Category: NFL (Page 883 of 1282)

      Falcons make statement in NFC South with win over Panthers

      November 23, 2008 /

      Michael TurnerThe NFC South just got more interesting with the Falcons’ 45-28 stomping of rival Carolina. The Panthers are now tied with the Buccaneers at 8-3 for the division lead, while Atlanta sits one game back at 7-4.

      This game featured two teams heading in different directions. They might be 8-3, but Carolina has really struggled the past couple of weeks thanks to ineffective play by Jake Delhomme and a defense that can’t limit the big play. Things don’t get any easier for the Panthers either, with the Packers, Bucs, Broncos, Giants and Saints remaining on the schedule.

      Meanwhile, this was a massive win for the Falcons. Mike Smith’s decision to go for it on fourth and goal midway through the fourth quarter up 24-21 showed that this team is aggressive. The play resulted in a Michael Turner touchdown (his third of four on the day) and provided a huge spark of momentum for the Falcons, who added two more scores with less than five minutes remaining in the game.

      The Falcons finish by traveling to San Diego and New Orleans before facing the Bucs at home in three weeks. They also play in Minnesota and host the Rams at the end of the season, so a 10-6 finish isn’t out of the question, although beating the Saints and Bucs will be imperative in making the playoffs.

      The East might get more attention, but the South is highly underrated in the NFC. If the Falcons don’t stumble last week against the Broncos, three teams would be 8-3 right in South. The title race in this division is going to be thrilling to watch over last five weeks.

      Fantasy Football, NFL

      The Broncos are frauds

      November 23, 2008 /

      Denver BroncosThe most fraudulent team in the NFL right now has to be the Denver Broncos. After a comeback victory over the Browns two weeks ago and an impressive win last Sunday in Atlanta, the Broncos got stomped by Oakland 31-10…they lost…to the Raiders…at home.

      Somehow the Denver defense limited the Falcons to 20 points last week, but surrendered 31 to a previously two-win Raider team. Not only that, but JaMarcus Russell only attempted 11 passes and completed 10 of those attempts for 152 yards and a touchdown. How does Oakland only attempt 11 passes and win 31-10? Better yet, how do you only score 10 points against the Raiders when you average 24.8 points per game? It’s mind-boggling.

      Hey, maybe the Broncos just had an off day. But 31-10 to the Raiders? That’s just embarrassing. I realize that the Raiders do have some talented players and Denver’s defense has been atrocious this season, but how does this happen? The Broncos had zero interest in trying to tackle Justin Fargas and Darren McFadden.

      For the Broncos to lose to the Raiders and fall to 6-5 on the season but still lead their division shows you how absolutely brutal the AFC West is this season. It’s a shame that a team like the Colts, Ravens, Patriots or hell, even the Dolphins might miss the playoffs this season, yet this crap Denver team gets in because they play in a joke of a division.

      Related Articles: I eat my words after the Broncos beat the Jets in Week 13.

      Fantasy Football, NFL

      Matt Cassel has Patriots’ offense rolling

      November 23, 2008 /

      Matt CasselFor the second week in a row, Patriots’ quarterback Matt Cassel threw for over 400 yards, only this time his effort wasn’t wasted as he led New England to a 48-28 victory over AFC East foe Miami.

      It’s safe to say that New England has its offense back on track and Cassel is obviously a huge reason for that. It appears that Bill Belichick has taken the training wheels off of his quarterback, who has definitely earned the right to attempt more downfield passes.

      The emergence of Cassel has made the Pats a dangerous team again, although their defense has been suspect the past two weeks against the Jets and Dolphins. Nothing against Chad Pennington because he’s been great this year for the Dolphins, but there’s no way a playoff caliber defense allows him to throw for 341 passes and three touchdowns. Although hey, at least Belichick figured out a way to defend the “Wildcat” formation after Ronnie Brown tore the Pats’ defense a new one in these team’s first meeting.

      Has it just been two bad weeks for the Pats’ defense or have the Jets and Dolphins exposed a weakness?

      Fantasy Football, NFL

      Favre, Jets make previously unbeaten Titans look silly

      November 23, 2008 /

      New York JetsThe Jets not only handed the Tennessee Titans their first loss of the season – they made it look easy in the process, cruising to a 34-13 final.

      Let’s not go overboard on this loss for the Titans and even remotely suggest that they’re overrated. They’ve looked outstanding for 10 weeks and every team is entitled to have a bad game. But this was quite an impressive win for the Jets, who lead the entire game and essentially did whatever they wanted to one of the best defenses in the league.

      Jet Favre was amazing, completing 25 of 32 passes for 224 yards and two touchdowns, as were Thomas Jones and Leon Washington, who combined for 178 yards rushing and three scores. Laveranues Coles also finished with seven catches for 88 yards and one touchdown.

      Though the Jets’ offense was awfully impressive, their defense was the key to victory. They completely took away the Titans’ running game and forced Kerry Collins to attempt 39 passes, which is never a good sign that things are right with Tennessee’s offense. Over the last couple years, the Jets had major issues stopping the run but games like this provide an example of how much they’ve improved in that area.

      With Denver, San Fran, Buffalo, Seattle and Miami left on the schedule, the Jets are in great position to win the AFC East, although the Pats beat the Dolphins on Sunday so they remain just one game behind New York. This is going to be a great finish.

      Fantasy Football, NFL

      Is this the beginning of the end for McNabb in Philly?

      November 23, 2008 /

      For the second week in a row, Eagles’ quarterback Donovan McNabb looked absolutely atrocious as the Ravens crushed Philadelphia 36-7 on Sunday. But unlike last week, McNabb didn’t even finish the game as he was benched for Kevin Kolb in the second half.

      McNabb was just 8 of 18 for 59 yards, two interceptions and also lost a fumble. Kolb didn’t fare much better, completing 10 of 23 passes for 73 yards and two interceptions, but one has to wonder if McNabb’s benching may signal the beginning of the end for his time in Philadelphia.

      At 5-5, the Eagles’ playoff hopes are fading fast and the Eagles might want to start preparing for the future with Kolb. Chances are McNabb will remain the starter until Philly is completely knocked out of postseason contention, but it’ll be interesting to see if Andy Reid makes the switch to Kolb towards the end of the year and then the team parts ways with McNabb in the offseason.

      As for Baltimore, this was quite a rebound performance after the Giants dismantled them last week in New York. Rookie Joe Flacco was efficient, completing 12 of 26 passes for 183 yards and two touchdowns, but more importantly, the Ravens’ running game was solid again (Le’Ron McClain finished with 88 yards and a touchdown) and the defense was dominant. They remain in the playoff hunt, but they could use a San Diego win over Indy to keep the Colts a game behind in the Wild Card race.

      NFL

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