*Originally Posted November 9 on a different site
1. Green Bay (8-0) LW: 1 – The Packers capitalized on 2 early defensive TDs to win a shootout in San Deigo. As many yards and points as the defense gave up, they were the ones to pull this game out with Charlie Peprah’s 2nd INT ending the game with 14 seconds left. The Packers welcome the Vikings on Monday Night football this week, as they prepare for 3 games in 11 games.
2. San Francisco (7-1) LW: 2 – With Sunday’s 19-11 victory against Washington, the 49ers improved to 7-1 and 3-0 in games played in the Eastern Time Zone. San Francisco’s recipe of stingy defense and ball control offense was once again the key to the 49ers victory. Two of the NFL’s top teams this year will meet, as the 49ers host the Giants this week.
3. New York Giants (6-2) LW: 4 – In one of the most stunning endings of the year, the Giants emerged victorious in New England, ending the Patriots regular season 20-game home winning streak. The Giants 80 yard GW drive was spearheaded and capped off my Eli Manning’s accuracy. New York’s difficult 2nd half continues next week with a trip to 7-1 San Francisco.
4. Baltimore (6-2) LW: 7 – Another equally stunning ending this weekend, as Joe Flacco led the Ravens 92 yards for the score with just 2:17 remaining and down by 4 points. Torrey Smith’s 26 yard TD catch more than made up for the dropped pass in the endzone 4 plays earlier. Now the Ravens lead the Steelers by a ½ game in the standings, but more importantly, hold a potential tiebreaker over the Steelers, having swept the season series. Baltimore travels to Seattle this week, before another big game with co-division leader Cincinnati.
5. Detroit (6-2) LW: 8 – The Lions find themselves back in the top 5 after their bye week. This Sunday, they will be traveling to Chicago looking for a season sweep of the Bears for the first time since 2007. Jahvid Best remains questionable following the concussion he suffered 3 weeks ago.
6. Pittsburgh (6-3) LW: 3 – The Steelers have to regroup quickly following one of the most surprising finishes of the year, as they travel to Cincinnati to face the 6-2 Bengals. A loss here would not only put Pittsburgh 1 ½ games back, but would put them into to a 0-3 divisional hole.
7. New Orleans (6-3) LW: 9 – The Saints avenged their week 6 loss to Tampa Bay with a 27-16 home victory over the Bucs. When in rhythm, the Saints offense is easily one of the best in the NFL. When not in sync, you see them struggle against the likes of St. Louis. The Saints will once again be playing for 1st place in the NFC South this weekend, when they travel to Atlanta to play the 5-3 Falcons.
8. Chicago (5-3) LW: 10 – The Bears defeated the Eagles on Monday Night, 30-24. The offensive line deserves a lot of credit for not only keeping Cutler upright (0 sacks allowed) but also for spring the Bears rushing attack for 164 yards on 34 carries. If not for Forte’s two uncharacteristic fumbles (which led to 14 Philadelphia points), this game isn’t as close as the final score suggests. This weekend, the Bears prepare for a rested Detroit team, and are looking to keep pace in the playoff hunt.
9. Houston (6-3) LW: 11 – The Texans are off to a franchise best 6-3 on the heels of a dominating 30-12 win over the Browns. Arian Foster and Ben Tate combined for 239 of Houston’s franchise record 261 rushing yards. Defensively, the Texans are #1 in Total Yards per Game Allowed, and 3rd in Points Against. Houston travels to Tampa Bay this weekend before their Week 11 bye.
10. Cincinnati (6-2) LW: 12 – Following the 24-17 win at Tennessee, the Bengals are taking their 5 game winning streak into this weekend’s matchup with Pittsburgh. The first of four consecutive division games, the Bengals need to perform well in this stretch to keep their hopes of a division title alive.
11. New England (5-3) LW: 6 – Back to back losses have been rare in the Belichek era, but the Patriots league worst pass defense was bound to catch up to them sooner or later. This Sunday Night could possibly be the biggest game of the season for both New York and New England, as they are tied with Buffalo for the division lead at 5-3.
12. New York Jets (5-3) LW: 14 – Following an impressive performance against the Bills in a 27-11 victory, the streaking Jets take on a slumping Patriots team. The Jets D limited breakout QB Ryan Fitzpatrick to 191 yards on 15 of 31 passing. The Bills lone TD came with 3:14 left in the game, when New York held a 27-3 lead. The Jets, and their defense, are peaking at the right time.
13. Atlanta (5-3) LW: 13 – The Falcons are flying under the radar at 5-3, riding a three game winning streak into Sunday’s game against the division leading Saints. The Falcons schedule breaks nicely for them, as they only play 2 more games after this weekend against teams over .500 (@ HOU, @ NO).
14. Buffalo (5-3) LW: 5 – The Bills are 2-3 in their last five games following a big divisional loss to the Jets at home. Now they have to travel to Dallas to play a Cowboys team (3-1 at home) itching to get back into the playoffs. A loss here isn’t crippling, but it certainly doesn’t help falling behind a game to either New England or New York.
15. Dallas (4-4) LW: 20 – The Cowboys overcame a slow start against Seattle to win, 23-13. Dallas converted two of Tavaris Jackson’s three 2nd half INTs into 10 points, while the 3rd effectively ended the game. Up next, the Cowboys welcome a 5-3 Bills team looking to get back on track following a loss to the Jets.
16. San Diego (4-4) LW: 16 – The Chargers gave the defending champion Packers all they could handle in a 45-38 shootout in rainy San Diego. If not for 2 Pick 6’s and another late INT tossed by Philip Rivers, this game might have turned out differently. As it stands, the Chargers are still in a 3 way tie for the AFC West lead at 4-4 and host Oakland this Thursday. The teams combine for a 5 game losing streak.
17. Kansas City (4-4) LW: 15 – Not only did the Chiefs lose to previously winless Miami, they were outscored 31-0 following the Chiefs opening drive FG. The remaining road for Kansas City is quite difficult with 5 games against teams with records of 5-3 or better, and 3 division rivalries.
18. Tampa Bay (4-4) LW: 18 – While you can’t fault Tampa Bay too much for the teams they lost to (DET, SF, CHI, NO), those are the games that they need to win to take the next step as a winning team. On deck is Houston and a trip to Lambeau Field. Tampa Bay doesn’t want to find themselves slipping further behind in an already crowded playoff race.
19. Oakland (4-4) LW: 17 – Following a tough loss to the Tebow-led Broncos, the Raiders still hold a share of the division lead, but are facing an uphill task of continuing to adjust Carson Palmer to his new surroundings while playing without the services of Darren McFadden, for at least one more week. A win in San Diego would go a long way towards helping the Raiders playoff hopes, but a loss would drop them a game back in the division standings, with a 1-3 division record.
20. Philadelphia (3-5) LW: 19 – The Eagles did not capitalize on the great game they played a week ago on SNF against the Cowboys, losing Monday Night to the Bears, 30-24. The Eagles are now 3 games back of the division leading Giants, and two games (plus a tiebreaker) behind Chicago for the final WC spot.
21. Tennessee (4-4) LW: 21 – The Titans find themselves at 4-4 despite receiving very little production from their franchise running back, Chris Johnson. If ever there was a time for him to find his rhythm, it would be now, with 4 of their next 5 games coming against the very deep NFC South.
22. Cleveland (3-5) LW: 22 – After back to back road games against division leading teams (@HOU, @ SF), the Browns return home to face the 1-win Rams. Peyton Hillis has already been ruled out for this weekend, meaning Montario Hardesty will once again be the feature back for Cleveland, this time against the Rams 32nd ranked rush defense.
23. Minnesota (2-6) LW: 23 – The Vikings have had a week to rest and prepare for their Monday Night game in Green Bay. Minnesota played the Packers well 3 weeks ago (33-27), and this time will be looking to get over the hump and end the Packers undefeated season.
24. Denver (3-5) LW: 28 – Don’t look now, but the Broncos are now 2-1 with Tim Tebow starting this year and are just 1 game back in the division race. Denver hosts a Kansas City team that was handled by the previously winless Miami Dolphins.
25. Washington (3-5) LW: 24 – The Redskins have the longest losing steak in the NFL by any team not named the Colts. During his 3+ games at QB for Washington this year, John Beck has thrown for 2 TDs and 4 INTs while the running game has all but disappeared. The Redskins will try to use this week’s trip to Miami get back on track.
26. Carolina (2-6) LW: 25 – Carolina ranks 5 in offensive yards per game, and 13th against the pass. So why the 2-6 record? Well, the answer lies in the TO differential (-3), Penalties (4th most), and defensive 3rd down conversion percent (4th worst). This week, the Panthers host Tennessee as they work on addressing the problems.
27. Arizona (2-6) LW: 30 – Not many punt returns go 99 yards, let alone walk off punt returns in OT. That was the case in a wild game against St. Louis, in which Cardinals QB John Skelton was sacked for safeties on consecutive offensive snaps. The win ends the Cardinals 6 game losing streak. Kevin Kolb is questionable for the Philadelphia game this week, one in which he desperately wants to play.
28. Miami (1-7) LW: 31 – Miami’s win over Kansas City now leaves the Colts as the lone winless team this year. With a struggling Redskins team coming to town, the Dolphins have a real shot a picking up their 2nd win this year.
29. Jacksonville (2-6) LW: 27 – Jacksonville is playing solid defense and has another good running game, but rookie QB Blaine Gabbert (45.7 comp %, 62.0 QB rating) has struggled mightily so far this season. The Jaguars emerge from their bye week with a trip to division foe Indianapolis.
30. Seattle (2-6) LW: 29 – The Seahawks have lost 3 straight since their upset win over the Giants a month ago. The road doesn’t get any easier this week, as they welcome the 6-2 AFC North leading Ravens.
31. St. Louis (1-7) LW: 26 – The Rams had an opportunity for win #2 last week, as they held nearly every statistical advantage over the Cards, but failed to find the endzone. This week, Steven Jackson gets to face the league’s 30th ranked rush defense in Cleveland.
32. Indianapolis (0-9) LW: 32 – And here we are, 0-9 Indianapolis has been outscored 283-128 this season. As the Colts continue to lose, the possibility for Andrew Luck and the #1 pick becomes more and more likely, which begs the question; What do the Colts do with Peyton Manning?
MVP Watch
1. Aaron Rodgers – First QB to have 2600+ passing yards and 24 TDs after his team’s first 8 games. Leading an undefeated Packers team doesn’t hurt either.
2. Matt Forte – Even after losing 2 fumbles on Monday Night, Forte played a big part in Chicago’s ability to move the ball against the Eagles and added 150 total yards to his league lead.
3. Eli Manning – Sunday’s GW 4th quarter drive legitimized Eli’s MVP candidacy. While not his best game statistically, Manning did his best to lead the Bradshaw-less Giants to an upset victory over New England.
4. Calvin Johnson – Johnson ranks 3rd in receiving yards per game, and has almost double the receiving TDs as anyone else in the NFL (11 to 6). Johnson commands a defenses attention, opening up the rest of the offense, yet still produces at a ridiculously high level.
5. Darrelle Revis – Revis’s 4 INTs and 12 PDs alone place him among the league leaders. The fact that his INTs in Week 1 against Dallas and Week 7 against San Diego set up the Jets with opportunities for the go ahead scores. Against Buffalo, Revis played an intregal part in holding Ryan Fitzpatrick to 15-31 passing.
Coach of the Year Watch:
1. Harbaugh, SF – Bringing back the majority of the players from their 2010 season, the 49ers have already surpassed their win total for all of last year. What’s more, is the fact that they have only played 1 game against the weak NFC West.
2. Lewis, CIN – The Bengals are 6-2 and tied with Baltimore for the AFC North lead, by largely relying on defense and Rookie QB Andy Dalton.
3. Gailey, BUF – The Bills have since cooled after getting off to a fast start, but they are still 5-3 and tied for the AFC East lead. This is nothing short of an incredible turnaround for a team headlined by former 7th round pick Fitzpatrick and undrafted Fred Jackson.
Offensive Rookie of the Year Watch:
1. Andy Dalton – The Bengals rookie QB has outperformed super rookie Cam Newton with a higher completion percent, more TDs, and less INTs while leading a Cincinnati team to their 6-2 record. I’m sure I’m in the minority in this, but I value a rookie that’s playing an intregal role for a winning team than one posting incredible statistics.
2. Cam Newton – Cam has posted impressive numbers both passing and running the football so far this season. Most people will have Cam #1 on their ballots, I’m not most people, however.
3. A.J. Green – Green is leading all rookies in Rec (40), Rec Yards (599), and Rec TDs (5), giving him the edge over Julio Jones, DeMarco Murray, and Ben Tate.
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