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News From
Around the League |
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| That crazy AFC East strikes again |
| So...it's been my contention that the Dolphins have been way under-performing, and while I had no expectations for them to be pushing for a playoff spot, they have way too much talent to be winless after 7 weeks. It appears they must have gotten the memo, much to Buffalo's chagrin. They follow up that win by going against a Saints squad that has been playing way over expectations. Defensively, New Orleans is a train wreck, with over half their LB's out, and their skill guys are pushing usage limits. Don is an excellent coach, but this might be a game where reality bites back. New Orleans 17, Miami 24 |
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| Battle to stay out of the basement |
| The AFC Central may not be rolling people, but the division overall has a better record than it has in the past, and the main reason appears to be from the bottom up. The Steelers and the Titans are showing marked improvement from season's past, and are slowly creeping towards relevance, which should make next year all that much more interesting. While both teams are dealing with typical mid-season injuries, Tennessee has some usage limits at RB, and also don't have two healthy G's at the moment, meaning somebody will be playing out of position. I think this fact alone will stifle the Titan offense a bit, and give the slight edge to Pittsburgh in the battle of mediocre QB's. Pittsburgh 24, Tennessee 21 |
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| Battle to stay out of the basement - Part Deux |
| Currently, the NFC Central is the Packers and the Bears and then the other guys; while both of these teams are looking to be a whole lot more competitive next year, this year, they are competing with the Vikings to stay out of the cellar. Detroit had a comeback for the ages last week and shocked the Vikings in the 4th quarter, while the Bucs did pretty much the same thing against the Chargers, so nobody can accuse either of these two teams of mailing it in. Either of these teams are capable of winning this game, so in this case I am going with the team that has two healthy safeties, as Tampa has a bit of a disadvantage in their secondary. Detroit 23, Tampa Bay 21 |
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| Can the Bills pull it off two years in a row? |
| Just a small trip down memory lane...the final week of the season....Jacksonville was 16-0 and in that last week, the Bills pulled off the upset to give the Jags their only loss of the season. Now, Buffalo decided last week was a week to sit Lamar, and the Dolphins pulled off the upset, with the help of a PR for TD and a Pick-6. Do I think the Bills can hand Jacksonville their first loss....absolutely. Then again, I think it will be much more likely in Week 15, but for this week, I think the Bills get a bit closer to .500 in a tough tough division. Buffalo 14, Jacksonville 21 |
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| Some predictions almost write themselves |
| OK...fun fact...4 of the worst scoring defenses are located in the AFC West, and the top scoring defense resides in Cleveland. Now, if you were to point out that the top scoring team in the league is in first place and probably tilts those results just a bit you would have a point, but Cleveland has had a bit of a challenge scoring this year so far, and Stan could stand a bit of a breather from the rigors of the AFC East. San Francisco has had a tough time scoring this year as well, and I doubt facing the Browns D is going to help them out at all. San Francisco 10, Cleveland 24 |
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| The G-Men are still around! |
| So, for the 2nd time in 3 weeks, New York meets a Dallas team that can't seem to make a stop on defense, and gives Ken a chance to get over the .500 mark for the 1st time this season. Call me crazy, but I still see the NFC East as a 3 team race, and with the Chargers getting upset last week, the idea that two of those 3 teams might make the playoffs doesn't seem as crazy anymore. Len should be in position to get whoever he wants in the upcoming rookie draft, but Caleb Williams is not going to make a tackle this week as New York pulls their 3rd win off in a row. Dallas 21, New York 28 |
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| The battle for NFC supremecy - GOTW |
| Steve took a lead into the 4th quarter last week against the reigning SB champs, and then we got news that Steve has to step aside due to health reason...God speed Steve! That said, these are probably the two best teams in the NFC at the moment, and Calvin has the Bears on a roll as well, so this should be a great game, regardless of who is calling the plays. I think Calvin had to figure out how to coach his offense the first few weeks, but has his team down cold; what I don't see happening is Green Bay running up the score against probably the best defense in the NFC. I am going to go with history a bit, and see the Bears win rematch, with a 3rd game very probable in the playoffs to decide a SB berth. Green Bay 21, Chicago 24 |
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| OK...so it's not just me. |
| So Carolina got into a bit of a shootout with the Cowboys last week, but I think most of the defensive woes came from sitting some guys and it almost biting them. Doug has done an excellent job of addressing his defense, and will be facing a Philly team that has had real problems scoring so far this year. While Rick has been out of commission for the last few weeks, his sub coaches have had a real problem putting points on the board, and that ain't gonna cut it against Mahomes. There is still a ton of meat left on this NFC East bone, and don't look now, but the Panthers are a game out of first and boast the 2nd leading offense in the PAFL. Carolina 27, Philadelphia 17 |
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| And the hits just keep on coming... |
| Minnesota was up by 12 points with just under 8 minutes left in the game, and melted down against the Lions to pretty much take themselves out of playoff contention this season. While Eric can get ahold of Bob and talk about the ones that got away, Daniel is having a rough patch of his own, and now finds himself needing a win to stay ahead of the Panthers for the final playoff spot. Again, there is alot of football left to be played, but the Chargers really need to stop the bleeding and put a win in the books. Minnesota 17, Los Angeles (A) 24 |
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| Battle of the Birds |
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| So...the Cards have won 4 games in a row since getting Carr, and are getting to play the last place team in the division; can anyone say "trap game"? Atlanta throttled Denver and Kansas City before landing with a thud against the Commanders last week, but Atlanta has been showing a glimpse of just what they are going to be capable of next year. Bill has the Falcons on the right path, but talent-wise, Arizona should hold serve in a tight NFC West race. Arizona 27, Atlanta 21 |
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| Oh those Amazin' Commanders! |
| For most of their existence, Washington has had a spare bedroom set up in the cellar in what is known as the NFC East, but years of decent drafting are paying off in a team leading their division. Now, after this week the schedule does get a bit stiffer, and Washington will have to fend off a tough Carolina team, but they do have a game in hand against the Giants. Seattle meanwhile has played well for a team that is in the middle of a rebuild, so do I imagine the Seahawks are just going to roll over; not a chance. Tread lightly Andy, and don't take this game for granted. Washington 25, Seattle 24 |
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| Will the Colts gallop past the Saints for a wild card |
| Folks, H2H is so huge...I told Don that if his Saints managed to beat the Colts last week, he could have pretty much punched his ticket to the playoffs since he had all the tie-breakers and everyone else would be so far back. Well, the Colts won, and are now 2 games back with the H2H tie-breaker and have an easier schedule in an easier division with way more LB's active. Don has pulled off a miracle IMHO with the Saints, but the Colts have a path to making the playoffs laid out in front of them. Meanwhile, Rudy still is working on rebuilding that Broncos defense, and while I have seen him do it...it's going to be another season or so to get it done. Indianapolis 28, Denver 17 |
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| Oh....I've read this book before |
| Kenny Main is one of the best coaches you will play in this league...bar none. As of this writing, Kenny hasn't played his brother yet, but the Rams have been on a roll of late, and are currently the 3rd highest scoring team in the league. Paul can score plenty on his own, but the Chiefs have a tough time stopping the better offenses, and the Rams have one of the best. I think the Rams keep pace in the West and put pressure on the rest of the division for a title they virtually own. Kansas City 21, Los Angeles 31 |
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| GOTW - Part Deux |
| Las Vegas hasn't faced a stiff challenge yet this season, with only a late Denver TD in Week 5 allowing the the Broncos to lose by only single digits. Nino is one of the best coaches in the league, and he has a 2 game lead in the Central, so could the Bengals pull off the upset...absolutely. Thing is, Chris is one of the best coaches in the league as well, and should have the division locked up by Easter. While all things are possible, I would lay my money on the hot team, where the Week 12 matchup with the Jags should decide the top seed in the AFC. Las Vegas 28, Cincinnati 21 |
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