didn’t in a 39-32 loss to the Falcons. He threw for 412 yards, but more than 300 of those were in the 2nd half, down more than a touchdown against a prevent defense that couldn’t tackle anyone. He would throw short stuff against a defense defending against the deep ball and his receivers do their work in the open field and that’s how he got his yards. He’s still not the quarterback to lead this team anywhere. He is overrated and the Bengals are overrated.

20. Chicago Bears 4-3

The Bears are like a car accident, you can’t help but look. Jay Cutler did avoid his 3rd straight start of 6 sacks or more, Washington only got to him 4 times. However, he threw 4 picks in a performance that mirrored his performance last season against San Francisco. All 4 picks were to DeAngelo Hall, one of which was a decisive pick six, yet after the game the overly arrogant Cutler said he would pick on Hall again if given the opportunity. That over-arrogance is Cutler downfall. That’s why he threw 26 picks last year. He thinks he’s way better than he is and he can just heave it downfield and good things will happen. Speaking of over-arrogance. Mike Martz’ over-arrogance could get the equally over-arrogant Cutler killed. Cutler may have been sacked only 4 times last week, but that’s 27 times this season in 6 starts. Mike Martz is refusing to run, running the 7th fewest amount of times of any team this season, 2nd fewest of all teams that have yet to have their bye week. He’s also not calling more short throws and 5 step drops. Cutler has no mobility and can’t read blitzes to save his life (literally). He’s a sitting duck out there unless Martz changes up the playcalling. 

19. Tampa Bay Buccaneers 4-2

After their win over the Rams, coach Raheem Morris claimed that the Bucs were the best in the NFC. Though they may be 4-2, .5 games back of the Falcons for best record in the NFC. However, of their 4 wins, only one came against a team that currently has more than 2 wins. That was last week’s game against the St. Louis Rams. That was a one point win against a team that is young and struggles on the road. In fact, I’d say that on a neutral surface, the Rams win that one. Their other 3 wins are against the Browns (with Jake Delhomme), the Panthers, and the Bengals. Yikes! Word of advice, beat someone good before you claim yourself to be their best in the NFC. Also, their two losses came by a combined 50 points.

18. San Diego Chargers 2-5

This week is the last stand for the Chargers. If they lose at home to the Titans, they’re out of the playoff race in my mind, especially if the Chiefs beat the Bills and they almost definitely will. After their loss to the Patriots last week, I have moved the Chargers below the Chiefs on this list.

17. Kansas City Chiefs 4-2

Beating up on the Jaguars doesn’t prove a lot to me, but they’ll get another chance to beat up on the Bills this week and improve to 5-2. With the way the Broncos, Raiders, and Chargers are playing, that’s going to give them a very steady lead on the division.

 

16. Minnesota Vikings 2-4

2 months ago, Brett Favre returned for his 20th season. Now, he’s a 41 year old quarterback under sexual harassment allegations, with a double fracture in his ankle, tendonitis in his throwing elbow, and his team is 2-4. Still, I doubt he regrets his decision. This is what Favre lives for. He loves going against adversity and right now he has more than at any time in his career. It’ll be interesting to see how he responds, starting with the Patriots this week in Foxboro.

15. Miami Dolphins 3-3

Where did this Cameron Wake kid come from? He was in the CFL 2 years ago. Now he ranks 7th in the league in sacks with 6. Bill Parcells has done it again, finding another diamond in the rough linebacker.

14. Seattle Seahawks 4-2

Believe it or not, there actually is a legitimate playoff team in the NFC West. The Seattle Seahawks. The Seahawks have looked very good since losing to the Rams, beating the Bears in Chicago and the Cardinals in Seattle. If they beat the Raiders this week, they will be 5-3 and have a legitimate shot to finish above .500 with how weak the rest of their schedule is.

13. Houston Texans 4-2

Bye week.

12. Washington Redskins 4-3

McNabb didn’t play much better than Jay Cutler last week. In fact, for the 4 interceptions Cutler throw, you would have though Washington would have won that one by more than 3 points, especially with Ryan Torain rushing for 125 yards. McNabb was 17 for 32 for 200 yards 1 touchdown and 2 interceptions and only led 9 passing first downs all game. However, his experience his going to be key for this team down the stretch in a tight battle atop the NFC East.

11. Philadelphia Eagles 4-3

Well it looks like Michael Vick is back to being the quarterback after their bye. Kolb’s struggles against Tennessee were all Reid needed to see. It’ll be interesting to see if Reid switches quarterbacks once again when Vick has his next game, marking a record 88th time he’s switched quarterbacks this season. Pick one. I say Kolb because he’s the guy now and he’s 2-1 as a starter, but pick one and stick with him.

10. New Orleans Saints 4-3

It looked like the Saints were delivered a wakeup call when the lost to the Cardinals, subsquently beating the Bucs in Tampa by 25 the next week. However, after losing to the Browns, that doesn’t appear to be the case. With the Steelers coming to town this week, the Saints need a big performance to win and right their season.

9. New York Giants 5-2

The Giants had nearly 500 yards of offense last week and held the Cowboys to less than 200, knocking out their staring quarterback for 6-8 weeks in the process and yet still only won by 6. That’s cause for concern. Those 5 turnovers (3 picks, 2 fumbles) and that punt return touchdown were sloppy and that needs to be tightened up for the rest of their season. The Giants lead the league in give aways this season with 21. They’re giving it away more than a slutty blonde cheerleader. They can be the best team in the NFC if they can keep that under control. Their punt unit also ranks 4th worst in the league in yards per punt attempt allowed, though most of that was on one play, that punt return touchdown by Dez Bryant last week.

8. Green Bay Packers 4-3

That win over Minnesota might have been exactly what this team needed. They almost had to watch Favre do what he did for so many years for them, lead a game winning drive, only this time against them to give him a lifetime 3-0 record against the Packers (all 3 games for hated rival Minnesota). However, they came out of there with the win at home. They’re getting Ryan Pickett, Atari Bigby, and Al Harris back this week to add to their defense. They’re still an extremely talented team and can win the whole thing if they can string some good play together at the right time.

7. Tennessee Titans 5-2

The Titans moved themselves into sleeper status last week. This team always plays better than they look on paper and with the exception of their 0-6 start last season, they are 27-7 over the last 3 seasons. vince Young knows how to win games, but their supporting cast is good enough to beat teams without him. Kerry Collins is a capable backup quarterback, as evidenced by his win over Philadelphia. They’re not elite yet, but they’re getting there.

6. Baltimore Ravens 5-2

The Ravens made stupid mistakes again last week. There’s no way, with their secondary at full strength with Ed Reed, that they should have allowed 34 points to the Bills and needed overtime to win. They made stupid penalties all year last year and have shot themselves in the foot at times this season as well.

5. Atlanta Falcons 5-2

Their secondary has major problems without Dunta Robinson. They simply couldn’t stop the Bengals’ receivers in the open field and allowed 400 passing yards to the Bengals. Of course the injury to Dunta Robinson hurt, but they struggle even with him and if he goes down with an injury down the stretch (something he does normally) they’re screwed. Even with their revamped pass rush, 15 already this season after 28 all last season, they are struggling to stop opposing passing games.

4. New York Jets 5-1

Bye week.

3. New England Patriots 5-1

I’m moving the Patriots over the Jets this week, during the Jets bye, even though the Jets hold the head-to-head. The Patriots beat the Chargers last week. I know the Chargers are 2-5, but that was still an impressive win. They had to travel 3 coasts to play a talented team that was fighting to keep their season alive. That’s an impressive win in my books, even if it was aided by a couple stupid turnovers. The Patriots offense is way less one-dimensional than it was week 2 against the Jets. They’re no longer just chucking downfield to Randy Moss and hoping something good will happen. That’s how they lost to the Jets. Now they’re using the whole field and I think they’d be able to beat the Jets on a neutral field, which is why I have them higher. We’ll see when the two play in Foxboro week 13.

2. Indianapolis Colts 4-2

Bye week.

1. Pittsburgh Steelers 5-1

The first real test for the Steelers with Ben Roethlisberger this week, the New Orleans Saints. If they win this one, I can see them running away with the AFC. They’re already on such a higher level than most teams just because four of their games were played without their starting quarterback. All we have to see is how they coexist with Ben thrown back into the mix against a good team. Do they completely dominate, stay the same, or have issues playing as a unit. The loss of Aaron Smith, for the 2nd straight year, on defense hurts.