Sunday Football Afterword: Redskins vs Giants

Eli Manning led the Giants back from a 14-0 deficit in the 2nd quarter
to a victory in Landover. He threw just six incomplete passes in the contest.

Cory Puffett

The officials really screwed up on the Redskins final drive. The play calling likely would have been different if Washington knew that it was 3^rd & 1 instead of 1^st & 10.

But the Washington Redskins never should have been in that situation. They came out of the gates looking like the 2012 Redskins. Alfred Morris looked good, but he’s been outstanding all season. The real surprise was when Robert Griffin III completed each of his first 12 passes two eight different receivers, helping Washington take a 14-0 lead.

But the Redskins’ offense couldn’t do anything after those first two drives of the game. New York took over on defense and their offense dug into Washington’s defense, outscoring their NFC East rivals 24-3 during the game’s final 40 minutes.

In addition to Washington’s defense getting picked apart, the Redskins could not get anything going on the ground save for Griffin III’s 88 rushing yards on 12 attempts. Alfred Morris only got 11 carries, not nearly enough considering all that he’s done for the team this season.

With the victory, New York keeps their playoff hopes alive, as dim as they are. The Giants have won five of their last six games after loosing all of their first six. Their only chance to make the playoffs would require them to win each of their last four games, and it does not look good for New York. They play at San Diego next Sunday, then host the NFC East-leading Seattle Seahawks. They visit the Detroit Lions in Week 16, then host this Redskins team to close the season.

Final Score:

New York Giants – 24

Washington Redskins – 17

Sunday Football Afterword: Giants vs Cowboys

Lance Dunbar only got five touched put gained 46 yards and played
a big role in the Cowboys' victory as a change-of-pace back.

Cory Puffett

The New York Giants defense had not allowed an opposing offense to score a touchdown in four games. Tony Romo ended that streak in New York with two touchdown passes to Jason Witten, the second of which was his 200^th career touchdown pass, the most in franchise history.

The Cowboys’ defense struggled in the second half, giving up two touchdowns to let the Giants come back from a 21-6 deficit to tie the game. The first of those was particularly embarrassing when Brandon Myers fell between two defenders after catching Eli Manning’s pass, then stoop up, untouched, and ran the final few yards to the end zone.

Big D improves to 6-5 and is tied with Philadelphia for first place in the NFC East. They hold the head-to-head tiebreaker because of a 17-3 win in Philly earlier this season. They will face the Eagles again in Week 17. Dallas hosts Oakland on Thursday for Thanksgiving football.

Sunday’s loss snaps a four game winning streak and drops the G-Men to 4-7. They have lost both games against Dallas and are 1-1 against Philadelphia. Even with two games left against the Redskins, things don’t look good for the Giants

Final Score:

Dallas Cowboys – 24

New York Giants – 21

Monday Football Afterword: Giants vs Vikings

The Vikings did not give Josh Freeman a chance to succeed. They did
not use Adrian Peterson and they threw the quarterback in the
Giants' Den on Monday Night Football.

Cory Puffett

The Vikings threw Josh Freeman into the Lions’ Den, or maybe it was the Giants’ Den, on Monday Night Football. In his 14^th day with the team, Freeman started at quarterback for the Vikings and ended up with the fifth lowest completion percentage of all time by an NFL quarterback in a single game, completing 20 passes against 33 incompletions.

The Giants’ defense pitched a shutout -- Minnesota’s lone score came on a punt return touchdown. New York had no reason to respect Minnesota’s air attack early in the game, and Freeman gave them no reason to change their approach as the game wore on. The end result was just 28 rushing yards for Adrian Peterson.

Still, Peterson remains on pace to break the NFL single-season rushing record by three yards. Well, not exactly “on pace.” But he has 12 more rushing yards than he did at this time last season and wound up just nine yards shy of breaking Eric Dickerson’s record. It’s not an exact science, but you do the math.

The win was the first of the Giants’ season and, more or less, keeps them in the hunt for the NFC East. It isn’t likely that they can make the kind of run needed to come back, even in this sorry division, but another good game next week could put them in a similar position as the Steelers in the AFC North, down but not out.

The Vikings have already announced that Freeman will start again next Sunday night against the Packers. Their season appears to be shot with the other teams in their division playing very well. But looking past this season, I don’t like what I’m seeing from the organization and their handling of Josh Freeman. He can still turn his career around and get back to the form he had a few years ago, but throwing him in the fire so soon is not the way to go.

Final Score:

Minnesota Vikings – 7

New York Giants – 23

Thursday Football Afterword: Bears vs Giants

The struggle continues for Eli Manning. Thursday night marked the
fourth time in six games that he's thrown at least three picks this season.

Cory Puffett

I let last week slip by without much analysis, at least not via the written word. Well I’m back this week and we (my radio co-hosts and I) will be sure to cover the big games for Week 6 right here.

For the second straight week, we were treated to a really good game on Thursday night that had low expectations going in. It was advertised as a game pitting two “NFL powerhouses” against each other, which was laughable considering one was the 0-5 Giants.

Credit to the Giants for keeping it interesting. Brandon Jacobs had a huge game on the ground, racking up over 100 yards and two scores for the team he gave so much to over the first seven seasons of his career.

Unfortunately, Eli Manning was the undoing of his team for a second straight week. He has six interceptions in the last five days, 15 on the season, and has thrown at least one in every game so far. Two of his first five passes last night were picked off, the second was returned for a touchdown, and his third came on a promising drive late in the fourth quarter that ultimately clinched the victory for Chicago.

Jay Cutler and the Bears improve to 4-2 with the win and will have sole possession of the NFC North if Cleveland can beat Detroit on Sunday. Cutler now has 12 touchdown passes versus six interceptions on the season after throwing a pair to Brandon Marshall.

Speaking of Marshall, the NFL told him earlier this week that if he wore green cleats to support Mental Health Awareness Week, he would be ejected from the game. They backed off that stance and told him that he could wear them but that he would be fined. He responded by saying that he will match the NFL’s fine with a donation to a Mental Health charity. Chalk one up for Good Guy Brandon this week.

Be sure to listen to the Football Freaks’ Week 6 predictions podcast on PodOmatic or iTunes, and then tune in this evening from 6-7pm (emphasis on SIX P.M.) for our live show on WMUC Sports. Call in at 301-314-9979 or Tweet your questions to me, @cpuffnfl.

Sunday Football Afterword: Cowboys vs Giants

Victory Cruz did everything he could to carry his Giants to a fifth straight
victory in Big D, but New York's turnovers were too much to overcome.

Cory Puffett

Entering Sunday, the Giants were 4-0 in the House that Jerry Built, and Eli Manning was the only quarterback in NFL history to win four straight road games against the Cowboys. Dallas sought to end that streak while New York hoped to ease Tom Coughlin’s mind with a season opening victory.

The fans didn’t see much of that determination from either team in the early part of the Sunday night game. The Giants turned the ball over three times in the first quarter, and yet the teams were tied with a field goal each after the first fifteen minutes.

The scoring picked up after that, but it never turned into a “good game.” It was sloppy throughout. The Giants finished with six turnovers via three Manning interceptions and David Wilson’s fumblitis.

Dallas turned the ball over just once, but their offense often stalled out, which allowed the Giants to stay within reach in a game that ended with Dallas winning by just five points.

Victor Cruz and Hakeem Nicks both had solid receiving games, each with five receptions for over 110 yards. Cruz caught three touchdowns to none for Nicks, though.

For Dallas, Jason Witten, who caught 18 passes at home against the Giants last year, had eight receptions for 70 yards and two scores. Dallas also did a good job running ball as DeMarco Murray grinded out 86 yards.

Both teams have some issues to address, though Dallas appears to be a little better off than New York. If either want to be part of the fight for the NFC East crown, their coaching staffs have their work cut out for them after a sloppy game in the NFL’s first Sunday night game of the season.

Keep up with the Football Freaks but liking The All-Sports Crew’s Facebook page and listen to their live shows on WMUC Sports and as well as their podcasts on iTunes.

2013-14 Postseason Picks, Part III: NFC Playoff Picks

I published my AFC playoff picks a little earlier today, so let’s get to the league’s other conference.

NFC Postseason

1.            New Orleans Saints (13-3) – NFC South Champion, Home Field Advantage

The Saints are back, and they will be running neck-and-neck with Atlanta through the majority of the season before pulling ahead in the final weeks of the regular season. As bad as their defense was last year, I have a lot of respect in Rob Ryan and am confident he can transform their defense into a more reliable unit that will allow their offense to do their thing.

2.            San Francisco 49ers (13-3) – NFC West Champion, 1st Round Bye

The 49ers will be in the same sort of battle with Seattle as the Saints will be with Atlanta. But a couple tough road matches for Seattle will allow San Francisco to clinch the West, and a home win against the Packers will hold off Green Bay to clinch the first round bye.

3.            Green Bay Packers (13-3) – NFC North Champion

The Packers are too talented a team for me to predict fewer wins for them. That said, they struggled in the early part of last season, and they also had to deal with replacement officials who cost them a game last year. But it’s a new year and they will look to keep their defense healthy for once so they can dominate the division.

4.            New York Giants (9-7) – NFC East Champion

If I hadn’t gone through all 256 games and predicted winners for them, I would’ve thrown the Redskins in as the NFC East winner, but I think a slightly better division record will give the Giants a slight advantage over the Redskins and Cowboys and will give New York their shot at truly hosting Super Bowl XLVIII.

5.            Atlanta Falcons (12-4) – 2nd Place NFC South, Wild Card

The Falcons are probably the best team in the NFC, but it isn’t by much and a more difficult road schedule than just about anyone else will cost them the division title. They will have to go on the road through the playoffs.

6.            Seattle Seahawks (12-4) – 2nd Place NFC West, Wild Card

The Seahawks always struggle on the road, and that docked them a win or two that they could have gotten at home. If they lose Percy Harvin to injury, I might take them down to 11 or even 10 wins. But they still have the best secondary in the NFC and a solid front seven to keep opposing ground attacks at bay.

Other Contenders

Despite my predictions of five teams with 12+ wins in the NFC, the rest of the conference has a little more parity than the AFC. In the East, both the Cowboys and Redskins are serious division title contenders.

The Bears are my top NFC North contender behind the Packers, but if Christian Ponder shows improvement over last season, Adrian Peterson will be able to help him make up for the loss of Percy Harvin and give the Vikings a chance at a playoff birth.

In the South, I could see the Panthers winning as many as nine games, but that will not be enough for a wild-card spot in this year’s NFC. As for the West, the Cardinals will be an infinitely better team with Carson Palmer under center, but only if the offensive line can keep him on his feet. My doubts about that were a big part of me only giving them six victories in 2013.

Preliminary Playoff Predictions

Though I correctly picked three of last season’s NFC playoff teams, my preseason predictions of how the road to the Super Bowl would unravel were not good at all in this conference. I’m back for another shot this year, so here it goes.

NFC Wild Card

Seattle Seahawks @ Green Bay Packers

The playoffs have not been kind to Green Bay lately, and Seattle will be out to prove that they can beat the Packers with the best refs the NFL has to offer.

Atlanta Falcons @ New York Giants

Matt Ryan will have his chance for revenge after Atlanta’s embarrassing 24-2 loss to New York in the 2011 playoffs.

NFC Divisional Playoffs

Seattle Seahawks @ New Orleans Saints

Sean Payton and his team missed participating in the playoffs last year. You better believe they won’t let this trip end so soon.

Atlanta Falcons @ San Francisco 49ers

The Ravens’ defense manages to hold off Colin Kaepernick in Super Bowl XLVII, but the Falcons’ defense doesn’t have a chance.

NFC Championship Game

New Orleans Saints @ San Francisco 49ers

I wish I planned this from the beginning. Probably the best playoff game played during my lifetime was this matchup in 2011, which Alex Smith won with a sensational touchdown run and his hookup with Vernon Davis for the team’s third installment of The Catch. Colin Kaepernick will play the hero this time.

Super Bowl XLVIII

San Francisco 49ers vs Denver Broncos

The 49ers are the more complete team of the two; that much is certain in my mind. Any other year, I take the 49ers 10 times out of 10. Why not this year? The Broncos will be better prepared to handle the elements of MetLife Stadium. With two years of experience playing in the cold, Manning’s offense won’t be as sloppy as his Colts were in Super Bowl XLI.

Again, the support you all show by reading my blog means the world to me. Never hesitate to comment on my posts, whether on my blog or on Facebook.

Tomorrow I plan to be watching the 2013 Hall of Fame induction ceremony and should be on Twitter through most of the event, so feel free to chat with me there, @cpuffnfl.

I will be back on here Monday with my reaction to this preseason’s inaugural game, between the Dallas Cowboys and Miami Dolphins, which begins at 8:00pm on NBC.

2013 Offseason Needs: NFC East

I began going through the NFL division-by-division last week, writing about what each team needs to address this offseason. I have covered the bases in all four AFC divisions, so this week I move on to the NFC.

I won’t pretend to know every detail of what each team needs, but am open to comments from those who may know better what their teams need.

Dallas Cowboys

I will say it one more time, Tony Romo is a very good quarterback and the Cowboys are right to stick by him. He has struggled at times in more important games, but he is not the only one on the team who has done so. He may not have the ‘clutch gene,’ but if they put the right team around him, he won’t have to.

Rob Ryan is gone at defensive coordinator. Monte Kiffin is in and will switch Dallas back to the 4-3 scheme that was largely developed by former Cowboys coach, Tom Landry. What this means, is that the Cowboys are putting less weight on the linebacker corps and more on the defensive line, so they will have to add some depth there.

The offensive line has also been a problem for several seasons, and there is no way that Tony Romo will ever be able to execute in the clutch if his linemen can’t protect him. They need to pick up a solid prospect in the draft and maybe a good, but affordable, free agent for immediate results.

We also saw how injuries impacted their defense in 2012, especially in the secondary. Depth at safety is a must, and it wouldn’t hurt to add another talented corner.

New York Giants

The Giants were very disappointing in 2012, missing the playoffs the year after winning the Super Bowl for the second time under Tom Coughlin and Eli Manning. The silver lining in that, though, is that they don’t have to lose too many pieces from a team chockfull of talent.

Ahmad Bradshaw is gone, but David Wilson is ready to step up. Even with Andre Brown on the roster, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Wilson getting 75% (or more) of the carries by Week 9.

The biggest loss New York stands to lose is Victor Cruz, who is a restricted free agent. I can think of several teams who would be willing to give up a second-rounder for Cruz, one of which is in the division. The Giants will need to step up and get Cruz the money he deserves.

The biggest issue for the Giants in 2012, as NFL.com described it, was consistency. The Giants rarely looked like the same team in consecutive weeks on either side of the ball and Eli Manning looked to be in a funk for much of the season, especially during one particular three-week stretch. The Giants will be one of the most talented teams in the NFL in 2013. They just have to show it.

Philadelphia Eagles

I’m excited to see what the Eagles do this year, not because I want them to do well, not because I think they can do well, but because I have no clue what to expect from them.

Nick Foles is a talented young quarterback, but he is still very raw. Of course, Michael Vick is back, but if he struggles to protect the ball, don’t expect their new coach to wait as long as Andy Reid did to make a change. Speaking of their new coach, Chip Kelly is an excellent college coach, but we’ve seen great college coaches crash and burn on the NFL level (see Steve Spurrier and Pete Carroll’s first tenure).

Secondary is an area that must be addressed. Philadelphia had very poor safety play in 2012 and word is that Nnamdi Asomugha may not be back in 2013 after two very underwhelming seasons.

Washington Redskins

7-0. That was the Redskins’ record over the final seven weeks of the 2012 regular season. It was a remarkable turnaround and they did it without Fred Davis who injured his Achilles early in the season and never returned. If he comes back and stays healthy both on and off the field, it will be a huge lift to an offense that will be tasked with picking up in Week 1 where they left off in Week 17.

Obviously, the biggest concern is getting Robert Griffin III to 100%. At this point, there is little doubt that it will happen. It is just a matter of when. But if he isn’t ready to go in Week 1, Redskins fans should feel confident that Kirk Cousins, who will spend this entire season as Washington’s #1 quarterback, can take care of the team during Griffin’s absence.

The only other real concern I have with this team is the defense. They ranked very high in stopping the run, and will be even better in 2013 with Brian Orakpo and Adam Carriker set to return. But their pass defense was atrocious. They don’t need to be a top-5 or even a top-10 team against the pass. But if they can be middle-of-the-pack, rather than nearly dead last, the rest of the team will be talented enough to pick up the slack.

Tomorrow I will cover the NFC North’s offseason needs, team-by-team. Keep up with new posts as I publish them by ‘liking’ my Facebook page and by following me on Twitter, @cpuffnfl.

2013 Offseason Update, Week 1

Gregg Williams has a new look that we can only hope corresponds to a
new motivational philosophy. Photo credit to titansonline.com.

We are now a full week into the offseason and I’m already having dreams of pre-season starting, a sure sign I’m going through withdrawal.

I’m not sure yet what I will write about for the rest of this week, but today I am just going to cover a few of the big stories from last week that some of you may not have seen.

Because I took the past few days off from writing, my flow may be a little off today.  Forgive me while I get back into the swing of things.

Anquan Boldin Done?

Joe Flacco’s upcoming contract has been over-covered and over-analyzed since winning MVP for Super Bowl XLVII. The problem with his raise is that either Jacoby Jones or Anquan Boldin may not get new contracts because of cap limitations. Boldin said last week that if he does not get a new contract, he will retire. He says he will never put on a uniform other than that of the Ravens.

Michael Vick Remains an Eagle

This one just came in today. Vick signed a 1-year contract that could be worth up to $10 million, though I would assume too many fumbles and interceptions would cost him on payday.

Gregg Williams Returns

Williams was banned from the NFL indefinitely after news of his involvement in a bounty system with the New Orleans Saints. The ban was lifted a few days ago and Williams joined the Tennessee Titans’ coaching staff as a senior assistant defensive coach.

Giant Changes

While the Yankees were fairly quiet during the offseason, being unusually frugal, the Giants are going about a similar quest with a different philosophy. The Giants have released a few big names, including running back Ahmad Bradshaw and defensive tackle Chris Canty as they look to free up cap space for the offseason.

If you would like to hear my thoughts on any other offseason news from the past week, feel free to contact me via my blog’s Facebook page or my Twitter account, @cpuffnfl.

Sunday Football Afterword: Week 16 Late Games

Richard Sherman returns a field goal blocked by Red Bryant
in the second quarter of Seattle's blowout win on Sunday Night.
Photo credit to Seahawks.com.

Peyton Manning got of to a great start at home against Cleveland and Denver rode it to a 34-12 win. Manning threw three touchdowns in the contest but also had one interception that was on a very poorly thrown ball. He was looking for his guy in the end zone and did a very bad job trying to toss it over the defender (it almost looked like he was throwing it to the defender. In any case, minus the interception, I think Peyton would agree that this was a Broncos team that looked better than last week and is just about ready for the playoffs.

Chicago kept their playoff hopes alive with a 28-13 win over Arizona, but they can only get in if the Vikings lost to Green Bay next week, which is certainly possible but not as certain as I thought before Minnesota beat Houston yesterday. The Bears play Detroit, who will look to get Calvin Johnson a little over 100 yards against one of the NFL’s best pass defenses so he can eclipse the 2,000-receiving yards mark for the season.

With the Giants’ season hanging in the balance, they needed a win against Baltimore, and completely flubbed it up. The Giants have been sliding as of late, just like they did last year. This time, there are other teams to take advantage of it (enter Dallas and Washington). Their secondary has been terrible after really pulling it together for much of the season. Their defensive line had issues committing penalties all game, and that opened it up for Baltimore to get not only Ray Rice over 100-rushing yards but Bernard Pierce, too. Flacco completed 69% of his passes for a little over 300 yards and two touchdowns. I said my peace yesterday about this game’s meaning, so I won’t get back into that now.

The late game was expected to be a really good game, a tight battle between two teams vying for the NFC West crown. San Francisco likely will still get it since they need just a win over Arizona next week, but Seattle most certainly deserves it. They game within eight points of scoring 50+ points in three consecutive games, which I don’t think has happened in NFL history. Colin Kaepernick will start again next week, but he was completely ineffective in Seattle, just a week after he beat the Patriots in Foxboro. Seattle is playoff-ready. San Francisco looks very vulnerable.

There is no more Monday Night Football this season, so I will move up my 10 Things You Need to Know post to tomorrow, publish my predictions on Wednesday, the same day The All-Sports Crew publishes theirs, and then write previews of the most important games (my Games to Watch) during the remainder of the week. Thanks for reading!

Monday Night Football Afterword: Redskins vs Giants

Rober Griffin III tries to high-step out of a tackle on an
electric run in the second half. Photo credit to Washington Times.

It took a little bit of luck – an early missed field goal by Lawrence Tynes – and a lot of luck – a fumble that almost wasn’t by Robert Griffin III that bounced right into the hands of Josh Morgan, who took it for a score – for the Redskins to defeat their division rival on Monday night. Luck did not make it any less of a statement game for Washington.

The mantra of the defense seemed to be ‘bend, but don’t break’ all night long. For many defenses, this is not the way you want things to go because it means time of possession favors your opponent. In Washington’s case, it was the best philosophy to take. They gave up a lot of yards. They held Eli Manning to 280 passing yards, but New York eclipsed the Redskins’ rush yards allowed per game before the third quarter ended. But as New York’s field shrunk, Washington’s defense tightened, giving up just one touchdown and forcing four field goals, three of which Tynes connected with.

The low scoring of the Giants was enough for the Redskins to pull out the win as Kai Forbath continues to be perfect on field goal attempts this season and RG3 threw a touchdown pass in addition to the fumble-touchdown in the first quarter.

The best part for the Redskins? The victory came on a national stage. With San Francisco’s loss to the Rams and no shortage of doubters when it comes to the Falcons, the Giants seemed primed to take their place as the favorite among NFC playoff contenders. Now the NFC East is, once again, wide open with the Redskins and Cowboys trailing New York by just one game.

As a Redskins fan, the fourth quarter is a dreadful time to be leading. Washington has always become too conservative, but yesterday the Redskins took a shot downfield and converted a first down near field goal range. They ran the ball after that, but it was refreshing to see a running back push through a pile to gain six yards on 3^rd & 3. Alfred Morris finished the game with well over 100 yards and has topped 1,000 yards on the season. Griffin III has broken Cam Newton’s record for rushing yards in a season by a quarterback.

The Redskins have beaten their last three division opponents since their heartbreaking loss in New York. They still have the Eagles, who they blew out, and the Cowboys, who they outran, left on their schedule in addition to a showdown with the Ravens next week and the Browns later in the schedule.

The Giants also have to face the Ravens and Eagles, but they will have two challenges in the next two weeks against the Saints at home and the Falcons in Atlanta, leaving a very real possibility for the Redskins, or the Cowboys, to sneak away with a division title in a year neither was popularly expected to contend.

10 Things You Need to Know: NFL Regular Season Week 11

Aaron Glenn has since retired, but was a big part of building
the Texans into the playoff contender they are today.
(Photo credit to Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)

‘Like’ The All-Sports Crew on Facebook to keep up with updates! The All-Sports Crew will air on WMUC Sports, live, tonight from 6-8, yes, we have a special two-hour show for you today!

10.            Bigger Problems than Defense in New York

Last week I said the Giants defense is a problem. In my defense, I was right about that. But I also thought the offense would bounce back after some severely sub-par games and beat the Bengals. That didn’t happen. I am still holding out hope that they can get things back on track after this bye week, but this isn’t a ‘typical Giants November slump.’ They’ve never looked this bad before getting on track in the playoffs. Eli needs to find his mojo.

9.            Quarterback Injuries

This week in the NFL really hit home for me, what with all the injuries at the quarterback position we’ve suffered here at Maryland. We’ve had so many quarterbacks go down this season I can’t remember if it’s four with three ACL tears or five with four ACL tears.

The 49ers are in the best position to play well if Alex Smith misses time because Colin Kaepernick has been great when he’s played this season. But, as fortune would have it, Smith is also the least likely to miss time. In fact, both Michael Vick and Ben Roethlisberger have been ruled out this week, Big Ben with the only non-head injury of the group, and doctors are very worried about his ribs. Jay Cutler is the only one besides Smith whose status is still up in the air. The Bears and 49ers play on Monday Night in Week 11.

8.            Tim Tebow

This morning an article was released in which Tebow’s teammates with the Jets said the quarterback ‘stinks.’ I call foul on that one. Last year it was well documented that Tebow performed very poorly in practice, but in clutch time he always seemed to come threw somehow, some way. The Jets haven’t even gotten to see much of him in-game.

7.            If the Season Ended Today

Much of the playoff picture has not changed, but here’s something interesting: the Chargers are the first team out in the AFC right now. If they can beat the Broncos this weekend… Hahaha, I kill myself. At this point, the Bengals, and possibly the Titans, are the only AFC teams not already in the playoffs that could possibly sneak in.

On the NFC side, there’s still plenty available to shake up. The Saints are on a roll and who knows what they might be able to pull off down the stretch. The Vikings are still sticking around and the Buccaneers have made a strong case for themselves, too. The Giants are in serious danger of falling out – a mid-season collapse that extends into the latter part of the season will not give them a playoff birth this year, and I’m labeling the Seahawks ‘pretenders’ until further notice.

6.            Fantasy Disappointments

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

• Nate Washington has been a pretty solid target this year in Tennessee. He doesn’t get the most receptions but he tends to get good yards and then this week he ended up with just 0.5 points (no points for those of you in non-PPR leagues).
• Steve Smith has been in the double digits every game this season except in Weeks 4 and 5 against solid Falcons and Seahawks defenses, so maybe we shouldn’t be so surprised he didn’t do well against the Broncos, but for the first time all year he caught fewer than three passes.
• Of course, the easy guy to lean on as dud of the week is Eli Manning. He has scored 10 fantasy points in the past three weeks combined, with just 2 in my league this past week.

5.            Fantasy Surprises

• The Broncos defense came through with 39 fantasy points this week (in my league). Manning played a solid game but it truly was the Broncos defense that carried the team. That said, 6 of those points never should have happened because of a fumble out of the end zone that was never called.
• Joe Flacco hadn’t scored 20+ fantasy points since Week 4 against the Browns. He finally got back there, and more, with a 34-point performance against the Raiders in which Baltimore set the franchise record for points and Flacco threw for over 300 yards, tossed three touchdowns and ran for another score.
• Dallas had gotten double-digit fantasy points for their defense just once all season before putting up 32 big ones against Philadelphia. They scored three touchdowns on defense and special teams.

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.

• Miami Dolphins at Buffalo Bills (Thursday, 8:20 p.m.)
• Philadelphia Eagles at Washington Redskins (Sunday, 1:00 p.m.)
• San Diego Chargers at Denver Broncos (Sunday, 4:25 p.m.)
• Indianapolis Colts at New England Patriots (Sunday, 4:25 p.m.)
• Baltimore Ravens at Pittsburgh Steelers (Sunday, 8:20 p.m.)
• Chicago Bears at San Francisco 49ers (Monday, 8:30 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. Houston Texans	27. Carolina Panthers
2. Atlanta Falcons	28. New York Jets
3. Green Bay Packers	29. Oakland Raiders
4. Chicago Bears	30. Cleveland Browns
5. Baltimore Ravens	31. Kansas City Chiefs
6. San Francisco 49ers	32. Jacksonville Jaguars

The Giants, Lions and Chargers suffered the biggest drops this week while the Titans and Saints saw solid rises in the Rankings.

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

2.            Baltimore Ravens

The Texans aren’t feeling quite so lonely now with another AFC team to keep them company in the top 6 of the Power Rankings. The Ravens had a fantastic game on Sunday, but how much can we really read into it, considering it came against the team ranked #29. The Ravens won’t have to deal with Big Ben this week either.

1.            Houston Texans

Several weeks ago I questioned whether the Texans would stick around when Brian Cushing went down. Not only have they stuck around but they’ve beaten some good teams to get here and are almost undeniably a better 8-1 than the Falcons are. Houston will stay here another week, too, because the #1 team in the NFL gets to play the worst team in the league this weekend when the Jaguars play in Houston. Forget flex scheduling, how about flex matchups mid-season?