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The Broncos are frauds

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.

Matt Cassel has Patriots’ offense rolling

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?

Favre, Jets make previously unbeaten Titans look silly

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.

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

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 Week 12 Primer

Brandon JacobsSunday’s Best: Giants (9-1) at Cardinals (7-3), 4:00 PM ET
It might not be the sexiest game of the year, but this is one of the best matchups of the 2008 season. The Giants have been one of the best road teams over the last couple years, and the Cardinals are a completely (better) different team in the comforts of their own home than on the road. Kurt Warner is playing like a league MVP and it’ll be interesting to see how the underrated New York secondary matches up with the explosive Arizona passing game. There haven’t been a lot of opponents have been able to get pressure on Warner this season, but the G-Men have one of the best front sevens in the league. All indications are that Brandon Jacobs will play, which should help New York keep Arizona’s potent offense off the field. Both teams have a commanding lead in their respective divisions, but a win for the Giants could go a long way in eventually securing home field advantage in the postseason.

Upset Watch: Buccaneers (7-3) at Lions (0-10), 1:00 PM ET
I’m sure I’ll get crap for this one, but give me credit for taking a shot with this upset. Outside of getting their ass handed to them by Jacksonville two weeks ago, the Lions have been inching closer and closer to their first victory. Jon Gruden’s offense is effective, but the Buccaneers have had issues once they get into the red zone this year. They settled for three field goals inside the red zone last week against Minnesota, which essentially kept the Vikings in the game. Not that Detroit’s defense will provide much of a challenge, but if the Lions can keep the game close throughout, they might have a shot at a late score. Every year it seems that the Lions manage to win a game they’re not supposed to and I’m calling my shot this weekend – it’ll be Tampa. It helps that the Lions beat the Bucs last season, too, although it’s safe to say that the 2007 Detroit team was a shade better this year’s version.

Philip RiversIntriguing Matchup: Colts (6-4) at Chargers (4-6), 8:15 PM ET
After getting embarrassed by the Titans on Monday Night Football in Week 8, the Colts have won three straight and beaten quality AFC teams like the Patriots and Steelers. Indy has jumped right back into the playoff race and are one of the more dangerous teams in the league. But without Bob Sanders (knee injury) in the lineup, the Colts are a completely different team defensively. And although LaDainian Tomlinson has been quiet this year, he’s still one of the most explosive backs in the league and does anyone believe he can’t still take over a game? The Chargers are always dangerous on national TV because they play with a chip on their shoulder. They’ve also shown improvements defensively under Ron Rivera, who took over for Ted Cotrell at coordinator. Even though San Diego has struggled this year and has stumbled to 4-6, this is going to be a dogfight.

Other Notable Games:
Jets (7-3) at Titans (10-0), 1:00 PM ET
Along with the Giants-Cardinals game, this could easily be the best matchup of the week. Pundits keep waiting for Tennessee to fall, but something tells me it won’t be this week. Brett Favre is susceptible to throwing an interception or two, which doesn’t bode well playing against a very opportunistic Titans’ defense. Some are smelling upset – I say the Titans remain undefeated after this week.

Panthers (8-2) at Falcons (6-4), 4:15 PM ET
The Falcons’ playoff hopes took a hit last week when they lost to Denver, but the Panthers have struggled with inferior opponents as of late. Jake Delhomme has not looked very sharp and Atlanta has been solid at home. This is a huge game for the NFC South.

Eagles (5-4-1) at Ravens (6-4), 1:00 PM ET
A loss for the Eagles and they can kiss their postseason hopes goodbye. The Ravens have a great chance to prove they’re for real after they were clowned by the Giants last week.

Patriots (6-4) at Dolphins (6-4), 1:00 PM ET
This is a massive game for the AFC East, especially with the Jets playing in Tennessee. A win for either one of these teams could mean a share for the AFC East Division lead and don’t forget the Dolphins absolutely crushed the Patriots in Foxboro earlier this season. The fireworks in this game have already started this week with Joey Porter.

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