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KQ: NFC Continues To Dominate
Authored by Andrew Perna - 28th October, 2008 - 7:23 pm
Darrelle Revis ends his holdout while Logan Mankins continues his, the end of Matt Leinart with Arizona and why Christian Ponder could be the #1 overall pick in 2011.
LenDale White is looking fit in Seattle, first passes from Sam Bradford, Tim Tebow, Jimmy Clausen and Colt McCoy, plus much more.
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The NFC is continuing to increase their edge over the AFC as the 2008 season continues. NFC teams have a combined record of 61-49 through Week 8, while the AFC has tallied a mark of 60-59 heading into this weekend.
The more telling statistic is the NFC’s record against the AFC this year, which stands as 15-11 through last Sunday’s games.
The AFC will look to narrow that margin in Week 9 as the following interconference battles take place:
-Green Bay @ Tennessee
-Houston @ Minnesota
-Tampa Bay @ Kansas City
-Atlanta @ Oakland
-Pittsburgh @ Washington
The Titans and Steelers might be favorites against the Packers and Redskins respectively, but the Vikings, Buccaneers and Falcons all have a terrific shot to further their conference’s advantage.
The Downs First Down…Saints Fly Over Chargers In London The Saints defeated the Chargers in a European shootout on Sunday night, allowing them to crawl to 4-4 on the season. Drew Brees and Philip Rivers have easily been the league’s best quarterbacks this season, but that hasn’t necessarily transferred over into the win column.
San Diego could be the best 3-5 team we’ve seen in the NFL in quite some time, but with Kansas City on the schedule after their week off, they should be 4-5 soon. I suspect we could see Rivers and Brees starting against one another again at the Pro Bowl in a few months.
Second Down…Champs Continue To Roll The New York Giants look better than they did last season when they won the Super Bowl, which should scare the rest of the NFC. Eli Manning has learned how to play within himself, while Brandon Jacobs and Derrick Ward have formed one of the best running tandems in football.
Not even the unexpected drama surrounding Plaxico Burress has derailed the G-Men. Who would have thought that New York’s defense, without Michael Strahan and Osi Umenyiora, could still rank among the league’s best?
Third Down…A New AFC South Champ? The Colts’ reign as champions of the AFC South will likely end this season after the Titans downed Indianapolis on Monday night and opened up a four-game lead in the division. Tennessee is dangerous on the ground, but Kerry Collins has proven that he can complete the necessary throws to keep opposing defenses on their heels.
Meanwhile, the Colts are in disarray. They have lost two-straight,and things won’t get any easier with the Patriots and Steelers coming in the next two weeks. At 3-4, they are actually tied for second (or last place) with the Texans and Jaguars, but will need to start posting W’s on the board if they are even going to challenge for a playoff berth in the AFC.
Fourth Down…What Can Brad Do For You? The Cowboys bounced back on Sunday against the Buccaneers, but Brad Johnson’s future in Dallas could still be in jeopardy. Johnson simply isn’t able to complete the downfield throws that Tony Romo has spoiled fans with recently.
Johnson and Co. will travel to New Jersey to face the Giants this Sunday, perhaps the toughest game the Cowboys have faced to date. The injuries haven’t relented either,with tight end Jason Witten suffering from a broken rib. Don’t forget that with Felix Jones out, few missed plays by Marion Barber could doom the ‘Boys'offense entirely.
The ‘Who The Heck’ Statline of the Week… Leonard Weaver, SEA FB: Four catches for 116 yards and two touchdowns.
Keyboard Prediction for Week Nine N.Y. Jets @ Buffalo, Sunday 1:00PM EST
I don’t mean to pick on the Jets, but they could be the NFL’s worst 4-3 team. Brett Favre has been absolutely dreadful as of late, but New York somehow managed to beat Kansas City in Week 8. Meanwhile, Buffalo has lost two of their last three games after starting the season 4-0.
The Bills won’t allow Favre and the Jets to get away with any miscues in this key interdivisional battle. Eric Mangini might opt to run with Thomas Jones rather than allow Favre to sling it around, but Buffalo’s tough rush defense will counteract that nicely.
The Keyboard Prediction: Bills 24, Jets 13
Season Record: 4-4
My Fantasy Diary:
The Drew Crew is doing about as well as they ever have after winning yet again in Week 8. That’s three-straight wins, a 5-3 record,and first place in my division.
Philip Rivers, who will take a week off, may not have led the Chargers to victory in London, but he continues to be the best quarterback in fantasy football. The 36 points he provided me with were sixteen more than my opponent The Springfield Isotopes got from Brett Favre.
Thomas Jones and Deuce McAllister combined for 26.5 points, with roughly 100 rushing yards and two touchdowns between them. As I’ve come to expect this season, my receivers didn’t do much, but ultimately it didn’t matter.
Chris Chambers and Marques Colston tallied just 10.3 points between them, but tight end Dallas Clark came to play on Monday Night Football. He caught seven passes for 94 yards and a pair of touchdowns, more than enough to overcome a single-digit deficit after Sunday’s games.
Injuries and bye-weeks will make Week Nine a tough one, especially with the league’s only undefeated team,The High Strokers, on the schedule.
Next week’s diary will not be nearly as joyful.
Week One Record: 4-1 Week Two Record: 4-1 Week Three Record: 1-4 Week Four Record: 3-2 Week Five Record: 2-3 Week Six Record: 4-1 Week Seven Record: 3-2 Week Eight Record: 4-1 Season Record: 25-15 (.625)
Top Ten Fantasy Starters At Each Position For Week Nine Based On Prior Week Performance And Matchups
Bye Week Advisory: Carolina, New Orleans, San Diego, San Francisco
Quarterbacks 1. Kurt Warner, Arizona
2. Jay Cutler, Denver
3. Donovan McNabb, Philadelphia
4. Peyton Manning, Indianapolis
5. Brett Favre, N.Y. Jets
6. Eli Manning, New York
7. Ben Roethlisberger, Pittsburgh (injury risk)
8. Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay
9. Matt Schaub, Houston
10. Jason Campbell, Washington
Running Backs 1. Adrian Peterson, Minnesota
2. Brian Westbrook, Philadelphia
3. Steven Jackson, St. Louis
4. Michael Turner, Atlanta
5. Marion Barber, Dallas
6. Ronnie Brown, Miami
7. Chris Johnson, Tennessee
8. Matt Forte, Chicago
9. Brandon Jacobs, N.Y. Giants
10. Clinton Portis, Washington
Wide Receivers 1. Larry Fitzgerald, Arizona
2. Brandon Marshall, Denver
3. Reggie Wayne, Indianapolis
4. Lee Evans, Buffalo
5. Andre Johnson, Houston
6. Roddy White, Atlanta
7. Calvin Johnson, Detroit
8. Greg Jennings, Green Bay
9. Anquan Boldin, Arizona
10. Santana Moss, Washington (injury risk)
Tight Ends 1. Tony Gonzalez, Kansas City
2. Dallas Clark, Indianapolis
3. Anthony Fasano, Miami
4. Greg Olsen, Chicago
5. Bo Scaife, Tennessee
6. Owen Daniels, Houston
7. Chris Cooley, Washington
8. Zach Miller, Oakland
9. Tony Scheffler, Denver
10. Jason Witten, Dallas (injury risk)
Kickers 1. John Carney, N.Y. Giants
2. Mason Crosby, Green Bay
3. Jason Elam, Atlanta
4. David Akers, Philadelphia
5. Matt Prater, Denver
6. Matt Bryant, Tampa Bay
7. Stephen Gostkowski, New England
8. Rian Lindell, Buffalo
9. Ryan Longwell, Minnesota
10. Rob Bironas, Tennessee
Defense/Special Teams 1. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
2. New York Giants
3. Philadelphia Eagles
4. Chicago Bears
5. Arizona Cardinals
6. Baltimore Ravens
7. Pittsburgh Steelers
8. Minnesota Vikings
9. Tennessee Titans
10. Green Bay Packers
