Category: Fantasy Football (Page 131 of 324)

      The race for the AFC West is a filthy mess of a situation

      December 21, 2008 /

      Mike ShanahanThat sound you just heard was the Denver Broncos’ season flushing down the toilet.

      Following their embarrassing 30-23 loss to the Buffalo Bills at home on Sunday, the Broncos are now one loss away from losing their grip on the AFC West and sending the San Diego Chargers to the playoffs.

      All the Broncos had to do was beat a struggling Bills team at home and they would win the AFC West. All they had to do was beat a quarterback in Trent Edwards that hadn’t played in three weeks and score more points on a team that was ready to get the season over weeks ago. And yet the Broncos couldn’t do it.

      I guess a win for the Chargers next week would be justice served. The Ed Hochuli game sent San Diego into a massive tailspin and gave Denver momentum for what should have been a season in which they won the AFC West. But a win for the Chargers would be sweet revenge and with the way things have gone this year in the NFL, would anyone be surprised if San Diego beat Denver and went to the playoffs with an 8-8 record? It would be pathetic but so what? Maybe if Hochuli gets the call right in the first meeting between these two teams, the Chargers wouldn’t have collapsed.

      The Chargers have all the momentum now, will be playing at home and have a bad taste in their mouths from their loss to Denver in Week 2. Personally, I think San Diego is a lock to win next week.

      Fantasy Football, NFL

      The Falcons are the best story in ‘08

      December 21, 2008 /

      Mike SmithIf you can’t appreciate the 2008 Atlanta Falcons season, than you probably won’t appreciate most sports stories.

      Following a year in which they went 4-12, lost the face of their franchise to federal prison for dog fighting and their head coach to the University of Arkansas in the middle of the night, the Falcons are heading back to the playoffs for the first time since 2004 thanks to a 24-17 win over the Vikings on Sunday.

      For everyone who said Arthur Blank was too involved as an owner for the Falcons to succeed, how do you feel now? Instead of throwing his hands up in the air and bailing like that gutless wonder Bobby Petrino did, Blank hung tough and got back to work this offseason. He hired general manager Thomas Dimitroff, who then hired Mike Smith, drafted Matt Ryan and signed free agent Michael Turner. Blank didn’t give up on his franchise and now he’s being rewarded for it.

      The Falcons were very fortunate Sunday in Minnesota. The Vikings turned the ball over four times and when Atlanta tried to return the favor with a fumble of their own, they recovered it for a touchdown. Yes, Atlanta could have lost very easily. But so what? It’s about time the ball bounced the way of the Falcons and after a year of suffering one blow after another, they deserved what happened this season.

      Who knows whether or not this great story will have a fairytale ending? And actually, it doesn’t matter because the Falcons have already won by showing up this season. They have a great young offensive core in Turner, Ryan and Roddy White, an improving defense, a general manager who gets how to build a winner and a solid football coach to keep everything running smoothly. More importantly, they have an owner that is willing to do anything to succeed.

      Thanks in large part to Blank, the Falcons are the best story in the NFL this season and somehow, someway, are heading to the playoffs.

      Fantasy Football, NFL

      Titans make huge statement in win over Steelers

      December 21, 2008 /

      Tennessee TitansFootball is a funny game. One week a team could be limited to just 13 points by an inferior opponent and the next they could rack up 31 against the best defense in the league. Go figure.

      Thanks to their 31-14 beat down of the Steelers on Sunday, the Tennessee Titans earned home field advantage throughout the postseason as the No. 1 seed. They amassed 323 yards, 117 rushing yards and 31 points against a Pittsburgh defense that has only allowed 13 points per game this season. That’s absolutely amazing.

      For the Steelers, everything that could potentially doom them in the future doomed them in the present. They couldn’t keep Ben Roethlisberger upright as he was sacked five times, Big Ben hung onto the ball too long and also turned the ball over a staggering six times.

      But the most amazing thing was that their defense couldn’t stop an offense that had struggled mightily just one week prior. The Steelers were burned for big plays, they couldn’t stop the run and even allowed Kerry Collins to complete 20 of 29 passes.

      Every team has off days and maybe that’s what this was for the Steelers. Or maybe the Titans just proved that they’re still the team to beat in their conference. Either way, the road to the Super Bowl must travel through Tennessee this season in the AFC.

      Fantasy Football, NFL

      Was trading for Brett Favre a mistake for Jets?

      December 21, 2008 /

      Okay, so now what?

      Brett FavreAfter their 13-3 loss to the Seattle Seahawks (another humiliating loss to a West Coast team), the New York Jets are currently 8-6 and no longer in control of their own playoff destiny. Even a win over the Dolphins next week wouldn’t be enough to clinch the AFC East if the Patriots beat the Bills in Buffalo.

      So was this Brett Favre experiment a failure in New York? If they don’t make the playoffs, than hell yes it was. The Jets didn’t trade for Favre so they could go 9-7 or 8-8 and miss the playoffs. They traded for him to make a run at the postseason and possibly even the Super Bowl. And if they didn’t trade for Favre for those reasons, then why in God’s name would you trade for a 38-year old quarterback and only sign him to one year?

      Think about it – Favre is probably done in New York after this season. He’ll do his retirement dance for another offseason and even if he does want to play again, there’s no guarantee he’ll go back to the Jets. So how did trading for him help New York? They didn’t make the playoffs and even worse, they didn’t develop anyone for the future. (They also allowed Chad Pennington to go to a division rival don’t forget.)

      Everyone was so giddy when the Jets brought Favre in this offseason. Then when he helped them beat the previously unbeaten Titans in Tennessee a month ago, everyone was ready to hop on the Brett/Super Bowl bandwagon.

      But the reality of the situation is that the Jets might have done more harm than good. Sure they were competitive this season, but what’s the point in being competitive if you’re not going to make the postseason? Furthermore, what’s the point in being competitive if you’re not going to make the postseason and not going to set yourself up for the future? You have to hand it to the Jets for trying to find the missing piece and taking a shot. But the bottom line is that this move could have cost them in the long run more than it helped.

      So I am told, Sunday was a perfect “Brett Favre Day.” The weather was cold, snowy and for most of the game, Brett Favre’s team was behind. But when it came time for Brett to be Brett, he looked like a quarterback past his prime. Granted, his offensive line didn’t and receivers didn’t help him much, but were was all of that “Brett Magic” that Packer fans talk so much about?

      And does Eric Mangini keep his job after this massive collapse over the past couple weeks? His decision to go for it on fourth down late in the game instead of punt and allow his defense to get the ball back was questionable at best. He and Brett might be looking for jobs outside of the Big Apple next year.

      Fantasy Football, NFL

      Vikings cough up chance to clinch NFC North

      December 21, 2008 /

      Tarvaris JacksonThere are several times throughout a season when a team can look back at and say, “Damn, that’s a game we should have had.”

      Minnesota’s 24-17 loss to the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday was one of those games.

      For all intents and purposes, the Vikings should have beaten the Falcons at the Metrodome. But they fumbled four times – thrice in Atlanta territory – and failed to beat a team they essentially dominated for four quarters.

      Okay, so dominant might be a bit strong. The Falcons still ran the ball well and Matt Ryan played mistake-free despite not doing anything exceptional the entire game. But for Minnesota to do whatever it wanted to offensively and still suffer a home loss has to be demoralizing.

      The Falcons held Adrian Peterson to under 100 yards (76 to be exact), but it helped that AP couldn’t hang onto the ball. He fumbled twice in Atlanta territory and once more late in the fourth quarter, but was fortunate that his teammate hopped onto the loose ball and saved another disastrous situation. And despite having another nice day passing, Tarvaris Jackson (22 of 36 for 233 yards, 2 TDs) fumbled once and had a bad snap whiz by his helmet in the second half, which forced the Vikings to punt deep in their own territory.

      Minnesota essentially shot itself in the foot all day and never recovered, although they did have a shot to at least tie the game in the end by their final drive ended on downs. The Falcons are a nice ball club and they’ll certainly take a win in a tough environment, but the Vikings have to feel like they had a golden opportunity slip through their hands (literally).

      Now the Bears have hope. A win over the Packers on Monday night would put them in a tie with Minnesota for the division, although the Vikings would still own the tiebreaker. That means Chicago has to win its next two games and have Minnesota lose to the Giants next week. The Bears still have to take care of their own business, but the Falcons just gave them life.

      Fantasy Football, NFL

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