10 Things You Need to Know: NFL Regular Season Week 7

By holding off the Raiders, the Falcons are the
last team in 2012 who can challenge the '72 Dolphins.

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10.            Monday Night Miracle 2.0

For the second time in his career, Peyton Manning led his team on a miracle comeback on ESPN’s Monday Night Football. The first was with Indianapolis against Jon Gruden-led Tampa Bay, where he came back from a three score deficit with about five minutes left in the fourth quarter to win the game.

This time, Peyton began the charge, but it was ultimately a team effort. Trailing 24-0 at halftime, Manning led the Broncos on touchdown drives on each of their first three 2^nd half possessions. The defense helped, though, forcing five turnovers on six 2^nd half possessions for the Chargers, two of which were taken back for touchdowns. Denver won the second half, 35-0.

9.            Trouble in Baltimore

Haloti Ngata will recover fairly soon, his injury doesn’t appear to be too significant. Terrell Suggs is practicing this week. But that good news comes with bad news even further to the other end of the spectrum. Lardarius Webb and Ray Lewis are both out, likely for the season. Lewis is going to work hard and is holding out hope that his torn triceps will recover in time for a playoff push to the Super Bowl, but I think losing Webb hurts even more. The Ravens are not yet in any danger of missing the playoffs, but once there, they may not be able to do much.

8.            Sick of Jets/Patriots

Are you? I am! Rex Ryan needs to sleep with Bill Belichick already and get that love affair out of the way. I’m sure once Bill calls him ‘Fatty’ a few times he’ll stop praising him so much.

Speaking of Belichick, I’m also tired of him praising a player on every team he goes up against. ‘Tim Tebow is a great asset to that team.’ I’m as big a Tebow lover as the next guy, but seriously? Could Tebow be a valuable asset to the Jets? Sure, I think he could, if they used him. But they don’t. So focus on stopping Mark Sanchez, and if you praise him, well then good luck coaching an NFL team from a psychiatric ward.

7.            Playoff Picture

The Browns are only two games out of a playoff spot. Okay, I’ll stop there. If that is currently possible, then it most certainly is too early to continue this if the season ended today talk. Until a team is mathematically out and we have fewer teams fighting for those twelve spots, let’s focus on trying to figure out who is actually good!

Dave Dameshek said it better, and faster, than I possible could. So click here. The part that applies to this part of my post starts at 2:07.

6.            Fantasy Disappointments

There were plenty of fantasy disappointments this week, so I’ll just list a few that stood out to me.

• Dwayne Bowe, Antonio Brown and Jeremy Kerley. One week after you posted a respectable, though underwhelming 32 points for me, you all combined for just 11 points. Brandon Myers, starting in Jimmy Graham’s place, almost outscored all three of you! Shame!
• Not sure if this should be here or in the Fantasy Surprises list, but Philip Rivers scored 7 points. Not just 7 points. 7 points! How? How do you throw four picks and fumble the ball twice and still score 7 points?
• The five-game streak is over in Minnesota. Their defense hasn’t scored less than 10 fantasy points all season in my league. This week? A big fat goose egg.
• Likewise, Miles Austin didn’t seem to benefit from the bye week. After scoring double digits in all of the Cowboys’ first four games, he scored only 4 on Sunday.

5.            Fantasy Surprises

• Last year, this would have been par for the course – well, not actually, but it happened enough that I wouldn’t have been shocked. Aaron Rodgers scored 48 points in my league on Sunday night. Looking back at his other recent performances, he’s actually racked up a nice three-game stretch that covered up a terrible first three games. Somehow, we forgot he had turned it around.
• Robert Griffin III scored 37 in my fantasy league. It always helps when you break out a big run for a touchdown. If RGIII can avoid the sophomore slump Cam Newton is having, he’ll be go down in the Fantasy Football Hall of Fame! There isn’t one? There should be.
• Nelson has been shaken from his slumber. After a couple decent weeks to start the season and then some very disheartening performances to follow it up, Nelson scored three times against the Texans, reminding us all of the season he had last year. We’ll see if he can keep it up.
• Shonn Greene, why?! I picked you for my NFL.com league and you did nothing. Nothing!! I dropped you and you do this? After not scoring a touchdown, not scoring more than five points since Week 1, he rushed for three touchdowns and scored 34 fantasy points for the waiver wire.

4.            Games to Watch

Like last week, I’ll be more specific on why these are the biggest games to watch in my predictions post tomorrow.

• Seattle Seahawks at San Francisco 49ers (Thursday, 8:20 p.m.)
• Arizona Cardinals at Minnesota Vikings (Sunday, 1:00 p.m.)
• Washington Redskins at New York Giants (Sunday, 1:00 p.m.)
• Baltimore Ravens at Houston Texans (Sunday, 1:00 p.m.)
• New York Jets at New England Patriots (Sunday, 4:25 p.m.)

3.            Power Rankings

For the sake of space, I will list just the top 6 and the bottom 6 here. You can see the rest on NFL.com.

1. Atlanta Falcons	27. Tennessee Titans
2. Houston Texans	28. New Orleans Saints
3. New York Giants	29. Cleveland Browns
4. Baltimore Ravens	30. Jacksonville Jaguars
5. Chicago Bears	31. Oakland Raiders
6. San Francisco 49ers	32. Kansas City Chiefs

It’s clear, at least to me, that the power rankings are not the best piece to use for picking games. Just that fact that the Texans only dropped one place after they got demolished at home by the Packers makes no sense to me. But that’s why I don’t make the rankings, I guess.

The Power Poll is a better representation of where the teams stack up, in my opinion. Check that out here.

2.            New York Giants

The Giants didn’t shock me, but they did surprise me, as they did a lot of people with their huge win in San Francisco on Sunday. It was the third time in two seasons that they Giants have beaten a good 49ers team in that venue. If the Giants can have a good day as a favorite on Sunday against Washington, they’ll get my vote of confidence as the best team in the NFL.

1.            Atlanta Falcons

In the mean time, the Giants are not yet the best team in the NFC. The Falcons have won three straight games that could have as easily dropped them to 3-3. Instead they sit at 6-0. I would like this team a lot more if it was 3-3, though. Like the Giants, the Falcons play better as underdogs. Atlanta always shows up and has great regular season results. Then they play as favorites in the playoffs and have their heads handed them on a platter. The Giants haven’t performed as well and have snuck into the playoffs for both of their Super Bowl runs. I see a pattern here, and it seems to be much more widespread in this league than just with these two teams. How has this society become so complacent?

Sunday Football Afterword: Week 5 Late Games

A high level of respect is present between two of the
Game's all-time passing greats.

A cold has been kicking my butt the past few days. I had hoped to publish this yesterday a few hours after my first Sunday Afterword, but was unable to.

Cam Newton continues to struggle in tight spots, evidenced by a poor pass on 4^th down near the Seattle goal line late in the game. The Seahawks defense, of course, cannot be overlooked, but it also cannot be ignored that this was not the first time Newton has failed in such situations. Seattle won 16-12 in Carolina, a game the Panthers needed to win if they wanted to be considered a legitimate playoff contender in the NFC.

Most of the other games were not all that exciting. Chicago’s offense played well and their defense played better. Granted, it was against the Jaguars, but it was in Jacksonville; that has to count for something, right? Well, maybe not so much, but 41-3 is still a score that you can’t scoff at regardless of the opponent.

Only San Francisco scored a larger margin of victory, backing up a crushing defeat of the New York Jets a week earlier with a 45-3 win back in California against the Bills. For the first time in NFL history, a team – Buffalo – gave up 300+ passing yards and 300+ rushing yards. There had been 122 games in which a team gained 300+ yards on the ground, another 2,316 with 300+ through the air, but San Francisco was the first with both. (source)

Tennessee was manhandled no worse in Minnesota as they lost 30-7 in another ugly contest with an AFC team getting pummeled by an NFC opponent.

The game of the week for many of us, myself included, was the Broncos-Patriots game in New England. On Denver’s first drive, Manning lofted a perfect pass to Demaryius Thomas, which he caught then fumbled. New England took over and turned the takeaway into a touchdown. Manning drove Denver back down the field to tie the score on their ensuing drive, but the Broncos’ offense stalled after that.

New England took off and led 31-7 in the 3^rd quarter. Manning led a furious comeback against a defense that was somewhere between a standard Belichick defense and a prevent scheme. Despite the secondary being backed up a bit, Manning still threw fantastic passes over the top and found receivers deep. When they couldn’t get over top, Manning still found ways to get them the ball on ‘go’ routes. It wasn’t enough, however, when a fumble by Willis McGahee deep in Patriots territory late in the 4^th quarter ended all hope of a full comeback. New England held on, 31-21 in yet another epic Manning v. Brady/Belichick battle. Brady is now 9-4 all-time in their matchups.

Suspended coach, Sean Payton, was in attendance for
Drew Brees' record-breaking performance Sunday.

The final game of the day, the Sunday Night game, was not a particularly exciting game, but there were still plenty of important story lines. The Saints ended their bid for a winless season as Drew Brees beat his old team, the San Diego Chargers, 31-24. Sean Payton and two other Saints executives were permitted to be in attendance for the game and got to see Drew Brees break one of the oldest records in the National Football League. Over half a century ago, Johnny Unitas of the Baltimore Colts set a record of 47 consecutive regular season games played with a touchdown pass. On Sunday night, Drew Brees threw a touchdown in his 48^th consecutive game.


Breaking records is special, and it is even more special at home. Last year, Drew Brees got to break Dan Marino’s single-season passing yards mark at home. This year, on Sunday, he broke an even longer-standing record, and he also broke that mark at home against the team that parted ways with him for their current quarterback. It couldn’t have been written any better for Brees.

5 Things You Need to Know – Pre-Season Week 4

This is the final week of the preseason, and also the final week of 5 Things You Need to Know. Next week, heading into the first week of the regular season, I will begin counting down 10 topics.

1.            Only 7 days left before the season starts!

Yes, the regular season starts next Wednesday, not Thursday, as is tradition. The 2012 Democratic National Convention is Thursday, September 6, so the season opener, featuring the Cowboys and Giants in an NFC East showdown in New York, was moved to a day earlier.

2.            NFL transactions’ effects on Fantasy Football

This week tends to be one of the busiest in terms of teams signing and releasing players, understandably. Teams must finalize their 53-man rosters before the week ends, leading to the releases of particularly desirable fantasy players. Don’t jump ship too early, though. I drafted Billy Cundiff as a backup kicker in my fantasy draft. The Ravens released him and I immediately dropped him and went after Justin Tucker. Lucky for me, no one went after Cundiff and when the Redskins released Graham Gano and Neil Rackers to pick up Cundiff, I was able to get him back. You may not be so lucky, so before you drop players like Chris Cooley just because they were released, wait to see what their next move it. Although, if you picked up Terrell Owens in the draft, you should feel safe dropping him now. Even if another team picks him up, he won’t contribute to your season.

3.            Bill Belichick may have lost his mind

The Patriots play the New York Giants this week in their preseason finale, and have announced that many of their starters will get significant playing team in the game. Week 4 of the preseason is traditionally a game where the backups play almost the entire game so the coaches can get one more look at them before making final decisions on who to keep and who to cut. If the Patriots already know for sure most of these decisions, that’s fantastic for them, but this is still a dangerous decision.

The Giants have a sense of pride about playing the Patriots, and no doubt that pride has been injected into the backups. As if the Giants players didn’t have enough reason to give it their best this week – trying to lock down roster spots and all – they get to do so against their hated rival from just outside Boston. Belichick is asking for one of his starters to get hurt. If this turns out the way I envision it, at least all this ridiculous talk about Belichick’s name being added to the Lombardi Trophy should come to an end.

4.            Week 4 starts Today!!

The Patriots game I referenced above is today at 7:00 p.m. and is the start of a slate of three games being played tonight. The Redskins host the Buccaneers in their preseason finale at 7:00 as well, and the Dolphins play in Dallas at 8:30. The other 13 games of this week will all be played tomorrow, beginning at 6:30 with the Falcons and the Jaguars and running all the way into the early morning Friday, as the Cardinals host the Broncos with an 11:00 p.m. EDT start.

5.            My new radio show kicks of Tonight!!

I will be on WMUC College Park Radio, 88.1 FM, with two of my friends tonight from 7-8 p.m. We have been talking with each other about sports for a couple years now and have decided to take it to the radio this year, and tonight will be our first show. If you live in the College Park area, you can tune in on the radio. If you don’t live in the area, go to WMUC Sports and click the big red ‘Listen Live’ button. It will open up in iTunes and you can listen that way right from your computer. While my expertise is undoubtedly pro football, we all bring different interests, knowledge, and opinions to the table and will be talking about a wide range of sports, which should make for an interesting show, especially once we shake out all the cobwebs tonight. So be sure to tune in!

Thank you, as always, for reading. Enjoy the final week of preseason action. I can’t wait to get to my regular season posts next week. And be sure listen to WMUC radio tonight from 7-8 p.m. Follow my Twitter page and Like my Facebook page by finding their respective buttons on the side of this page to keep track of various updates throughout the upcoming football season.