NFL Week 8 Review

I'm jumping on the Week 8 Review a bit early this time for a couple of reasons.  First, I have an orthodontist appointment tomorrow during the time I generally write these things.  I'm there because I threw out my retainer again, which by the transitive property means I threw out $200.  Second, I've been accepted to write for the online blog site Bleacher Report, so from now on, I'll be focusing my writing there (I haven't written any articles yet, but this is my page. Do me a favor a become my fan? Thanks!).  If I find the time, I'll continue to post my weekly NFL reviews here.  Anyways, without further ado, here are your winners and losers from Week 8.

Winners

1. LeSean McCoy:  The Eagles' running back carved up the Dallas Cowboys' top ranked run defense for 185 yards on the ground, which was almost triple the average allowed by the 'Boys on the season.  McCoy added two touchdowns to his stat line, which seems to be getting meatier and meatier as the season goes on.  With 28 carries in week 6 against the Redskins and 30 carries yesterday against the Cowboys, it appears that McCoy is becoming a more consistently important part of the high-powered Eagles offense.  This is good news for the Eagles - Philly is 3-1 when McCoy rushes for over 100 yards and 0-3 when he rushes for less.

2. Cincinnati Bengals:  We've already talked about the surprising effectiveness of Andy Dalton and A.J. Green as well as their massive return on the Carson Palmer trade.  What we (and nobody else, really) have not talked about is that they're in serious playoff contention right now.  Their record is 5-2, which is the same as teams such as the New England Patriots, Baltimore Ravens, Buffalo Bills, and New York Giants.  Only a bye weeks seperates them from the Pittsburgh Steelers and Detroit Lions.  However, Cincy still has to play the Steelers and Ravens twice, so things could get bumpy for them down the road.  Or maybe they'll prove me wrong and turn out to be the class of the AFC North.

3. Kansas City Cheifs:  They started out 0-3 and immediately everyone wrote them off as a Suck for Luck contender.  Well, we blinked, they won four straight, and now they're tied with the Chargers for a share of first place in the AFC West.  If you missed the Monday Night game that concluded a couple of hours ago, then take it from me that the Cheifs are back and ready to defend their division championship from last year.  They don't have an easy schedule to round out the year, but neither do the Chargers.  This will be fun to watch down the stretch.


Losers

1. Tebow Nation:  All of us non-believers finally have a game to point to and say "look, here's why Tebow won't be a successful NFL quarterback."  There were few good plays by Tebow and a myriad of bad ones.  Some things we can take away from his performance against the Lions: First, he can't throw under pressure.  Second, his throwing motion is still two time longer than any other NFL quarterback's.  Third, intangibles can only take you so far.  You still need skill.  I'll give Tebow one more season before he's gone for good as an NFL quarterback.

2. Rob Ryan:  The Ryan family talks a lot, and they generally do a good job of backing it up.  Not this time.  The Cowboys' Defensive Coordinator spoke up way back in traning camp and proclaimed that his Cowbows would turn the Eagles' Dream Team into a nightmare.  Instead, the tables were turned and the Eagles put up 34 points on what was one of the best defenses in the league.  Now Ryan is left apologizing and taking the blame for an embarrassing loss

3. San Diego Chargers:  The Chargers always do this to us - they pretend to be really good, then prentend to be really bad, then pretend to be really good again just enough to make another disappointing playoff run.  This time is different though, because all of a sudden, Phillip Rivers can't get his act together.  Rivers was always at least good statistically, but with 7 touchdown passes and 9 interceptions on the season, he doesn't even have that going for him.  Add to that his last-minute fumble that cost his Chargers a victory this weekend and one of the leagues toughest remaining schedules and the San Diego faithful could be looking at a long season.

BONUS - New Orleans Saints: They lose to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, beat the life out of the Indianapolis Colts, then hand the St. Louis Rams their first win of the season.  Does anybody know what is going on with these guys?

BONUS - Chris Johnson: There were a lot of losers in the NFL this week, and Johnson was a big one.  After signing a gigantic contract, CJ2K has done nothing but disappoint thus far.  Everyone though going up against Indianapolis' 31st-ranked rush defense would turn his season around, but he still failed miserably, rushing 14 times for only 34 yards. That's an average of 2.4 yards per carry.  If he's on your fantasy team, trade him to the ignorant owner in the league.  There's always one of them.

Top Five

1. Green Bay Packers (7-0):  It turns out a bye week is the only way to stop Aaron Rodgers.
2. Pittsburgh Steelers (6-2): Maybe this defense isn't as old and tired as we initially thought.
3. New England Patriots (6-2): As long a Tom Brady can avoid more bad days, they'll be fine.
4. San Francisco 49ers (6-1): I'm waiting for them to prove themselves against a good team one more time before I move them up.
5. Baltimore Ravens (5-2): The Tale of Two Flaccos had a happy ending as the Ravens just got by the Cardinals this weeked.

Playoff Teams

AFC
East: New England Patriots
North: Pittsburgh Steelers
South: Houston Texans
West: San Diego Chargers
Wild Card: Buffalo Bills
Wild Card: Baltimore Ravens

NFC
East: Philadelphia Eagles
North: Green Bay Packers
South: New Orleans Saints
West: San Francsico 49ers
Wild Card: New York Giants
Wild Card: Detroit Lions

Commentary: I know I just bashed the Chargers, but they're loaded with talent and bound to figure it out before it's too late.  Also, I'm done holding the Raiders a playoff spot when there are more impressive teams fighting for the same spot.  As far as the NFC goes, I haven't been so sure of my picks this whole season.  The Eagles are back in form, Eli Manning is doing a great jobs with the Giants, and the Lions ended their losing skid.  If you can believe it, New Orleans is the only team that I'm starting to doubt.

NFL Week 7 Review

Week 7 is done and over with, which means we're almost halfway through the regular season.  Isn't that a depressing thought?   Not for Lions fans - they wish the season ended two weeks ago.  Colts fans wish there were a lockout and Dolphins fans wish Tim Tebow wore a different shade of blue and orange.  Anyways, here are your winners and losers from Week 7.

Winners

1.  New Orleans Saints:  62-7? That looks like a score more appropriate for an LSU game than an NFL game.  Each year the NFL seems to have one of these memorable blowouts that either accentuates how good a team is or how bad a team is.  Last year it was Mike Vick and the Eagles shredding the Redskins, 56-28.  This year, Drew Brees and his near-perfect passer rating (31 of 35 for 325 yards and 5 TDs) led the Saints' air strike on the Manningless Colts.  More good news for New Orleans: next up are the winless Rams.  More records? It's a possibility.

2.  Minnesota Vikings:  Yeah, they lost their game to the Packers, but they were right to start Christian Ponder.  The first-round pick out of Florida State had the Vikings in the game late against the NFL's best team and clearly gave them a better chance to win than Donovan McNabb ever would have.  Minnesota probably reached for him on draft day, but Sunday's performance (22 of 49 for 219 yards and 2 TDs/2 INTs) hinted that Ponder could be the long-term answer at quarterback.

3. Houston Texans: Andre who?  As long as Arian Foster is carrying the ball,  the Texans might not even need a quarterback.  Trying to compensate for the loss of star wideout Andre Johnson, Foster was able to score 3 touchdowns and lead Houston to a 41-7 victory over the Tennessee Titans, with whom they were tied for the division lead before the game.  As far as Andre Johnson goes, he could be back in action as soon as next week, but there's no need to rush - the Texans don't face a team with a winning record until week 10.

Losers

1. Indianapolis Colts:  The last time the Colts and Saints played each other in the regular season, Peyton Manning went into the Superdome and put up 41 points.  By that measure (as simple and inaccurate as it is), Indianapolis would have lost even with their star quarterback playing.  My point is, the Colts have too many problems to blame their winless season on Manning's injury.  The defense is porous, the running game is awful - it's amazing what Peyton was able to cover up when he was on the field.  More bad news for the Colts:  of the winless teams, they have the easiest remaining schedule.  The Suck 4 Luck campaign could be in jeopardy as well.

2. Detroit Lions:  Two weeks ago I was ready to peg the Lions as the second-best team in the league, ahead of the Patriots.  Since then, the defense has stalled, Calvin Johnson has stopped being amazing, and Matthew Stafford has limped off of the field with a knee injury.  And between Jim Schwartz's run-down of Jim Harbaugh last week and Ndamukong Suh's taunting this week, Detroit is earning a reputation as a dirty and disrespectful team.  Next week they face their polar opposite: golden-boy-knight-in-shining-armor-Jesus-of-football Tim Tebow (and the rest of the Denver Broncos...I almost forgot they existed).

3. AFC West Uncertain Futures:  I'll dedicate this last one to two teams who could be headed in a great direction or an awful one, depending on how the next couple weeks play out.  We'll start with the Denver Broncos.  John Fox caved in and started Tim Tebow against the Dolphins on Sunday.  For 57 minutes he looked like he was going to have a career in speech writing or motivational speaking -anything but football.  But then he turned it around and led his team to an overtime victory by scoring twice in the final two minutes. Which Tebow will we see this week? Speech writing Tebow or Two-minute Tebow?   The second team is the Oakland Raiders.  Who knew that between Kyle Boller and Carson Palmer, it wouldn't matter who played?  The six interceptions weren't pretty, but neither was seeing Darren McFadden go down with a bruised ankle.  Good news though - the Raiders have a bye to let McFadden heal and teach Palmer the offense.  We'll see in a couple of weeks whether or not the Palmer trade was worth it.

Top 5

1. Green Bay Packers (7-0):  Aaron Rodgers completed passes to eight different receivers on the Packers' first drive, which resulted in a touchdown.  Best QB in the league? I think so.
2. New England Patriots (5-1): Patriots bye killed and saved a lot of fantasy owners this week.
3. New Orleans Saints (5-2): I bet Reggie Bush would have liked to be a part of Sunday's game.
4. San Francisco 49ers (5-1): 49ers bye had no effect on fantasy owners this week.
5. Pittsburgh Steelers (5-2): After a slow start, the Steelers are getting back to winning again.


Playoff Teams

AFC
East: New England Patriots
North: Baltimore Ravens
South: Houston Texans
West: San Diego Chargers
Wild Card: Pittsburgh Steelers
Wild Card: Oakland Raiders

NFC
East: Philadelphia Eagles
North: Green Bay Packers
South: New Orleans Saints
West: San Francisco 49ers
Wild Card: Detroit Lions
Wild Card: Atlanta Falcons

Commentary:  I'll start with the AFC North.  I see both the Ravens and Steelers in the playoffs, and I'm giving the division to Baltimore because they won head-to-head.  The AFC West is tricky.  The Chargers have only beaten bad teams and the Raiders could be really good or really bad.  Also, the Chiefs are back in the race.  I don't see the Jets in the playoffs because they can't go the whole season only winning must-win games.  In the NFC East, the Eagles need to beat the Cowboys this week to prove they belong at the top.  The Giants and Cowboys could secure a wild card spot if Detroit continues this rut they're in.  The Falcons are starting to put it together, and once they do, look out.

NFL Week 6 Review

The big news coming out of today is the Raiders' acquisition of Carson Palmer from the Bengals in exchange for a first-round pick in 2012 and a first-round pick in 2013 (the 2013 pick only if the Raiders win a playoff game this year).  I'll get to that later, but here are you winners and losers of Week 6.

Winners

1. Philadelphia Eagles:  Eagles fans can always count on games at Washington for big wins.  Last year, Vick and the Eagles dismantled the Redskins in what would be one of the most epic offensive performances in recent memory.  This year, the game was a little closer, but may have been more critical.  By winning on Sunday, the Eagles may have turned the corner on a forgettable start.  Even though they're only 2-4, their 1-1 divisional record is tied with the Redskins for the best in the NFC East.  If the offensive line continues to improve (as they undoubtedly did last week) and the defense can keep forcing turnovers to mask the linebacker issues, the Eagles could get back into the playoff picture - and I'm not just talking Divisonal Round.

2. Jim Harbaugh and his San Francisco 49ers: After winning a close game in Detroit, I believe it's time for all of us to take the Niners seriously.  After starting out 4-1 most of us assumed they would win the dismal NFC West, but following Sunday's performance, we can only imagine how far Harbaugh can take this team.  Harbaugh is clearly excited, and his team is excited with him.  Now if only they could get a decent quarterback.

3. Mike Brown, Carson Palmer, and the Cincinnati Bengals: Nobody knows how to drive down the value of his players like Mike Brown, but it turns out that nobody knows how to drive up player values like the Davis family.  Carson Palmer gets his wish granted and is leaving the Bengals, who will be rewarded with possibly two first-round picks to build around the surprisingly good duo of Andy Dalton and A.J. Green.  In a league where Donovan McNabb was traded for two sixth-rounders and Brandon Lloyd was just dealt for late draft pick, you could only call this one thing for the Bengals: a steal.  They get rid of a player who wasn't playing (and his contract) and get a gold mine of talent in return.  In a couple of years, watch out for the Bengals.

Losers

1. Dallas Cowboys:  Nobody really expected them to beat the Patriots this week, but they should have been able to muster more than 16 points against the league's worst passing defense.  But no.  Tony Romo and the Cowboys couldn't get it done in the red zone, twice settling for field goals of less than 30 yards.  In a game that was lost by four points, a couple of touchdowns could have gone a long way to turning this loss into a victory.  Also, Dallas is now 2-3, which they are under .500 through their first five games for the second straight year.  The team that was projected to win last year's Super Bowl is underperforming yet again.  Expect to see them in the "loser" section often.

2.  Jim Schwartz and the Detroit Lions: Not only was Detroit unable to pull out a close win, but Jim Harbaugh made Jim Schwartz look like a sore loser after the game.  Yes, Harbaugh was extremely rude with his "handshake" and alleged profanity, but Schwartz has to keep his temper and walk away, not chase down Harbaugh and start a fight.  All of a sudden, the attention has turned away from the fact that Calvin Johnson was shut down (for the most part) and Brandon Pettigrew has butterfingers and is now looking at issues that have nothing to do with the game itself.  Franchises hate it when this happens (see Philadelphia Sign-Gate issue), and the only thing they can do to make people forget is win. Fortunately for the Lions, they're still in a great position to do that.

3. Sean Payton and the Saints:  When Jimmy Graham rolled into Saints Head Coach Sean Payton, a lot more was hurt than Payton's leg.  In the locker room with a broken tibia and torn meniscus, Payton was unable to call plays for the Saints, which most likely contributed to their 26-20 loss to Tampa Bay.  Payton had surgery yesterday, and while the results were good, the fact that he won't be able to walk for a while is a concern.  However, he should be able to make it up to the press box to call plays now, and his quarterback is still Drew Brees.  The Saints should be fine despite Payton's injury.

BONUS

Oakland Raiders:  The trade for Carson Palmer could be looked at as a genius move that made Oakland a perennial playoff team.  Or it could go down as a desperate trade that only destroyed the Raiders' future for years to come.  When quarterback Jason Campbell broke his collarbone and was pronounced out for the season, it looked like the Raiders' 4-2 start would be all for nothing.  The list of replacements was thin at best with free agent QB David Garrard having surgery and Kyle Boller as the backup.  In a last-ditch effort to save their season, the Raiders' front office pulled off huge trade just hours before the deadline.  Choosing the present over the future, Carson Palmer was acquired for the steep price of two first-round picks - a move that would make the late Al Davis happy.  Only time will tell whether it was worth it.  I think it was.

Top 5

1. Green Bay Packers (6-0):  They don't face a true test until they go to San Diego in Week 9.
2. New England Patriots (5-1): The Pats have the league's best passing offense and worst passing defense. I bet Tom Brady throws for 500 yards and 4 touchdowns every practice.
3. Baltimore Ravens (4-1): Anquan Boldin had his first 100-yard receiving game since week 1 of 2010.  If he can stay hot, look out.
4. San Francisco 49ers (5-1): All of this with Alex Smith, who is 28th in the league in Quarterback Rating (ESPN's fancy new QB stat).
5. Detroit Lions (5-1): It's okay Detroit! It's only one loss! You can put away the paper bag masks!

Playoff Teams

AFC
East: New England Patriots
North: Baltimore Ravens
South: Houston Texans
West: San Diego Chargers
Wild Card: Oakland Raiders
Wild Card: Pittsburgh Steelers

NFC
East: Philadelphia Eagles
North: Green Bay Packers
South: New Orleans Saints
West: San Francisco 49ers
Wild Card: Detroit Lions
Wild Card: Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Commentary: First, the AFC. The Tennesee Titans and Houston Texans play this week, and that will tell us a lot about the AFC South.  Also, I replaced the Buffalo Bills with the Pittsburgh Steelers because Rashard Mendenhall appears to have gotten his legs back (both teams are 4-2).  Yes, Carson Palmer will take the Raiders to the playoffs.  Whether he wins a game remains to be seen.  As for the NFC, it took a lot for me to not include the New York Giants. I honestly (and objectively) think that the Eagles will take the division.  The last wild-card spot is a toss-up though between the Giants and Bucs.  This week, I hand it to the Bucs because they were able to rebound from their loss to the 49ers and take down a very good Saints team without their starting running back (LaGarrette Blount will be out for at least one more game).  Next week it could be a completely different story.

NFL Week 5 Review

Week 5 Review
Winners

1. Tim Tebow: All Tebow has asked for is a chance to prove himself, and it looks like he's going to get it.  Earlier today, Broncos Head Coach John Fox announced that Tebow will be the starter in week seven in Miami.  Denver has a bye this weekend, so Tebow will have maximum preparation with the first team in practice.  Also, the Dolphins are honoring the 2009 Florida Gators championship team that was led by Tebow.  With a lot of gator fans in attendance, it will feel like a home game for number 15.  On top of that, what better opponent to face than the Dolphins?  Miami is 0-4 and 31st overall in passing yards allowed.  Not only does Tebow get his chance, he gets his chance in the best circumstances possible.

2. Andy Dalton: Red-heads can play quarterback after all!  The Bengals are the beneficiaries of possibly the league's easiest schedule, but a 3-2 mark is much better than anybody expected from a team led by a 2nd round draft pick.  Dalton has a better completion percentage than his rookie counterpart Cam Newton and has one fewer interceptions as well (I would include Blaine Gabbert in this discussion, but he's only started three games to Newton's and Dalton's five).  With games coming up against the Colts and Seahawks, Andy Dalton could have his team at 5-2 and be in contention for rookie of the year.

3. Indianapolis Colts: There couldn't be a more convenient time to be losing all of your games.  After edging Kansas City last week in the suck for Luck sweepstakes, Indy is the clear frontrunner for Stanford's prized star. Owner Jim Irsay did say that if his team was in that situation, they would draft Luck, but he has another option that could change his mind.  Fresh off of signing Peyton Manning to a 5-year, $90 million contract, the Colts could trade down for a plethora of picks to build another Super Bowl team around Manning.  And I don't know about you, but having Manning and Luck back-to-back seems a little unfair, right?


Losers

1. Philadelphia Eagles:  The Eagles remain on this losers list until they win or lose too many times to be relevant.  Critical mistakes late in the game cost them a win at Buffalo and dropped them to 1-4.  By the way, only five teams to open the season 1-4 have made the playoffs.  However, I don't believe any team is in as good of a situation as the Eagles to become the sixth.  The NFC East is up for grabs, and Sunday's game against the division-leading Redskins will tell a lot about the Eagles' chances.  If they lose, they fall to 1-5 and 0-2 in the division and are essentially done.  But if Philly wins, they can go into a bye week with hope and spend an extra week addressing problems on the offensive line and in the linebacking core.

2. Tampa Bay Buccaneers:  They're still at 3-2, but after getting crushed by the 49ers 48-3, there have to be some doubts about their playoff chances.  With New Orleans playing the way they are, the Bucs aren't going to win the NFC South.  And with the Atlanta starting to figure out their offense (it's unfortunate that they had to play the Packers, because the Falcons are ready to break out), the wild card spot not going to the Lions (or Packers) could have some greater competition.  Also, Tampa has a tough stretch coming up against the Saints, Bears, Saints again, Texans, Packers, and Titans.  They don't get a break until they play Carolina in Week 13.  It doesn't take much to see the Bucs at 3-8 and out of contention.

3. Kansas City Chiefs: With wins against the Colts in Week 5 and Vikings in week 4, the Cheifs have effectively taken themselves out of the Luck sweepstakes.  It's encouraging (in a real "let's try to win this season" way) that their three losses have come at the hands of the Bills, Lions, and Chargers, but Kansas City has too difficult of a schedule this year to contend for a playoff spot, especially with the resurgence of the Raiders.  That leaves the Cheifs in the middle ground - sub-.500 finish but not bad enough to get a great talent in the draft.  A missed opportunity, considering Eric Berry and Jamaal Charles are hurt.  It would have been a great year to follow the Colts' model and go after Luck.


Top 5

1. Green Bay Packers (5-0): The Pack came from behind to defeat the Falcons comfortably, scoring 25 unanswered points.
2. New England Patriots (4-1): It turns out the Pats are also 6th in the league in rushing. Who knew?
3. Detroit Lions (5-0): Calvin Johnson is becoming a legitimate MVP candidate.
4. New Orleans Saints (4-1): Brees is also playing like an MVP, leading his Saints to a 4th quarter win over the Panthers.
5. Baltimore Ravens (3-1): A bye week cost them a spot in my top 5. Sorry.

Playoff Teams

AFC
East: New England Patriots
North: Baltimore Ravens
South: Houston Texans
West: San Diego Chargers
Wild Card: Buffalo Bills
Wild Card: Oakland Raiders
NFC
East: Dallas Cowboys
North: Green Bay Packers
South: New Orleans Saints
West: San Francisco 49ers
Wild Card: Detroit Lions
Wild Card: Atlanta Falcons

Commentary: The only reason I chose the Cowboys to win the East is because they're the only team not called the Redskins that didn't suffer a crushing loss over the weekend.  I also replaced the Jets with the Bills because the Bills beat the Patriots and the Jets couldn't.  The Falcons earned the final wild card spot because they lost to the best team in the league while the Bucs got whipped by a team from the NFC West.  Atlanta also has a rather easy out-of-division schedule with matchups against the Colts, Jaguars, and Vikings.

NFL Week 4 Review

Each Tuesday I will be posting a review of the previous week of NFL action.  At the end of each article I will include my top 5, games to watch next week, and a list of teams I expect to make the playoffs (let's see how long it takes me to take the Eagles off of this list). So here it goes.

Week 4 Review

Winners

1. Detroit Lions:  A trait of good teams is the ability to come back from large deficits and win games.  The Lions are 4-0 and have overcome 20-point deficits in consecutive weeks.  In a conference where so-called playoff locks like the Eagles and Falcons are struggling mightily, Detroit is looking good for games in January.

2. Jim Harbaugh:  The rookie head coach is also off to great start, sitting at 3-1 and coming off of a huge win over the preseason favorite Eagles.  To think that he's doing this with average to below-average players has to give 49ers fans hope for the future and maybe even this year.  San Francisco is the only team with more than one win in the dismal NFC West and will get into the playoffs if another team doesn't figure it out soon.

3. Michael Vick:  Yes, his team endured a devastating loss, but we saw a lot more of the 2010 Vick last week than we had previously.  Vick was 30-46 for 416 yards with 2 TDs passing and rushed for 75 yards on 8 carries.  Unfortunately, he didn't have any help from his running backs (McCoy's line: 9 carries for 18 yards.  Brown's: 3 carries for 15 yards and a bonehead fumble).  Eagles fans hope that this is a sign of things to come for Vick, who to this point had been rather underwhelming.

Losers

1. Tony Romo:  The way Romo's season is going, he's bound to be on either the "winners" list or "losers" list every week.  This week, two pick-sixes in the 3rd quarter help Romo get on the loser list.  Like Vick, his team endured a crushing defeat after leading 20-3 at the half, but unlike Vick, he had a lot to do with his team's loss.  Leave it to Deion Sanders to explain the rest.

2. Philadelphia Eagles: The loss to the Falcon hurt, but was understandable because Vick left the game early and the Falcons are supposed to be good.  The loss to the Giants hurt more, but there's still the excuse that Vick left early.  In Week 4, however, Vick put up MVP stats and Philly still found a way to lose.  The linebacker issue is a big one, as is the offensive line issue.  The highly-touted secondary can't cover everybody, and with half of the defensive line on the sideline, it's just that much easier for teams to get to the second level (or should I say "suck-ond level."  I'm allowed to do that because this is my team I'm criticizing and everybody already knows I like stupid jokes.)  Philly travels to Buffalo next week to face the "are they for real?" Bills in need of a turnaround win.

3. Pittsburgh Steelers: The defending AFC champions are off to a rough start, and it just got rougher.  Not only did QB Ben Roethlisberger take a beating, but defensive icon and leader James Harrison could be out for a while with what I will be calling a broken face (it's really an broken orbital bone).  He will be having face surgery tomorrow and there is no timetable for his return.

Top 5

1. Green Bay Packers (4-0): Aaron Rodgers looked unstoppable this week against Denver.
2. New England Patriots (3-1): The Brady-Welker combo is either a dream or nightmare for fantasy owners.
3. Detroit Lions (4-0): If Stafford stays healthy, Detroit will be here for a while.
4. Baltimore Ravens (3-1): Raven's D almost killed me in fantasy this week.
5. New Orleans Saints (3-1): They've got two road games before coming back to the "Mercedes-Benz Superdome."

Games to Watch

1. Philadelphia at Buffalo:  How will the Eagles' D fare against Ryan Fitzpatrick and and Fred Jackson?  Falling to 1-4 would be unacceptable for a team that is supposed to be contending for the Super Bowl.  On the other hand, a Buffalo win could solidify their place among contenders.

2. New York Jets at New England Patriots: the Jets-Pats rivalry generally produces good games, but will the Revis-Cromartie cornerback tandem be able to slow down Brady?  The league's second-best pass defense will have its hands full, so Mark Sanchez will need to step up to get his team a win.

3. Chicago Bears at Detroit Lions: How many sacks will Ndamukong Suh get on Jay Cutler? This game is worth watching just for that, but it will also be a test for the Lions.  Falling behind by 20 is not an option this week because Matt Forte can keep Detroit's high-powered passing attack off the field. 

Playoff Teams

AFC
East: New England Patriots
North: Baltimore Ravens
South: Tennessee Titans
West: San Diego Chargers
Wild Card: Oakland Raiders
Wild Card: New York Jets

NFC
East: Philadelphia Eagles
North: Green Bay Packers
South: New Orleans Saints
West: San Francisco 49ers
Wild Card: Detroit Lions
Wild Card: Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The Break is Over

Football season is back and that gives me a lot of motivation to start writing again, so I'll be back to blogging on a regular basis.  I also encourage you to check out a new blog I have: Jason Clark Sports - Long Beach State.  This blog has been created specifically for a journalism class I am taking this semester where I was fortunate enough to land the Men's Sports beat.  All of the articles will be related to Long Beach State sports, which at this time of year translates to "all of the articles will be about Long Beach State golf."  Not really. I'll try to make it as diverse as I can.

Anyways, I'll be back to writing two to three times a week, starting today.  So keep following, keep reading, and keep ignoring your midterms in favor of football.

Top "This Is Sportscenter" Commercials

This has been done before, most notably by bleacherreport.com, but their article was posted in 2009, and since then we have had a host of new and hilarious "This Is Sportscenter" commercials.  I will do my best to rank the Top 5 commercials of all-time, with the criteria being simply how funny they are.  Now, there are very many "This Is Sportscenter" commercials.  I tried to watch all of them, but soon realized that it was an uphill battle.  So I trust that the ESPN Youtube page provided me with the greatest hits.  Without further ado, the Top 5 "This Is Sportscenter" commercials of all-time.

5. Scott Van Pelt and Jimmy Rollins

My favorite "This is Sportscenter" commercials are funny because of one or two hilarious lines.  This one has a couple.

4. Arnold Palmer

Simple yet funny, Arnold Palmer making an Arnold Palmer comes in at #4.

3. Landon Donovan

The best part is that he gets a red card for saying "I didn't even do anything."

2. Manny Ramirez

The performances of Jay Harris and Steve Levy are what make this commercial great. 

1. David Ortiz Betrayal

Put nicely, I hate the Red Sox.  So how did members of this franchise end up claiming the top two spots in my rankings?  They're both hilarious. 

Honorable Mentions

Oregon Duck

Swearing

Late

Brett Favre System

Anchors in HD

Chad Ochocinco

Pat Summitt

Journalistic Integrity

Scott Boras

Shaun White

I'd love some feedback on this one.  Did I miss a top 5 commercial?  Do you think the rankings should be reorganized?  Were any of the honorable mentions deserving of more than just a mention?  Also, in case copyrights keep the top videos from being viewed here, the links for each one, in order, are posted below.

Scott Van Pelt and Jimmy Rollins: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xiTvoK3L-go

Arnold Palmer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wLxKSvkpE1Y

Landon Donovan: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X5fYJcdEeiM

Manny Ramirez: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=77fM_9w7mBU

David Ortiz: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y0iR05lYy1g