Should of gone to VEGA$!

For many years, I've been doing ESPN's Pigskin Pickem' game just for fun. OK, one year I did so well that I came in 4th out of nearly 200,000 entries. And what did I get for fourth place? The same thing I got for finishing in second place in many of my fantasy baseball leagues this year. ZERO! Every week, I do one "straight up" entry where you just try to pick the winners, and another where you try to pick "against the spread."

For those of you who don't know anything about "the spread" what it basically means is that Las Vegas sets a gambling "line" for football game, making team a "favorite" and the other team the "underdog." What you try to do in ESPN's game is pick the team which is either going to "cover the spread" or the team that will "beat the spread." For example, let's say the Colts are 7 point favorites over the Patriots. The Colts win 16-13, so while they won the game by 3 points, they didn't cover the 7 point spread. To get the game right, you would have had to pick the Colts not to cover.

Now I'm not much of a gambler - OK, I really don't like to gamble at all actually though a friendly small stakes game of "Texas Hold 'Em" amongst friends is always fun. Anyways, this week I correctly picked 12 of the 14 games against the spread in Week 9's NFL games! That's pretty good... ok, that's REALLY good! So which two games did I get wrong? The Jaguars were tied for the third biggest favorite this week as 7 1/2 point favorites against the "Bungles" in Cincinnati. An underrated Jaguar team, a winless Bengals team without their starting QB and #85 playing more like "Ocho Stinko" than Chad Johnson... it seemed like the Jaguars were a good bet to cover. So what happens? "Ocho Cinco" makes a surprise appearance scoring TWICE and the Bengals not only beat the spread, they win the game outright 21-19!!!... My only other misstep this week was taking the Texans to lose by less than 4 1/2 points against the Vikings in Minnesota. The Vikings behind three touchdown passes from QB Gus Frerotte (not to be confused with "Gus Frerotten") won 28-21 to cover the spread by 2 1/2 points.

Yes, I was thisclose to perfection this week.

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Some Monday Ramblings...

... I'm actually still a little stunned that the New York Giants are actually playing in the Super Bowl. I did mention to as many people who would listen to me at work, that the NFC Championship was wide open after Dallas and Green Bay struggled down the stretch. I didn't see Seattle making any waves, but under the right circumstances, I could see any of the other five teams advancing.

One thought has been in my mind ever since Eli Manning began his remarkable turnaround against the Patriots a few weeks ago: Where art thou, Tiki Barber???!!! Remember how just five months ago, the retired Barber questioned Manning's leadership abilities, and how Manning responded back?

You may be curious as to how many times did the New York Giants get to the Super Bowl in the 10 years Tiki Barber was there? The answer is one. Super Bowl XXXV seven years ago when the Giants were roundly trounced by the Baltimore Ravens by a 34-7 score. Yes Tiki, what goes around comes around!!! Eli's doing a fine job of leading, is he not?

Pats & Giants Make 2nd Date!

When the New York Giants sunk to 0-2 and #27 in my Week 2 NFL Rankings back on September 18th of last year, little did I think they would bounce back and be able to salvavge their season, let alone make the playoffs. Nine other teams started the year with the same 0-2 start as the Giants got off to, and none of them managed to make it back to .500 - let alone make the playoffs. In a thrilling game tonight in Green Bay, the Giants again played error-free ball. Brett Favre threw two interceptions for the Packers, the second of which proved costly as it set up the game winning 47 yard field goal by Lawrence Tynes 2:35 into the extra period to give the Giants a 23-20 win. Tynes went from potential goat to hero as he had two chances to give the Giants the lead in the fourth quarter, pulling a 43 yard field goal attempt wide left with 6:43 to go and doing the same with a 36 yarder as time expired - the latter though was more the fault of the snapper as a bad snap threw off the timing of the play.

In the early game, the New England Patriots beat the San Diego Chargers 21-12 to extend their perfect run to 18 games. The Chargers scored one more time than the Patriots and also turned the ball over one fewer time, but once again the Patriots took care of business when it counted. Tom Brady threw for two scores and Lawrence Maroney had a one yard touchdown run to account for the Patriot scoring. The Chargers could never get in the end zone against the "bend but don't break" Patriots defense, settling for four field-goals by Nate Kaeding. The Chargers defense forced three Brady interceptions, including one in the end zone with just under three minutes to go in the third quarter to keep them in the game. The injured TE Antonio Gates and RB LaDainian Tomlinson were non-factors for the Chargers as Gates only caught two passes for 17 yards, and Tomlinson only touched the ball three times before being pulled out of the game early in the first quarter by coach Norv Turner.

What would have a healthy Chargers team done against the Patriots? None of us really knows, but the Pats certainly seem like a team of destiny. One more win and they become the first team to ever go 19-0 in a season. It almost seems impossible to be talking about that! The Giants and Patriots now get two weeks to prepare for the rematch of their December 29th, 2007 thriller where the Pats ran their regular season record to a perfect 16-0. For a second time, the New York Giants stand in the way of this season's New England Patriots making history. Will the Giants be able to make some history of their own this time, or will the Patriots accomplish what many thought was unthinkable in this age of parity in the NFL? In two weeks we get to find out!

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The Final Four

Around this time tomorrow night, we will finally know who is playing in Super Bowl XLII. For once, instead of providing a lot of numbers and looking deep into the match-up, I'm going to just give a quick glimpse of both while my left arm is on the mend. By the way, there's nothing broken, but boy is it sore!

In the first game, the New England Patriots continue their run at perfection against the San Diego Chargers. The Chargers have a lot of injuries to key players - QB Philip Rivers and TE Antonio Gates are both questionable to start and RB LaDainian Tomlinson may not be at 100%. The Tom Brady-led Patriots are 14 point favorites. As much as I want to root behind my Chargers, I don't see them winning. They mave been able to do it with mirrors last week against the World Champion Colts for a half, but I don't see them doing it for a full game against the Patriots. Look for it to be close early, with the Patriots nearly covering the spread.

In game two, it's the marquis QB matchup of Favre vs Manning... no not Peyton, but rather Eli. The game tomorrow night between the Green Bay Packers and the New York Giants for the NFC Championship has all the makings of possibly being the Ice Bowl II... The temperature will be below zero at game time and the wind chill is supposed to make it feel like -15 to -20 degrees!!! The Packers of course are led by Brett Favre, but Ryan Grant has proven that the Pack can also run the ball - something that will be necessary tomorrow night. Eli Manning will do his best to manage the passing game and will try to build on his past three weeks of nearly mistake-free ball. Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw should be the focus of the Giants offense in the game. I look for this to be a close, hard-foughtand low scoring game, with Favre and the Packers winning on a late field goal. How can anyone not root for Brett Favre? Not me... I sure hope that this Cinderella run of his Packers continues!

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Eli Manning Coming of Age?

Perhaps he had one of those "pep talks" from his big brother Peyton a few weeks ago. Whatever it is, Eli Manning is not at all playing like the QB who struggled mightily against the Buffalo Bills just three weekends ago. In that game, the Giants won, 38-21 in spite of Manning as they scored two touchdowns in the fourth quarter on interception returns. Manning was 7-for-15 for 111 yards with two interceptions and also two fumbles in that December 23rd game.

In the three games since then, Eli has ONE turnover total, to go along with eight touchdown passes. Yes, they lost the first of those three games, 38-35 to the New England Patriots, but the Giants turned some heads that night. They turned some more heads last week as they easily took care of the Tampa Bay Buccanneers by a 24-14 score. I was so impressed by that win, and so unimpressed by the Dallas Cowboys play the past month that I went out on a limb and picked the Giants to upset the heavily favored Cowboys.

Manning made me and everyone else who had faith in him look good today as he was an efficient 12-for-18 for 163 yards with two touchdown passes to Amani Toomer as the Giants stunned the #1 NFC seeded Cowboys by a 21-17 score. Tony Romo had another off day for the home team, only connecting on 18-for-35 passes for 201 yards. Other than a long 20 play, 90 yard scoring drive to end the first half, the Cowboys offense really never looked in sync. The Giants really didn't look all that great either, but they made the plays when it counted and most importantly took care of the ball.

So, what do Eli and the Giants get for their win today? A trip to the frozen tundra of Green Bay. After next Sunday's 6:00 PM ET/3:00 PM PT game, we shall know whether we will have a Manning in the Super Bowl for a second straight year, or whether there will be a bunch of happy cheeseheads!

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Colts Get De-Charged!

If I had told you that at the end of the day, one Manning would be playing in a NFL divisional championship game next weekend you probably wouldn't have been at all surprised. If I told you that Manning would not be named Peyton, everyone probably would have been shocked as that would have meant that both of today's NFL playoff games were won by the underdogs. Well, that's precisely what happened!

In the early game between the San Diego Chargers and the Indianapolis Colts, both offenses pretty much moved the ball at will against the opposing defenses. The only thing that really stopped either team were turnovers. The Colts took an early 7-0 lead on a 25 yard pass from Manning to Dallas Clark. The Chargers then put together their own drive, but it was thwarted by the Colts as Kevin Hayden intercepted a Philip Rivers pass at the Colts 24 yard line. Manning drove the Colts down the field on their ensuing possession, connecting on a 17 yard pass to Marvin Harrison. Unfortunately for the Colts, Harrison was still rusty from not playing the second half of the season, and he fumbled the ball as he went down. The Chargers recovered, and from there on we had a game.

The Chargers took full advantage of that miscue, scoring on a 14 yard touchdown pass to Vincent Jackson to tie the game 7-7 with 8:38 to play in the second quarter. The score came at a cost to the Chargers though as they lost RB LaDainian Tomlinson for the rest of the game after he injured one of his knees on an eight yard run, two plays prior to that score. The Colts would settle for a 46 yard Adam Vinatieri field goal on their next possession to take a 10-7 lead. The Chargers drove down the field, and kicker Nate Kaeding had a long field goal attempt of his own. Kaeding's 48 yard attempt started right, hooked left, but only enough to clang high off the right upright for a miss. Manning drove the Colts downfield again as the half closed, but he was intercepted by Antonio Cromartie on a tipped ball deep in Chargers territory to thwart another threat.

The second half of the game went back and forth. Rivers drove the Chargers down the field 83 yards on eight plays, capped by a 30 yard pass to Chris Chambers for a 14-10 Chargers lead. The Colts stormed right back down the field, driving to the Chargers three yard line. On a third down and goal play, Manning tossed a pass to RB Kenton Keith, but the ball went right though Keith's hands and into the waiting arms of Charger safety Eric Weddle. The Chargers went three-and-out with their ensuing drive, and with 5:55 to play in the third quarter, we saw our first punt of the game. The Colts took over at the 50 yard line. Manning drove the Colts six plays and into the end zone on a 9-yard pass to Reggie Wayne at the 2:53 mark for a 17-14 lead. The Chargers came right back though, as a short pass from Rivers to Darren Sproles turned into a 56 yard touchdown as time expired in the period to give the visitors a 21-17 lead. For the second time in the game, a touchdown drive would prove costly to the Chargers, as Rivers limped off the field in obvious pain as the play was completed. As with Tomlinson, he would not return.

The fourth quarter began oddly, as both teams went three plays and out on their respective first possessions. The Colts then took the lead again as Manning hit Anthony Gonzales with a pass on the left side. Gonzales eluded a tackle and then barely avoided stepping out of bounds before going 55 yards for a score. Trailing 24-21, Billy Volek took over the reins at QB for the Chargers and did very admirably, completing all three passes he attempted and then scoring on a one yard plunge with 4:50 to play to give the Chargers a 28-24 lead. Once again Manning and the Colts would quickly drive down the field, getting to the Chargers nine yard line with 2:51 to play. The Colts could only manage to gain two yards in their next four plays, turning the ball over on downs. The Chargers went three and out, and Colts had one last chance, taking over at their own 32 yard line with 1:30 to play. Manning could not move the Colts though as a pass to Dallas Clark fell incomplete with 58 seconds to play. With that two kneeldowns followed and the Chargers had their improbable win, and now an opportunity to get revenge against the same New England Patriots team which knocked them out of the playoffs last season.

For the Colts, it was a tough loss, and it's also possibly going to be the last game that the great Tony Dungy coaches for them. Four times they got deep into Chargers territory and did not produce a point - that was the difference in the game today. As I said prior to the game, the team that took care of the ball was probably going to win. Unfortunately for me, I didn't correctly predict which team would do a better job of that in this game. Regardless, I'll be cheering on the Bolts as they try to ruin the Patriots' perfect season.

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Chargers/Colts Tomorrow - I'M TORN!!!

My two favorite AFC Teams are playing tomorrow and I really have no clue who I want to root for... last year, it was pretty easy for me to root for the Indianapolis Colts all through the playoffs, especially after the New England Patriots beat the San Diego Chargers to set up a Patriots/Colts AFC Championship game. Thankfully, the Colts won that matchup and went on to beat the Chicago Bears in Super Bowl XLI.

Most of you are probably pretty familiar with both teams. The Chargers have both the NFL's best running back in LaDainian Tomlinson and the NFL's best tight-end in Antonio Gates, while the Colts feature the highest profile player in quarterback Peyton Manning. The Colts are looking to avenge a 23-21 loss in San Diego during the season in which the Charger defense intercepted Manning a career-high six times. The Colts have the #3 ranked defense in the NFL and also allowed the fewest points during the regular season. The Chargers led the league in turnover margin and also interceptions with 30 on the year. Tomlinson himself was perfect in that area, not even as much as fumbing even once in his 315 carries or 60 pass receptions this year... Colts running back Joseph Addai was equally proficient at holding onto the ball, not fumbling once in his 261 rushing attempts nor his 41 receptions. No other NFL players with even as many as 200 total touches (let alone 300, as both Tomlinson and Addai each had), were able to say that they didn't fumble at least once this year.

Yes, I think the key to tomorrow's game will again be the turnovers. I look for Manning to have a big game tomorrow, and for Addai to be a big reason for his success. The Chargers will keep it close early, but I think the Colts will pull away late, winning by about 10 points (barely covering that 9 1/2 point spread)... It should a fun game to watch, and I'll look forward to cheering on whichever team wins against the Patriots next week!

As for the other game, Peyton's brother Eli and the New York Giants take on the Dallas Cowboys. The Giants are a team that is playing pretty well at the moment. Their defense took over a close game on the road in Buffalo, where the younger Manning was ineffective for a 38-21 win. The Giants almost beat the Patriots to ruin their perfect season as Manning had one of his best games ever, going 22-for-32 for 252 yards, four touchdowns and an interception... Last week, Manning was a very efficient 20-for-27 for 185 yards and two scores as the Giants dominated Tampa Bay by a 24-14 score.

The Cowboys are a team that has played very unspired ball of late. After beating Brett Favre (quite literally) and the Packers 37-27 on November 29th, they have looked anything but good. A come from behind 28-27 win against the Detroit Lions followed the next week, followed by a 10-6 loss at home to the Philadelphia Eagles where the offense looked COMPLETELY out of sync. All kidding aside, I don't think Jessica Simpson could be blamed for Tony Romo or the rest of the team's poor performance that week. A 20-13 win against a poor Carolina team followed... and then in the final game of the regular season, the Washington Redskins just manhandled them in a 27-6 game which had all the meaning in the world for the Redskins and none at all for the Cowboys. That said, the Cowboys did play most of their starters (including Romo and tight end Jason Witten) well into the third quarter.

So, you have a classic case of a "hot" team playing against a "cold" team. The Cowboys are seven point favorites tomorrow, but should they be? Eli Manning has grown up a lot the past couple of weeks, and I wouldn't be surprised at all if the Giants pull off the HUGE upset. Actually, I'm going to say this will be a close game throughout and that the Giants will win on a Lawrence Tynes field goal. Regardless of what happens in that game, I'll be pulling for Favre and the Packers in the NFC Championship game next weekend...

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Patriots Get To 17-0...

... to move within two games of perfection with a 31-20 defeat of the Jacksonville Jaguars... and as I predicted they once again didn't cover the spread. So, I got both games right today!

As in many games of late, the Patriots opponent kept things close early, and then collapsed late. The Jaguars scored on their first possession to take a 7-0 lead, but the Patriots answered right back. The game went into halftime tied at 14-14. From there, Tom Brady and the Patriots offense took over as the 2007 NFL MVP led them to third quarter scores on touchdown passes to Wes Welker and Benjamin Watson. Brady had numbers more like you'd expect in playing a video game: 26-for-28 (a crazy 93.3% completion percentage) for 262 yards to go along with three touchdowns and no interceptions. The Jaguars offense couldn't get things going in the second half, settling for two Josh Scobee field goals.

The Patriots await the winner of tomorrow's game between the Indianapolis Colts and San Diego Chargers for the AFC Championship and their continued persuit of the 19-0 perfect season...

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Calling All Cheeseheads!

If you were lucky like me and happened to miss the first four minutes or so of today's NFC playoff game between the Seattle Seahwaks and Green Bay Packers, then you pretty much missed the entire set of highlights from the Lambeau Field visitors. The Packers spotted the Seahawks a 14-0 lead thanks to two early fumbles by running back Ryan Grant in a fairly and driving snowstorm. Grant more than atoned for those early miscues, rushing for 201 yards and three touchdowns, while Brett Favre was nearly perfect, going 18-for-23 for 173 yards and three touchdowns. After the initial Seattle onslaught, the Packers scored touchdowns on an incredible six straight possessions! The final score was 42-20, meaning if you happened to take my Thursday prediction to heart and bet on it, you won! :)

The Packers now will take on the winner of the game tomorrow between the New York Giants and the Dallas Cowboys for the NFC Championship at a time to be determined next weekend.

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And Then There Were 8...

While I attempt to cool my blood down a little, I will take some time out to talk a little football. Eight teams are left in the NFL Playoffs, and four games will be played this weekend to determine who is going to play in the respective league championships. In the NFC, the Dallas Cowboys will take on the New York Giants for the third time this season, while the Green Bay Packers will welcome the Seattle Seahawks into the "frozen tundra"... The AFC offers us a rematch between Indianapolis Colts and San Diego Chargers, while the Jacksonville Jaguars attempt to put an end to the New England Patriots dreams of a 19-0 season.

Saturday's games both have a good chance of being blowouts, while Sunday's games should be closer. Of course, after how badly I did this past weekend - one of four right on the pros, while I incorrectly predicted that Ohio State would beat up on LSU in the BCS championship, perhaps you should take my opinions with a grain of salt.

In the early game, the Packers square off against the Seahawks. Look for both teams to attempt to throw the ball a lot in the cold conditions. Presently, the forecast high is 32 degrees with a 20% chance of snow. Neither team has a very impressive running game to speak of, though we all know how good Shaun Alexander can be when he's healthy. The problem for the Seahawks is that it's been 2 seasons since he was healthy. After rushing for 1880 yards in 2005, he only totalled 1610 yards the past two years. Not to mention that in 2005 he gained 5.1 yards per rush, while in 2006-2007 he averaged only 3.5 yards/attempt. For the Packers, Ryan Grant did an admirable job, rushing for nearly 1000 yards with an impressive 5.1 yards per rush average.

I believe the key to winning this game will be not turning the ball over. This means that Matt Hasselbeck and Brett Favre must not try to make a play when there isn't one available. The Packers were 2nd in the NFL in passing offense, while the Seahawks were 8th. Once again though, we know the Seahawks played a VERY soft schedule this year, while the Packers played some pretty tough teams and still came out three games better off in the win column. Look for the Packers to take this one by at least two touchdowns.

In the later game, the Patriots will take on the Jaguars. Quietly, the Jaguars took six out of their final seven meaningful games - only a 28-25 loss to the Colts kept them from winning seven straight. Most of their regulars were rested in their final game of the year, a 42-28 loss against Houston. Last week, they got up 28-10 against the Pittsburgh Steelers, only to see Ben Roethlisberger pull off another of his patented 4th quarter comebacks. Jaguar QB David Garrard saved the day though, gaining 32 yards on a 4th and two play to set up Josh Scobee's game winning 25 yard field goal for a 31-29 win. The Jaguars have a VERY balanced offense - not something that you would have guessed early in the season. Garrard tossed 18 TD's against only three interceptions during the regular season, while the duo of Fred Taylor and Maurice Jones-Drew totalled nearly 2,000 yards on the ground, scoring 14 times.

The Patriots stormed out of the gate of course, running up the score on their first eight opponents, before the Colts finally gave them a scare in week 9 (a close 24-20 comeback win). From there, the Patriots looked quite beatable. In fact, four of their final six contests were decided by 10 points or less. The Philadelphia Eagles and Baltimore Ravens both came close to beating them, as the Patriots struggled to three point wins. The Giants came close to ruining their perfect season in week 17, but they too came up three points short. Tom Brady tossed a record 50 TD passes, 23 to Randy Moss (for a record as well)... Even though the Patriots were number one in the league in passing, they were only 13th in rushing. If the Jaguars are going to pull the upset, they will need to force the Patriots to run the ball. Look for this to be a closer game than predicted, with the Patriots winning by about a touchdown.

Tomorrow, I'll look at the Sunday matchups.

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Redskins Coach Gibbs Resigns

After helping lead the Washington Redskins to an unprobable playoff run after the untimely death of safety Sean Taylor, coach Joe Gibbs resigned as coach early today. With a 5-7 record, many wondered if the Redskins would be interested in keeping Gibbs for the final year of his contract. After the inspired four game winning streak to close the season gave the Redskins an improbable NFC Wild Card berth, most thought that retaining Gibbs would a top priority of team owner Dan Snyder. As it turns out though (as with the first time he retired) Gibbs chose his family ahead of football. This past February, Gibbs' 2-year-old grandson Taylor was diagnosed with Leukemia and he stated during a news conference today that it is "time for me to be with them."

As for replacements, the list would appear to include current Redskins coaches Gregg Williams and Al Saunders along with former Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Bill Cowher.

Personally, I just want to wish coach Gibbs the best of luck with his family and prayers for his grandson. Joe Gibbs is as classy a man as there is, and all of us that are fans of the Redskins are very happy that he will continue with the organization in as an advisor to Snyder.

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Go Chargers!

OK, so one of my teams got knocked off last nite... still have three left that I wouldn't mind seeing win it all. The Colts and Cowboys have byes this weekend, while the San Diego Chargers have a rematch this afternoon with the Tennessee Titans at QualComm Stadium... Hopefully I'll do a little better at predicting the games today. I think the Chargers will take control early and cruise to an easy 14 point or so win.

As for the early game, I think the Tampa Bay Buccanneers will beat the New York Giants today as the Buc defense will force several turnovers, while the "Giant Slayer" Jeff Garcia will have a steady game on offense. Look for this one to be decided by a late field goal.

Redskins Lose 35-14. :(

For a very short time today, it looked like the Washington Redskins were going to pull off an amazing comeback in today's NFC Wild Card game against the Seattle Seahawks. Trailing 13-0, the Redskins scored twice early in the fourth quarter to take a 14-13 lead. The Redskins then recovered a kickoff at the Seattle 12 yard-line to give them a golden opportunity to score again. But alas, the Skins went 3-and-out and had to settle for a 30 yard field-goal attempt which the usually reliable Shaun Suisham pulled to the left for a rare miss.

From there, the tide of the game turned. The Seahawks took the lead on a scoring pass with a little less than 8 minutes to go, and then converted a 2-point conversion to make it a 21-14 game. Two Redskins drives were then ended on interceptions, both of which were returned for touchdowns. The final score may have been 35-14, but the result was definitely a lot closer to that.

For the Redskins, it marks the end of a remarkable run... and it does give the team some great momentum and hope for the 2008 season.

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Week 17 NFL Rankings

New England completes their perfect season, the Redskins win four straight to become the third team in NFL History to make the playoffs after a 5-7 start, and the Cleveland Browns end the season in the top 10 of my rankings, but of out the playoffs due to a little bad luck...

Here are this week’s rankings with last weeks rank in (). Record is only one consideration. I also take into account strength of schedule, strength of victory (or loss) and other intangibles…

1.(1) New England Patriots (16-0)
2.(2) Indianapolis Colts (13-3)
3.(3) Dallas Cowboys (13-3)
4.(5) San Diego Chargers (11-5)
5.(6) Green Bay Packers (13-3)
6.(4) Jacksonville Jaguars (11-5)
7.(7) Pittsburgh Steelers (10-6)
8.(9) Washington Redskins (9-7)
9.(10) New York Giants (10-6)
10.(8) Cleveland Browns (10-6)
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11.(11) Tennessee Titans (10-6)
12.(12) Tampa Bay Buccaneers (9-7)
13.(13) Seattle Seahawks (10-6)
14.(14) Minnesota Vikings (8-8)
15.(16) Philadelphia Eagles (8-8)
16.(18) Houston Texans (8-8)
17.(19) Arizona Cardinals (8-8)
18.(20) Chicago Bears (7-9)
19.(15) Buffalo Bills (7-9)
20.(17) New Orleans Saints (7-9)
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21.(21) Cincinnati Bengals (7-9)
22.(22) Carolina Panthers (7-9)
23.(23) Denver Broncos (7-9)
24.(24) Detroit Lions (7-9)
25.(25) San Francisco 49ers (5-11)
26.(26) St. Louis Rams (3-13)
27.(27) Kansas City Chiefs (4-12)
28.(28) Oakland Raiders (4-12)
29.(29) New York Jets (4-12)
30.(30) Atlanta Falcons (4-12)
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31.(31) Baltimore Ravens (5-11)
32.(32) Miami Dolphins (1-15)
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Hail To The Redskins!

Four weeks ago, did anyone really give the Washington Redskins a chance at making the playoffs? After the tragic loss of Sean Taylor and a tough 17-16 loss to the Buffalo Bills the following Sunday, the Redskins were left with a 5-7 record and with little hope of making the playoffs. A hard fought 24-16 Thursday night win against the Chicago Bears got them to 6-7 and still with faint hopes of playing into 2008... A week later, a very convicing 22-10 win in New Jersey against Eli Manning and the Giants got them to .500. Then came a dominating 32-21 effort last weekend in Minnesota against a Viking team that had won five straight games... At 8-7 and going into the final week of the regular season, the Redskins suddenly controlled their own playoff destiny. All that was needed to secure the #2 NFC Wild Card spot was a win against the Dallas Cowboys at home on Sunday.

The Redskins not only rose to the occasion they simply CONTROLLED every phase of the game, holding QB Tony Romo in check and rendered the Cowboys ground game useless as they could only manage a franchise record low of one yard rushing as a team in a 27-6 Redskins rout.

On the offensive side, Clinton Portis contined to carry the memory of his slain friend with him, wearing a Sean Taylor shirt under his jersey. Portis rumbled for 104 yards and two scores on 25 carries. Santana Moss also had a huge game receiving, catching eight passes for 115 yards and a touchdown. Todd Collins was again a steadying force at quarterback, completing 22 of 31 passes for 244 yards. In four games now, Collins has completed 67 of 105 passes for 888 yards and five touchdowns, most importantly without throwing an interception.

Inspired and unified. I think those two words probably best describe this Redskins team. After making that huge mistake by calling back to back timeouts to ice the Bills kicker and turning a 51 yard field goal attempt into a the game-winning 36 yarder, coach Joe Gibbs has proven to be a resilient and steadying voice and force.

Ironically, the Redskins will now face the team that I've probably picked on more than any other in this blog in 2007: the Seattle Seahawks. Since winning their week one matchup against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Seahawks failed to defeat another team with a winning record this season. More than anything, the Seahawks are a team in search of an identity. Coming into the season, people took them as a "run first, pass second" team with a good defense... With running back Shawn Alexander suffering through an injury plagued season, the Seahawk running game has been virtually non-existant. QB Matt Hasselback has ignited the offense at times, but more often than not, that offense has sputtered. Yes, the Seahawks are 10-6 and have the home field advantage for the Saturday afternoon game, but the Redskins are the team with all of the momentum, and right now there is not a team playing better football in the NFC... Are you excited, well I certainly am! Go Skins!

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Patriots Complete 16-0 Perfect Season

The New England Patriots made NFL history tonight becoming the 2nd team ever to go through a season undefeated with a 38-35 win over the New York Giants at the Meadowlands in New Jersey tonight. Tom Brady also tossed his 50th touchdown pass of the year and Randy Moss caught his 23rd TD pass. Both set new NFL records. Congrats to the Patriots on their amazing 2007 season!

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Week 16 NFL Rankings

The New England Patriots "only" beat on the Miami Dolphins 28-7 last week (no, they didn't cover that 22 point spread)... as it marked the biggest battle in terms of disparity of records in NFL history. Next Saturday, the Patriots try to become the second team in NFL history to through a regular season undefeated as they take on the New York Giants. The Giants are already locked into the playoffs as the #1 Wild Card in the NFC and basically have nothing to play for.

The other NFC Wild card spot is still up for grabs, but the Washington Redskins took a HUGE step towards securing that spot with a 32-21 win over the Minnesota Vikings on the road on Sunday night. The win was their third straight and got them back into the top 10 of my rankings. The Redskins face a Dallas Cowboys team this Sunday who has nothing to play for as they have the #1 seed in the NFC all locked up.

Here are this week’s rankings with last weeks rank in (). Record is only one consideration. I also take into account strength of schedule, strength of victory (or loss) and other intangibles…

1.(1) New England Patriots (15-0)
2.(2) Indianapolis Colts (13-2)
3.(4) Dallas Cowboys (13-2)
4.(5) Jacksonville Jaguars (11-4)
5.(6) San Diego Chargers (10-5)
6.(3) Green Bay Packers (12-3)
7.(8) Pittsburgh Steelers (10-5)
8.(7) Cleveland Browns (9-6)
9.(13) Washington Redskins (8-7)
10.(9) New York Giants (10-5)
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11.(10) Tennessee Titans (9-6)
12.(12) Tampa Bay Buccaneers (9-6)
13.(15) Seattle Seahawks (10-5)
14.(11) Minnesota Vikings (8-7)
15.(14) Buffalo Bills (7-8)
16.(18) Philadelphia Eagles (7-8)
17.(16) New Orleans Saints (7-8)
18.(17) Houston Texans (7-8)
19.(19) Arizona Cardinals (7-8)
20.(21) Chicago Bears (6-9)
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21.(22) Cincinnati Bengals (6-9)
22.(20) Carolina Panthers (6-9)
23.(23) Denver Broncos (6-9)
24.(24) Detroit Lions (6-9)
25.(28) San Francisco 49ers (5-10)
26.(25) St. Louis Rams (3-12)
27.(27) Kansas City Chiefs (4-11)
28.(26) Oakland Raiders (4-11)
29.(29) New York Jets (3-12)
30.(30) Atlanta Falcons (3-12)
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31.(31) Baltimore Ravens (4-11)
32.(32) Miami Dolphins (1-14)
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Week 15 NFL Rankings

I'm not sure which was bigger news this week... the Miami Dolphins finally winning a game or the Dallas Cowboys suddenly looking very mortal the past two weeks??? What has happened to T.O.??? He's suddenly disappeared on the Cowboys offense, with only five receptions for 58 yards the past two weeks combined. With their stumbles the past two weeks, the Cowboys slide a spot to #4 in the rankings.

Speaking of stumbling, how about the Seattle Seahawks? Yes, they are the NFC West division champs, but they haven't played like champs the entire year. A week one win over Tampa Bay, and eight wins against teams with losing records. Was it really that surprising that they would finally lose a game they should have easily won last weekend? No. They do have a 9-5 record, but in the NFC West (aka: "NFC Least") that really doesn't hold much weight. And yes, the teams in contention for the NFC Wild Card are chomping at the bit to be their first round opponent in the playoffs.

Here are this week’s rankings with last weeks rank in (). Record is only one consideration. I also take into account strength of schedule, strength of victory (or loss) and other intangibles…

1.(1) New England Patriots (14-0)
2.(2) Indianapolis Colts (12-2)
3.(4) Green Bay Packers (12-2)
4.(3) Dallas Cowboys (12-2)
5.(5) Jacksonville Jaguars (10-4)
6.(7) San Diego Chargers (9-5)
7.(9) Cleveland Browns (9-5)
8.(6) Pittsburgh Steelers (9-5)
9.(8) New York Giants (9-5)
10.(11) Tennessee Titans (8-6)
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11.(13) Minnesota Vikings (8-6)
12.(14) Tampa Bay Buccaneers (8-6)
13.(15) Washington Redskins (7-7)
14.(10) Buffalo Bills (7-7)
15.(12) Seattle Seahawks (9-5)
16.(16) New Orleans Saints (7-7)
17.(17) Houston Texans (7-7)
18.(19) Philadelphia Eagles (6-8)
19.(18) Arizona Cardinals (6-8)
20.(24) Carolina Panthers (6-8)
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21.(20) Chicago Bears (5-9)
22.(21) Cincinnati Bengals (5-9)
23.(22) Denver Broncos (6-8)
24.(23) Detroit Lions (6-8)
25.(26) St. Louis Rams (3-11)
26.(27) Oakland Raiders (4-10)
27.(28) Kansas City Chiefs (4-10)
28.(30) San Francisco 49ers (4-10)
29.(31) New York Jets (3-11)
30.(29) Atlanta Falcons (3-11)
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31.(25) Baltimore Ravens (4-10)
32.(32) Miami Dolphins (1-13)
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Chargers Cruise, Redskins Roll!

Yesterday was certainly an interesting day in the NFL... the Dolphins finally got off the snide and scored their first win of the year, by a 22-16 margin against the Baltimore Ravens on a dramatic overtime touchdown pass - the same Ravens who were 20 seconds from beating the now 14-0 New England Patriots two weeks ago. As for the most interesting game of the day, that one had to be the Cleveland-Buffalo game which was played in a driving snowstorm. I sat pretty much glued to the TV for that one as both the Browns and Bills struggled to move the ball in the horrible conditions. You could barely see the yard markers, and at times, you could hardly see the players when the blizzard was at it's hardest. The Browns managed two Phil Dawson field goals, including a 49 yarder in the second quarter that barely seemed to get more than 10 feet off the ground. As with his game-tying kick a couple of weeks ago, the ball nailed the center post supporting the crossbar. This time, however, the ball went through (while knocking off a nice little clump of snow from the support). The Bills also gave up a safety after a bad snap over the head of punter Brian Moorman deep in their own territory. Moorman had the presence to kick the ball through the end zone, rather than try to recover it and/or give the Browns a chance at an easy score. The 8-0 final score was more than appropriate - an 8 is known as a "snowman" to those who play golf (it's never a good thing there though!)

Normally on a Sunday, when the San Diego Chargers and Indianapolis Colts are playing, I'm pretty much going to flip back and forth between their respective games... the "snow bowl" though was just too much fun to turn away from. Also, the Chargers had pretty much complete control of their game against the reeling Detroit Lions from the start - LaDainian Tomlinson scored two touchdowns in the first quarter. Halfway into the second quarter it was 27-0, and it was in effect over. The Chargers managed to score on their first seven drives of the game, punting for the first time with 1:32 left in the third quarter. By that time, it was a 44-14 game. The Chargers would tack on another touchdown late in the fourth quarter to finish win a 51-14 win. For the Lions, it was their sixth straight loss after a 6-2 start. Remember that mirage? The Chargers clinched the AFC West title with the win, their fourth in a row and eighth in 10 games after their 1-3 start.

The Lions anticipated collapse has opened the door for many teams in the NFC who would like to sneak into the NFC playoffs as the final wild card. Going into last night, the New York Giants at 9-4 had all but sealed up one of the two wild card spots. The Washington Redskins at 6-7 were facing a must win to keep their slim hopes of nabbing the final playoff spot alive. Both teams came into the game with something to prove as well. The Giants had yet to defeat a team with a winning record this year, while the Redskins were looking to avenge a 24-17 loss to the Giants at RFK Stadium back in week three - a game the Skins led 17-3 at halftime. The conditions last night were horrible - freezing temperatures and a swirling wind that made passing and kicking an absolute nightmare. That said, Todd Collins managed to navigate the Redskins on five scoring drives (even though he only completed 8 passes on the night) in his first start in 10 years, and Shane Suisham judged the wind perfectly, hitting on field goals of 49, 31 and 28 yards. In conditions like yesterday's, moving the ball well on the ground was critical and Redskins RB Clinton Portis more than delivered the goods, churning out 126 yards on 25 carries including a 5 yard run early in the third quarter to give the Redskins a 22-3 lead. Brandon Jacobs moved the ball similarly well for the Giants, gaining 130 yards on 26 carries. The quarterbacks certainly struggled throughout as Collins was only 8-for-25 (32%) for 166 yards, while Giants QB Eli Manning was only 18-for-52 (35%) for 184 yards... When you consider that QB's typically complete about 2/3 of their passes, the stats on Collins and Manning certainly told the story yesterday night. Manning did manage to toss a touchdown pass late in the game to trim the margin to 22-10, but that was as close as they would get. With the win, the now 7-7 Redskins very much still have their playoff hopes alive!

Next Sunday is a critical game for the Redskins as they face the 7-6 Minnesota Vikings at home. The Vikings play the Chicago Bears tonight at home. If the Redskins could manage to beat the Vikings next week (regardless of what the Vikings do tonight), they would be the front-runner for that final NFC Wild Card spot. In their final game of the year, the Redskins take on the now suddenly mortal Dallas Cowboys, who lost at home 10-6 in a lackluster effort against the Philadelphia Eagles. Last weekend, the Cowboys had to rally to defeat the Lions by a 28-27 score in Detroit. Perhaps that victory against Brett Favre and the Packers the previous weekend made the Cowboys a little overconfident? I'm not sure what has happened since that game to them, but they certainly don't look like the same team as two weeks ago. Yes, Redskins fans, there is definitely hope!!! Speaking of Favre, some more congratulations to him as he broke Dan Marino's NFL record for passing yards yesterday with a five yard slant pass to Donald Driver.

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Week 14 NFL Rankings

There were certainly a number of very exciting and surprisingly entertaining games this weekend. The Dallas Cowboys had to pull a rabbit out of their hats to get a late 28-27 victory over the Detroit Lions at the Silverdome. Tony Romo drove the Cowboys for the winning score, hitting Jason Witten on a 20 yard scoring pass with just 19 seconds to play. It was sweet redemption for Witten who had fumbled at the Detroit 1-yard line on the Cowboys' previous possession. Witten tied an NFL record for receptions by a Tight End with 15 in the game. The great Kellen Winslow established the mark for the San Diego Chargers in 1982.

Speaking of the Chargers, they also stole a game last weekend by turning a 17-3 fourth quarter deficit into a 23-17 overtime win against the Tennessee Titans. Philip Rivers hit all-pro Tight End Antonio Gates on a 2 yard scoring pass with just 9 seconds to play in regulation. In overtime, LaDainian Tomlinson finished off the comeback, scoring on a 16 yard run to the left corner of the end-zone.

Was that the Seattle Seahawks finally coming up with an impressive win? Indeed it was. They beat up on the Arizona Cardinals by a 42-21 score on Sunday as they intercepted Cardinals QB Kurt Warner five times while Matt Hasselback led the offense, tossing four touchdown passes and no interceptions. Good for a move almost into my top 10. Maybe next week they will finally land there.

Here are this week’s rankings with last weeks rank in (). Record is only one consideration. I also take into account strength of schedule, strength of victory (or loss) and other intangibles…

1.(1) New England Patriots (13-0)
2.(2) Indianapolis Colts (11-2)
3.(3) Dallas Cowboys (12-1)
4.(4) Green Bay Packers (11-2)
5.(5) Jacksonville Jaguars (9-4)
6.(6) Pittsburgh Steelers (9-4)
7.(7) San Diego Chargers (8-5)
8.(10) New York Giants (9-4)
9.(8) Cleveland Browns (8-5)
10.(12) Buffalo Bills (7-6)
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11.(11) Tennessee Titans (7-6)
12.(14) Seattle Seahawks (9-4)
13.(13) Minnesota Vikings (7-6)
14.(9) Tampa Bay Buccaneers (8-5)
15.(15) Washington Redskins (6-7)
16.(17) New Orleans Saints (6-7)
17.(19) Houston Texans (6-7)
18.(16) Arizona Cardinals (6-7)
19.(18) Philadelphia Eagles (5-8)
20.(20) Chicago Bears (5-8)
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21.(24) Cincinnati Bengals (5-8)
22.(25) Denver Broncos (6-7)
23.(26) Detroit Lions (6-7)
24.(22) Carolina Panthers (5-8)
25.(21) Baltimore Ravens (4-9)
26.(27) St. Louis Rams (3-10)
27.(23) Oakland Raiders (4-9)
28.(28) Kansas City Chiefs (4-9)
29.(29) Atlanta Falcons (3-10)
30.(30) San Francisco 49ers (3-10)
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31.(31) New York Jets (3-10)
32.(32) Miami Dolphins (0-13)
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