Coffee Talk: The Sports Blog

NFL Week 13 Predict-a-thon: The Edition with Playoff Implications

Thirteen weeks into a very exciting season, and this is where we sit for the playoff seeds:

In the NFC, the Saints are 11-0. The Vikings are 10-1. There are really not many teams that pose a chance of stopping either of them on the schedule. The Saints may need to actually go undefeated just to secure homefield advantage throughout the whole playoff series. The Vikings could post a 15-1 record (I doubt they will) and still not knot up the top seed. That is insane.

Now, in terms of the top seed, things clearly aren’t as competitive in the AFC. The Colts already have their division locked up, and even the biggest colossal collapse could not keep the Colts from losing their composure and knotting up the top seed.

When it comes to the elite teams of the league, it narrows down to the Saints, Colts, and Vikings. The Patriots still would have had a spot up here until the Saints completely exposed how poor their defense was. There is virtually no other team in the league that compares to the Saints and Vikings’ completeness of a team, and for the sake of the Colts, nobody finds ways to win better than a Peyton Manning-led team. Despite a depleted defense, the Colts are still unbeaten.

Is this a true testament to how great these teams are, or is the NFL really just…full of really bad teams this year?

I’ve watched many teams on their campaign for the playoffs. I’ve see supposedly-contending teams play poor offense and poor defense and still manage to win against horrid teams. I’ve watched Browns games, and dear god I still don’t understand how I manage to survive. I’ve watched Larry Fitzgerald and Braylon Edwards, just to name glaring examples, drop the easiest of passes.

It’s a very conflicting question to answer. The reason? The Saints and the Colts really are as good as their record shows, and while the Vikings have shown more struggles in the long run, they are still easily one of the biggest threats to win the Super Bowl.

Maybe it’s a mixture of the top teams being too good that there’s no room for the rest of the teams in the league to show any sign of improvement or implications for contending. This has, to an extent, been the same problem with the NBA. There are a solid 8 teams that almost guaranteeingly make the playoffs each year, and the rest of the franchises never have a chance to make big enough changes to their rosters to show that they can contend.

The Saints were supposed to have blockbuster matchups against the Jets, the Giants, and the Patriots this season; the kind of games in which go down to the very wire. The Jets defense had their way with Drew Brees, but the Saints completely shut down Sanchez and his offense and dominated the game on defense. When the Giants came into town, the Saints offense completely exposed the Giants secondary and blew them out of the park with a double-digit win. The Giants then went a month without a win, and without answers as to why they were losing. The Jets collapsed for a few weeks as well, and while they are still very much alive in the playoff hunt, the amount of miscues and turnovers generated since the Saints game for that team has hurt their chances. As for the Patriots? It was the biggest game of the year, and the Saints played like it was an exhibition match. The Patriots got pummeled on defense and shut down on offense. Bill Belichick literally had no answers for this team. The Saints beat other teams so bad that it causes them to go into disarray following the loss. The only imperfectness that lies within this team is the field goal attempts, which could come back to bite them if they don’t adjust accordingly.

The Vikings have had a more favorable schedule, but they won games they weren’t supposed to win, dominated in games they are supposed to win, and hung tight with a healthy Pittsburgh in their only loss. Brett Favre has played some of the most perfect football of his career, as he is more accurate than he’s ever been. The Vikings look to have more flaws of the big three (costly turnovers by Adrian Peterson is a big example), but have played consistently and conservatively.

As for the Colts, they are unlikely to run the table, but here they are at 11-0 and are still playing solid football. They have looked pedestrian against weaker teams, but when you have Peyton Manning, you always have a chance. He is still having a great season. He is still making weapons out of anybody on the offense. They may not be as complete as Minnesota or New Orleans, but the Colts play like a complete team when it counts the most.

As you look further down the list of teams, you start to question who even comes next in line after these three juggernaut teams. The Bengals? Championship teams do not lose games against the Raiders. The Cardinals? This team struggles with consistency, and we’ll have more of an idea about how good this team is when the play the Vikings Sunday. The Cowboys forgot how to score points. You could make a case for San Diego possibly, but I am not a believer of their defense just yet.

There has never been a bigger gap of team legitimacy than what we have this year. The championship contenders have been mapped out and every other team is just battling for wild card spots. I mean, the Cardinals only have a seed because they play in an awful division. If they competed in any other division, they would be trailing. There is a lack of balance in the NFC, and even though the AFC has undergone periods of the same teams making it into the playoffs, at least it’s competitive enough during the playoffs that the matchups remain fresh and exciting.

People are already counting down the days until the NFC Championship between the Saints and the Vikes. After last year with the Cardinals, normally it would be foolish to even think that the playoffs would surely come down to the top seeded teams. Nobody has that underdog magic this year though. The Eagles may have a shot at playing spoiler, but I don’t see it elsewhere. And unless Peyton Manning truly has returned to his old habit of choking in the playoffs (strong possibility), there is really not a team that could contend with the Colts in the AFC playoff picture. They are going to get healthier on both sides of the ball, and they will be well prepared for their playoff return this year.

One could dream of a possible Super Bowl between the two unbeaten teams. Surely, such a matchup between the Saints and the Colts would be one of the greatest football games ever showcased, and we would no longer have to hear from those damn ‘72 Dolphins about their perfect season.

But let’s not get too excited about 16-0 again for any team. There are still five weeks of football left to be played before we enter the postseason. And I don’t see one of these unbeaten teams staying that way for long.

Onto the games!

WEEK 13 PREDICTIONS

(Home team are in ALL CAPS)

GAME OF THE WEEK

Minnesota AT ARIZONA

According to WarnerWatch, Kurt’s been taking reps at practice and should be ready to go against the Vikings on Sunday night. And that is tremendous news for the Cardinals. Matt Leinart was pretty good last week against the Titans and you can’t blame him for the loss, but the offense has a completely different mojo when Kurt Warner is in the huddle. Who knows, he could have made a difference of some sort in the game. Nevertheless, they have a tough game against the Vikings. The Cardinals have not played well at home this season, and the injuries have stalled their resurgence as a threat in the NFC. This is the kind of defense that will either hold tight early enough or completely fall apart before they can make an impact. Brett Favre and Adrian Peterson will be a hell of a test. I think this game will teach us a lot about both of these teams. We will see how the Vikings fare against a more formidable foe, as they have plowed through a lot of tomato can-teams this season. A win for the Cardinals will be huge for their confidence as they start a late-season surge for a higher playoff berth. Brett Favre will have better luck airing it out against the Cardinal defense than Kurt Warner will against the intense pass rush of the Vikings Defense. Seeing as I think this game will come down to better quarterback play, I have to go with Brett Favre in this one.

Winner: Minnesota

UPSET OF THE WEEK

Tampa Bay AT CAROLINA

I was going to go with the favorite of Tennessee over Indy, but with the way the season has gone for Tampa Bay, I see this weekend being their best shot at a win. Carolina has officially finished up with Jake Delhomme as their starter, replacing him with Matt Moore this weekend. Moore’s not just going to walk into the huddle and establish control with an offense that includes a “Give me the ball!” presence like Steve Smith. The Panthers are extremely vulnerable right now, and for a coach like Raheem Morris, you know this is your best shot at a win. The Bucs NEED this win. The offense is starting to click behind Josh Freeman, but their defense keeps letting games slide out of their grasps. If the Bucs can play a complete game and finish out the 4th quarter, the Panthers will have a significantly smaller chance at capping the day off with a win. I see Tampa Bay winning their first game on the road this season with inspired offensive play and making stands on defense.

Winner: Tampa Bay

AND THE REST OF THE STRETCH

Philadelphia AT ATLANTA

Michael Vick returns to Atlanta! …okay, maybe not like that. Vick is a 3rd string quarterback for the Eagles and Atlanta is injury-depleted. This game has lost much of its luster because Philadelphia is on cruise control and Atlanta has reached a breaking point. McNabb (and my fantasy team) will be without DeSean Jackson, but he has plenty of other weapons to throw to, and up against this Falcons secondary, this game is pretty much a foregone conclusion. Any amount of competitiveness will only stem from McNabb and his offense being out of rhythm, but rest assured, they will find it and win. There are way too many holes in the Falcons defense for an offense this high-powered to not find ways to win.

Winner: Philadelphia

St. Louis AT CHICAGO

Now this game should be hard on the eyes. Jay Cutler is a turnover machine. The Rams are still anemic. Both teams are out of the playoff picture. I’d say this is a huge game for pride, but I can’t imagine having much pride right now if I am Jay Cutler, or any member of the Rams squad for that matter. Steven Jackson will make some noise, but I see Cutler getting something going on offense. Too little too late, but nonetheless…

Winner: Chicago

Detroit AT CINCINATTI

You want inconsistency? The Bengals have lost games they should have won, but have beaten teams that usually have their number…twice! Who knows what to expect with this team each week? I don’t have much confidence in the Lions anymore after watching that Thanksgiving Game. Stafford will be their quarterback of the future, but he got drafted to a really bad team, so development will stagger for a couple years before he finally has a breakout year, Until then, this is his rookie year, and he is playing a very tough defense. The Bengals have more depth in their running game with Larry Johnson, so look for him and the returning Cerdic Benson to get a lot of reps. The Bengals will win his on the ground.

Winner: Cincinatti

Oakland AT PITTSBURGH

Give the Raiders credit for this development: they have officially become the trap game team. Are you a streaking team that needs a terribly disappointing loss? Well the Raiders are just the opponent for you! This is a team with Zach Miller, the most exhaustingly hard to watch player in football, and they still managed to beat the Eagles and the Bengals. You could make the argument that the Bengals beat themselves in Oakland, but not even the Raiders can screw up a score on a kickoff-fumble recovery. This week, they fly to Pittburgh to play a team in desperation mode. The Steelers have lost three straight, including an overtime upset against the Chiefs. At 6-5, the Steelers can’t afford to lose anymore. Ben Roethlisberger is playing under center again, and last time I checked, Mike Tomlin still coaches this team. Coach Tomlin will not allow this team to slip, and I believe the Steelers will make the playoffs for the third year in a row. Their surge starts here.

Winner: Pittsburgh

Tennessee AT INDIANAPOLIS

I was originally on the “Titans beat Colts” bandwagon this week because Vince Young just continues to impress me more and more with the way he manages that Titans offense. He seriously plays with more balance than a good majority of NFL quarterbacks and he has been careful with the ball. With Chris Johnson breaking running records left and right as well as the secondary looking more and more sharp, this team looks almost like a playoff team. In fact, if they run the table the Titans could actually make the playoffs! Will that happen? Nope. Why? The Colts are just that much better. Peyton Manning has been finding ways to win games all season long. The Titans bring forth a great challenge on offense and defense. If the Colts can contain Chis Johnson, you put the game solely on Vince Young’s arm…and I am digging Vince Young lately, but he can’t win games on his own. The offense he runs is a team offense, and even though Chris Johnson steals the show with his stellar play, the entire team needs to click to stay in it. I don’t believe the Colts are taking a fall just yet. I’m sure they will give up a game or two to rest the starters because the playoffs are essentially locked up for them…but they’re still playing hard. I think Vince Young will finally drop a game this season as a starter, but expect a close one.

Winner: Indianapolis

Denver AT KANSAS CITY

The Broncos look to be back on track and Kyle Orton is healthier. They enter a more favorable stretch of the season against a Kansas City team that plays hard at home. The Chiefs can make a big statement with a win here just as they did against the Steelers two weeks ago, but don’t count on it. Broncos coach Josh McDaniels knows that every win at this point counts, and you can bet he’s going to get this team playing hard as the season concludes. They have undergone a rough losing stretch but rebounded nicely against the struggling Giants. The Broncos control their own destiny, and while the division title may no longer be theirs for the taking, the Rocky Mountain Meltdown of 2009 can still be averted. Bradon Marshall continues to be a big play threat, and the Chiefs are pretty bad at covering receivers. They are going to have their hands full with Marshall and Eddie Royal.

Winner: Denver

New England AT MIAMI

No doubt about it: The Patriots were humbled tremendously by the Saints last Monday. The defense gave up five touchdowns to five different receivers and the offense couldn’t put up enough points to even come close to contending in that game. The Pats now travel to Miami on a short week to try to stop the Dolphins, who are now in “must win” mode. The Dolphins have one of the hardest remaining schedules in football, their easiest game against a playoff-berth positioned Jaguars team. They need to win here against the Patriots in order to keep their slim hopes alive. Last time these two teams met, the Wildcat was put to sleep by the Patriots defense. While the Patriots defense may be a bit overwhelmed following Monday night, the Dolphins need to be a bit more creative if they want to stand a chance. This is still a Patriots team coached by Bill Belichick, and while he may not have had answers against the Saints, he definitely knows how to shut down the Dolphins. It will be close due to the playoff implications at hand for both teams, but the Patriots should pull it out in a thriller. The Dolphins are much better than their record shows, but their final five games are just too difficult of a stretch to overcome.

Winner: New England

New Orleans AT WASHINGTON

As if being undefeated wasn’t enough, the Saints have easily the biggest target on their backs. Minnesota trails them by one game, and one loss will give Minnesota homefield advantage throughout the playoffs if both teams happen to finish 15-1. The Saints really cannot afford to lose a game, despite being unbeaten. We may see two teams in the same conference post records higher than 14 wins. That is such an insane statistic. So, as if there wasn’t enough pressure on the Saints, they fly to Washington to play a Redskins team on the road that only contends because of its great defense. Not to mention, it is suppose to be cold and rainy during this game. As if the Saints needed to prove anything else this season, maybe this ill be the weekend where they prove that they can win games in poor weather conditions (even though they kind of did against Buffalo, but there is a big difference between rainy weather and windy weather). The Redskins are playing for pride and would probably love to knock the Saints off of their high horse. This is a hot upset pick, but honestly, any game the Saints play until the playoffs start will be a hot upset pick. Everybody wants to beat the Saints because the Saints are the best team in the league. Don’t look for an upset here, though. Even if Washington’s defense holds up, the offense is inconsistent. They won’t score enough points to beat this Saints team. Here comes 12-0.

Winner: New Orleans

Houston AT JACKSONVILLE

Tough break for the Texans. For a half, they left the Colts without answers or direction, but then completely forgot to show up the second half and the Colts put up 35 points. At 5-6, losing is no longer an option. If this team is going to make the playoffs, they have to run the table. Jacksonville currently holds a lead in the wild card race, which is absolutely criminal because the Jaguars are awful. The Texans need to prove this when they travel to Jacksonville Sunday because their playoff hopes depend on it. The Texans have been playing well…they just cannot close games at all. They either blow it on the kicking game or they just blow it period. This omen is a plague against quality teams. Just look at the 11-5 Patriots and 8-8 Saints from last year. A number of games on their schedule went down to the wire, and those could have garnered playoff spots had they come out on top and finished. If the Texans miss the playoffs this year, they can hopefully learn from this plague and come back stronger next year…although, we’re starting to think that sounds way too familiar to Texans fans. Ladies and gentlemen, your “Maybe Next Year” team of 2009!

Winner: Houston

San Diego AT CLEVELAND

Dear God, the Browns are bad. Bad bad bad bad bad. They have nothing on offense. They have nothing on defense. Their punter is their MVP, and his numbers are in the middle of the punting pack. It is easy to tag them as the worst team in the league. At least Detroit plays hard. Tampa Bay has a solid quarterback that is discovering himself within the offense. And damn, even Oakland wins trap games against good teams, if nothing else. The Browns only won one game this season, and that was a game where their quarterback only had two completions. Two completions. That is even worse than going 0-16 in my book. This has no potential to be interesting. The Chargers are a good team. They move the chains well. They make big plays. The Browns don’t move the chains. They don’t have playmakers. They don’t have an answer at quarterback. They can’t stop anybody. They can’t convert on 3rd down. Their best player is set to retire because of post-concussion syndromes. I’m throwing in the flag. The Browns are the worst team in football. They need to rebuild, and it starts with offense. They need a WINNING quarterback. They need a LEADING quarterback. They need a player that an offense can get better around. It starts at quarterback. Trade away Brady Quinn to Carolina or somebody who needs a young quarterback for draft picks and start to rebuild. If I were the Browns, I’d fire my head coach after the season and draft Tim Tebow. Then I would pick up a coach with a steady offensive philosophy, somebody like Jason Garrett, and build a team around Tebow. From that point forward, you can only grow. Tebow will prove to be a winner, and you generate interests within your fanbase. It may be a costly experience for Tebow’s professional career because the Browns aren’t a team that rebuilds…or resurges, or anything for that matter. But maybe now is the time to become that team. What do the Browns have to lose? If anything, they are in a better position than they have ever been. They can get early draft picks and they have a couple players they do not need with trade value. I’m sure there is a market out there for Brady Quinn. Teams just don’t give up on quarterbacks that have barely been in the position to prove themselves. Anyway, San Diego dominates. The End.

Winner: San Diego

Dallas AT NEW YORK (Giants)

What in the hell happened to the New York Football Giants? They became the most dominant team in the NFC ever since the Super Bowl victory, and this season they are 6-5 after a 5-0 start. Their secondary cannot stop anybody. Their defensive line is not getting enough pressure on quarterbacks. Eli Manning is playing like a rookie, and his running game as fallen apart. This team has quickly fallen in shambles, and they need to show signs of life quickly if they want to be in the playoff picture. Their next three games are against divisional opponents, starting at home this week with Dallas. They have a shot at beating the Cowboys because the Cowboys have had trouble finding the end zone (I’m not counting the Thanksgiving game against the Raiders…come on, now, anybody can score on the Raiders). Dallas has its fair share of stagnant explosiveness as well. Their running game hasn’t really been up to speed lately, and Tony Romo can’t establish a rhythm with his receivers. Both of these teams have big problems, but for the Giants, they face the biggest hump. Dallas just needs to maintain consistency and composure and the NFC East title is theirs for the taking. I think the Giants continue their downfall at home in a close one, much like their Week 2 game at the Dallas home opener.

Winner: Dallas

San Francisco AT SEATTLE

As we continue our look of teams that have fallen apart, the inconsistent 49ers are two games behind in the division and in the wild card chase. The Cardinals set on top of a division that includes the lowly Rams and the Seahawks. The Seahawks are in limbo. They continue to fight injuries and inconsistency, and while a complete rebuilding process may not be necssary, they definitely need to start looking ahead at what they need to do to get this team to contend again. The 49ers are right where they need to be talent and personell wise. They have great players like Frank Gore, Vernon Davis, and Michael Crabtree, and their coach, Mike Singletary, is more than capable of getting his team to rally. This may not be their year, but they are on the verge of a playoff run within the coming years. As for this season, they can keep their slim playoff hopes alive if they can beat the Seahawks. If Arizona loses against Minnesota Sunday night, the 49ers will be one game behind in the division, and a Monday night game next week will decide who leads the division. If the 49ers win it, they will hold a division tiebreaker against the Cardinals and take the lead. Their only real challenge outside of that is a road game against Philadelphia, who currently holds a playoff seed based off of this week’s standings. The 49ers have put themselves in a huge hole, but by winning against the division these next two weeks, they can potentially take control of the NFC West.

Winner: San Francisco

Baltimore AT GREEN BAY

At 7-4, the Packers have ceased control of the wild card race in the NFC. At 6-5, the Ravens are currently chasing the Broncos and the Jaguars for a playoff berth in the AFC. The wild card picture should alternate quite a lot within the coming weeks, but the Ravens cannot afford any more giveaway games. If they can beat the Packers, they will enter a four game stretch against the Lions, Bears, Steelers, and Raiders. The Steelers will be in playoff-surge mode most likely in Week 16, so that game in Pittsburgh does not look good for the Ravens. They can’t afford no more than a single loss, so winning in Green Bay is pivotal. The Packers have protected Aaron Rodgers much better lately, but they haven’t come close to playing the kind of defense that Baltmore is. The Ravens will crack through that offensive lineduring a great portion of this game, so for the Ravens, they need Joe Flacco to put away the game on offense. He’s lost a bit of his mojo lately and his looked relatively shaky behind the huddle, but he needs to rediscover his poise and lead the offense down the field. He has effective weapons around him that can do great harm to that banged up Packers defense. The Packers offense may be good, but that offensive line is going to have a hell of a test against the Ravens. I like Baltimore here for the victory. The Packers are going to have to finish the rest of their schedule strong if they wish to maintain a spot in the playoffs. They travel to Chicago and Pittsburgh back to back before playing the Seahawks at home. The season ends at Arizona against a Cardinals team that will most likely be playing with playoff implications on the line. There is no room for inconsistency here if you are the Packers.

Winner: Baltimore

OTHER TIDBITS…

- BCS News: # 1-ranked Florida takes on # 2-ranked Alabama in the SEC Championship game Saturday. Alabama is the underdog here due to the hype behind Tim Tebow’s final season with the Gators. The Gators have been dealing with distractions, such as their sack leader being arrested and what not…but this is Tim Tebow’s team until January, so regardless of the setbacks, Tim Tebow is going to finish arguably the greatest college football career of all time on top. I’ve got the Gators winning 31-28.

- In other BCS News…. the BCS is still stupid and the lack of a playoff system is astoundingly lazy and embarrassing.

- Manny Pacquiano and Floyd Mayweather will duke it out on March 13th, 2010. Wait, people still watch boxing? (stupid joke because boxing is still the biggest Pay Per View draw in the world).

- NBA News! The Nets finally won their first game of the season after setting a new record for worst start in NBA history. Why on earth would anybody go to Nets games even if they were winning? Christ, I forgot what city they were from and I watch quite a bit of basketball.

- Also, Kobe nailed a last toss of a three pointer to edge out the Miami Heat 108-107. Certainly not on the level of Lebron’s ridiculous three pointer earlier this year in the playoffs, but it’s the kind of stuff you’d come to expect from a career as decorated as Kobe Bryant’s. The Lakers are a playoff staple every year until Kobe retires.

WORLD CUP NEWS!!!!

We play England first in the tournament.

Cheers for Team USA first round exit!

Monday Night Football Week 12: The Saints Continue March to Miami, Reach 11-0

The predictions were relatively constant in similarity. Both teams were scoring a lot of points. Both teams would play to the wire. The Saints would edge it out. The Pats would outplay a team with a depleted defense. Saints. Patriots. Saints. Patriots.

Nobody saw a 21-point difference. And if you think you did, you were clearly just delusional.

Nobody routs a team that has won three super bowl championships within the past decade, especially a New England Patriots team with a hall of fame quarterback in Tom Brady. And Pro Bowl-caliber receivers like Randy Moss and Wes Welker. And a revolutionary coach like Bill Belichick running the plays. Nobody can completely out-stage a team this reputably good in a big game situation on a Monday night.

In 2007, the New England Patriots went 16-0, a perfect record in the regular season. In 2009, the New England Patriots were rightfully kicked off of their throne at the top of Football Olympia.

On the final night of a very quiet November, a Monday Night Football game showcased a power shift in team legitimacy. The once clutch-capable Patriots were completely embarrassed in the Superdome by the home team, a football team once deemed the title “The ‘Aints”.

There was no “ain’t” about this team. The Saints played so well on Monday that I don’t even know where to begin.

We can start at quarterback. What was supposed to be a duel between two elite quarterbacks ended up becoming a bullying session. And the guy usually known for out-dueling quarterbacks ended up getting a taste of his own medicine.

The numbers just don’t lie. Drew Brees donned an absolutely perfect quarterback rating. 371 yards. Five touchdowns to five different receivers. Not a single turnover.

Tom Brady? A quarterback rating of 55.0, far and away one of the lowest of his career. 237 yards. Zero touchdowns. Two interceptions.

Against a defense with nagging injuries all across the front and secondary. New Orleans literally hired old, familiar faces off of the street to compete against the once feared Patriots squad. Mike McKenzie, a former Saint who was let go in the offseason after a knee surgery, and NFL veteran Chris McAlister, contributed tremendously in the absence of Tracy Porter and Jabari Greer. McKenzie had arguably one of the most explosive comeback performances of any player coming back fresh off a surgery, picking off a Tom Brady pass intended for Randy Moss in the first half. The other pick came in the hands of Darren Sharper, the MVP of a New Orleans defense that kept Tom Brady from reaching the end zone by air. It was the eighth interception of the year for this season’s biggest comeback story.

Despite watching the game with a big crowd within my very own home, it was very easy to distinguish the amount of noise and excitement being showered onto the artificial turf of one of the league’s signature stadiums. There wasn’t a member of Who Dat nation anywhere within the contents of the dome that was not on their feet, cheering and showing their love for Louisiana’s most beloved sports franchise.

The Saints offense was unstoppable. Five different receivers caught touchdown passes. Including a third string tight end who hasn’t caught a single pass in his NFL career until tonight. I couldn’t even think of his name without fact checking myself. It is a distribution of the ball like this that makes this Saints team dangerous. Anybody, anyplace, anytime, on the field, can score points. The offense is flawless. It was built to score points, and scoring points it absolutely does. Drew Brees had a field day with Bill Belichick’s proud defense. In fact, the whole offense completely thrashed the defense in all aspects. The running game had its way with the defensive line all night when it counted the most. Drew Brees snapped into a rhythm quickly and never looked back.

The Patriots were completely dominated by a better team, a team who is just a solid field goal kicking situation away from perfection. The offense is unstoppable. The defense forces turnovers more than any other team in the league. When key players have off nights, other players step up in their place and make big plays to substitute any disadvantage plaguing their chances of winning.

The Patriots were beaten by the best team in the league so bad, by the 6-minute mark of the 4th quarter, Patriots coach Bill Belichick benched Tom Brady and other key starters and called it quits.

The New Orleans Saints are 11-0, and are five games away from a perfect season. Only one team with a winning record, the Dallas Cowboys, remain on the schedule. The Saints play at home on a Saturday night against the NFC East leaders. With an inconsistent offense and a defense with plenty of holes, do you honestly think Tony Romo and his group of pretenders can even leave a dent against a team this good?

Perfect season talk often becomes way too common of a topic among NFL teams with monstrous starts. But, really, the Saints are the most complete team in the league. As far as perfection goes, the Saints are about as perfect as you will find right now.

I want to go into detail about a factor I thought was going to a tell a completely different story about this game. Going into this highly-anticipated contest, I thought Wes Welker would be the big play maker of the night for the Patriots, making key receptions and scoring quickly. The type of player Welker is essentially forces defensive coordinators to build a game plan around them. Tonight, though, Welker only gained 46 all-purpose yards— through the air and on the ground. Randy Moss, while far from quiet, only totaled three catches for 67 yards.

By shutting down the biggest targets Brady had at his disposal when it mattered the most, the Patriots ran out of options and could only score two offensive touchdowns through the running game. But with as Saints defense this well disciplined, you can only score on the run for so long. The defensive line tightened up coverage on rushing plays and completely turned their only option on offense into a non-factor.

The Saints don’t have the best defense in the league by any means, but with the array of talent and big play corners on their squad, who needs to be a statistically solid defense when you are making the plays that matter the most? The defensive philosophy behind this great unit is unbelievable. Remember, everybody, this is a defense that was ranked in the lower portions of the defensive stats only a season ago. They were almost last in defensive turnovers and were in the 20-ranks in the passing game.

What a difference a year makes. While Drew Brees won’t even come close to having a statistically incredible season like last year, what matters most is the win column. The Saints are a game away from matching their all-time win total of 12, but such a record is irrelevant when you look at the possibilities of perfection.

On this night, the Saints put the rest of the NFL on notice. They have won games in every single way possible. They have destroyed teams. They have won ugly on defense. They have made solid teams look terrible. They have come from behind with deficits ranging from 10 points to 21 points and have achieved victory. The Saints have showcased every single aspect of what a championship team looks like.

A franchise quarterback who has pretty much become the unofficial Mayor of New Orleans, with his MVP-like production on the field and his contributions to the troubled city off the field. An offense that can score on any given down, on any given quarter, on any given field. A defense with the perfect mixture of veterans and rookies making plays and developing an insurmountable chemistry among each other.

You could easily draw up an area of concern with the field goal kicking game and a vulnerable defensive line against the run. But let’s be serious here. Who needs field goals when you score as many points as a Drew Brees-led offense? And why fret about teams with established running games when you can shut down the passing game and force the running game into blitz packages?

Even with potential holes, the Saints are an unsinkable ship. The fans of this team are riding high on one of greatest seasons in this half-century old franchise’s history.

With five games remaining, and a top playoff seed up for grabs, the league’s perfect team are showing no signs of slowing down. And for the sake of their perfect record, the unbeaten New Orleans Saints go back to work immediately as they prepare for a Washington Redskins team with a solid defense and a nothing-to-lose attitude.

In typical Saints fashion, one could assume the perfect record ends here in a trap game. History has no place here for this team, though.

Because this season, the New Orleans Saints are in the process of making a new history.

As Week 13 approaches, an occasion such as this just begs for the question.

Who dat thinks they are going to beat this team?

Saints Nation will see you in January, Minnesota.

NFL Week 12 Predict-a-thon: An Un-Saint-like Season, and the Superdome Showdown (and those other fifteen games)

I think I will just get right to the point.

New Orleans. New England. Monday Night Football.

It has been continuously hyped by ESPN and all other sports outlet as the “Superdome Showdown”. Two of the best quarterbacks on the planet, each armed with high-scoring offenses. One team is undefeated. The other is the only team in history to go 16-0. By all accounts, this is about as perfect as it gets for football games.

This column is all about the Shootout of the Century (how’s that for big hype monikers, ESPN?) on Monday night, but we’ll cover that game shortly.

Because this column is written by a Saints fan. An uncomfortable Saints fan.

Every preseason, there is a phenomenon among my fellow Black and Gold enthusiasts. We are always contradicting our team’s legitimacy for playoff contention. Some sort of draft pick, or offseason trade, or personnel change…whatever it may be, always gets “Who Dat” nation giddy.

“This is the year!” “Super bowl bound!” “Destiny awaits!”

Sixteen games later, including a combination of a) rough start, b) midseason choke, c) last minute winning surge amounting to nothing, d) injuries, or e) something extraordinarily embarrassing, and we’re faced with familiar results. 7-9. 8-8. 3-13.

Rinse and repeat for about half of a century. And here we are.

Except this time, it is different. While an offseason full of hype, excitement, and playoff expectations is typical Saints fan tradition, the 2009 campaign has been anything but.

Rough starts? A Week 1 exhibition with the Lions would surely guarantee a winning start. Traveling to Philadelphia, home to an Eagles team with a high-powered offense, and Buffalo back to back is, as history has shown, simply too much to endure for a team like the Saints.

3-0. Well, that’s something.

But, surely, the Saints would stumble to a shutdown, clutch defense like Rex Ryan’s 3-0 Jets. And a complete team as well coached as New York’s other football franchise, the Giants. The Big Apple is simply too much for the Big Easy this year.

5-0. A little out of the ordinary, I suppose.

But let’s be real. The AFC has quality teams from top to bottom, regardless of what records suggest. The remodeled Saints defense can’t possibly contain a Wildcat-obsessed team like the Dolphins on the road in Miami. And what about the NFC South? Atlanta looks like playoff contenders, and Carolina has NEVER LOST in the Superdome since the division had been established.

8-0, surpassing the best start in franchise history? Wait a minute.

At some point, this Saints team has to slip. History has proven so. Especially against the Rams. The Saints always lose to the Rams. They also lose to really, really bad teams, and Tampa Bay fits the bill. Eventually, we need to see a break in the losing column.

10-0. Okay, I am feeling queasy.

I’m not used to dominance this great, or win streaks this extensive. I’m not even used to winning! I’m a Saints fan. I’m part of a fan base that has dealt with heartbreak, disappointment, Katrina, and, worst of all, having to rely on Aaron Brooks. I have seen some solid starts. I have seen some rebounds after losing streaks. I have seen this team overcome significant injuries. But, in the end, it has always been the same. The playoffs are always lacking some black and gold tint.

The 2009 New Orleans Saints are unlike any Saints team we are accustomed to. We don’t have inaccurate quarterbacks like Bobby Herbert or Aaron Brooks. We have Drew Brees, one of the most accurate quarterbacks in the league and easily the greatest free agent signing the Saints franchise has ever had. We don’t have ego-driven playmakers like Joe Horn, who cared more about touchdown celebrations than the actual importance of the score. We have several players who make big plays and are given the chance to make them as much as everybody else is. Colston. Meachem. Even Jeremy Shockey has turned a new leaf. And we may not have a signature, juggernaut force like the Dome Patrol defensive line, but we have something else we never had: a complete team.

And I will gladly accept that over any sack, pro bowl, or tackle records our legendary defensive line contributed.

This Saints team is unstoppable on offense. The depth at wide receiver is incredible; every eligible receiver is a potential play maker. The defense has plenty of holes, but the unit tackles hard and forces more turnovers than any other defense in the NFL— they currently lead the league in turnovers.

It is almost frustrating how great this team is. This team is not supposed to come back from double digit point deficits. This team is not supposed to win games in which they turn the ball over significantly. This team is not supposed to blowout good teams. Call me crazy, but I actually kind of miss it when this team loses.

For the 2009 season, though, such an occurrence has not been in the cards. The Saints have overcome the plagues in which have kept their franchise grounded for nearly fifty years. Critics have always verbally mocked and destroyed this franchise for its reputation of underachieving and disappointing. Here we are at Week 12, and critics are declaring this team one of the best in the league.

Championship teams require no-nonsense establishment in all aspects of the game. Critics believe elite teams should manhandle below average teams. Critics believe that championship teams should be complete on both sides of the ball, winning games with offense AND defense. Critics insist that championship teams stay high and mighty in their division, never allowing their division rivals to stay close and beating them when it counts the most. Critics never considered the Saints a championship-calibur team due to their history of poor ball handling and inconsistent play. Saints history has presented a franchise unable to win big games. Or unable to produce comeback victories. Or unable to recover from sloppy play.

In Week 1, the Saints bullied an inferior Lions team, never at one point being competitive with Detroit’s squad of losers, despite high scoring from both sides. Beating up on inferior teams? Check.

In Week 2, the Saints engaged in balanced offensive and defensive play at Philadelphia, catching an Eagles team with a respectable defense and a high-powered offense off its guard. Showcasing balance on both sides of the ball? Check.

In Week 3, the Saints established the threat of the running game and dominated the Bills in a very windy Buffalo stadium in which rendered Drew Brees ineffective. Winning games with the running game? Check.

In Week 4, the Saints defeated a 3-0 Jets team whose defense prevented Drew Brees from scoring. Sturdy defensive play completely threw Jets quarterback, Mark Sanchez, off of his game, and the Saints made a statement on defense. Winning games with defense? Check.

After a Week 5 bye, The Saints absolutely pounced on an undefeated Giants team, scoring on both sides of the ball and dominating in virtually all aspects. Winning games by completely outplaying the opponent? Check.

In Week 7, the Saints fell behind by 21 points due to poor play and turnovers, but then came back, offensively and defensively controlling the game, and won by a 12-point margin, despite the setbacks. Winning by coming from behind? Check.

In Week 8, the Saints beat their division rivals, the Falcons, on Monday Night, despite turning the ball over numerous times and playing sloppy. Winning games despite self-inflicted miscues that could potentially lose the game entirely? Check.

In Week 9, the Saints, despite more sloppy play, beat a Carolina Panthers team that has never lost in the Superdome since the NFC South division had been estbalished. Winning games that removes a monkey off your back? Check.

In Week 10, the Saints completely beat themselves with turnovers, poor play on both sides of the ball, and injuries…yet, still managed to keep their poise and beat a competitive Rams team. Winning despite poor play, injuries, and other setbacks? Check.

And in Week 11, the Saints crushed the lowly Buccanneers on the road offensively and defensively. In this game, they completely showcased the kind of dominance championship teams possess.

There are not many more questions to answer. There is really not much to prove. The Saints have shown dominance, poise, balance, and resilience towards setbacks. Overall, they have shown championship potential, and at 10-0, they have complete control of their playoff destiny; even losing several games would still ensure a playoff spot in a conference as wide open this year as the NFC.

But there is one final test that goes a long way towards proving the legitimacy of a playoff team. It goes beyond establishing running games, winning with defense, and coming from behind to ensure victory.

This Monday, on prime time teleivision, one of the most successful franchises of the decade will be on the other side of the Superdome’s artificial turf. Three Super Bowl championships. A 16-0 season. A future hall of famer at quarterback. The New England Patriots are on a run for redemption, and this point in the season, they look about as good as they have in any of their four Super Bowl seasons.

To be the man, you’ve got to beat the man. And while a victory against the Patriots is quite an enduring feat, even losing in impressive fashion could be enough to give this Saints team the final iccing on the championship cake. Just ask the 2007 New York Giants.

Without question, this is the biggest game in the history of the New Orleans Saints franchise. Bigger than that playoff game against the Rams in the 2000 season. Bigger than that divisional game against the Eagles in 2006, or even the NFC Championship game of the same year. This is the game that will finally reveal once and for all where the Saints stand among the elite teams in the NFL this season. In the company of the elite, the Saints are in a dog fight for top honors against the Vikings, Colts, and the Patriots. By defeating the Patriots, the Saints make a significant statement. The Vikings have yet to play a high-quality team and sit at 9-1. And even though the Colts beat the Patriots, they were outplayed big time in that game, and a failed fourth down conversion made all of the difference in the world. By beating the Patriots in prime time on Monday Night, the Saints become THE team of the NFL, and the road to the playoffs could potentially be an encore of the incredibly impressive 16-0 season the Patriots achieved in 2007.

Times have changed for Who Dat nation. The Saints have never been 10-0. The Saints have never overcome so many obstacles or criticisms with the amount of consistency and poise that they have this season.

And at Week 12, the critics the NFL nation are still uncertain of their championship contention. Many gambling lines have the Patriots as favorites in the game this Monday.

Nevertheless, Saints nation has been as loud and as excited as they have ever been. After nearly fifty years of inconsistency, hurricanes, underachieving, embarrassment, and overall disappointment… Saints fans are finally in unison for their team. They are 10-0 and on their way to the playoffs, and regardless of whether or not they win this Monday, they will still be our potential championship team. Even if they somehow lose the last six games, we will stand behind our team until their run is over. Even if the Saints go 16-0, and then lose their first playoff game, there is no backing down on our team.

Because we are Saints fans. We were still here after the Dome Patrol could no longer keep our abysmal offense in games. We were still here after the Mike Ditka years. We were still here after every Aaron Brooks pick-six. We were still here after Katrina threatened to take our homes and our team away. We were still here after every 3-13 season. We were still here after the franchise gave away Jake Delhomme, who led his Panthers team to a Super Bowl a year later.

Time will tell if this clearly is the year of destiny for our lovable losers. There are still six games in the season, and a lot can happen, but regardless of the conditions, there is no stopping the enthusiasm of this team’s fanbase. And in the Superdome this Monday night, Saints nation will be as loud and as rabid as they have ever been.

Win, lose, or tie, Tom Brady’s going to have one hell of a headache when the Superdome Showdown is over and done with.

Onto the games!

WEEK 12 PREDICTIONS

(Home teams are in ALL CAPS)

GAME OF THE WEEK: New England AT NEW ORLEANS

We’ve heard and seen all of the comparisons between this year’s Saints offense and 2007’s Patriots offense. Bill Belichick still has a lot of his marquee players from that 2007 offense on his squad. The main edge New England has over the Saints’ passing game is within the play of their best players. Randy Moss and Wes Welker are going to be all over the field, and unless the battered Saints defense are cautious and balanced with their pass rushing and their coverage, Tom Brady is going to light up the score board just as much as the Saints offense will. The Saints have an important advantage over New England in their running game. Laurence Maroney is a great player, but is frequently far too ineffective. If the Saints can shut Maroney down, you already put more pressure on Tom Brady to air it out. For the Saints, Mike Bell and Pierre Thomas continue to be fantastic in the running game, and if they can establish some big plays early, the defense will have way too much trouble containing the Saints offense. Defensively, everything really depends on the injuries for the Saints. Vilma is battling knee issues and Greer is still rehabing his hamstring. If Vilma does not play, the Patriots will find much more ease in outsmarting the coverage. This game is literally going to come down to turnovers. The Saints have had trouble holding onto the ball lately, and the Patriots have been applying much more pressure in their defensive play. They completely harrassed the Jets last week and forced alot of interceptions. If the pass rush is effective at all against the Saints, Drew Brees is going to have a difficult time getting into a rhythm. This game can really go either way, but if I had to pick, my money goes to New England for a couple reasons: less injuries, and Wes Welker. The Saints defense will be a completely different kind of animal without Vilma, and without Greer, the pass defense will not be able to handle much of Tom Brady’s quarterback play. Which leads to Wes Welker, who has been absolutely unstoppable throughout the past few weeks. Defenses that double up on Randy Moss and other big play makers on the Patriots offense can never find a scheme that shuts down Welker. He is extremely quick, runs the sharpest routes, and arguably makes the biggest plays out of every other player on the field. The Saints are going to find much difficulty in covering Welker, and he’s going to make all the difference in the world in this game. It’s going to be close, but New England is coming away with the win in this one. Believe me, it took a lot for me to settle on this prediction.

Winner: New England

UPSET OF THE WEEK: Arizona AT TENNESSEE

I am officially on the Vince Young bandwagon. He’s effectively found ways to win since he’s been given the starting job. He doesn’t strive for big plays. He manages the offense as cautiously as can be, and is a lot less careless with the ball than Kerry Collins was. His streak this season will improve to 5-0 because they are playing the Cardinals at a very vulnrable time. Kurt Warner is not going to be playing at one hundred percent, and history has shown that Kurt struggles when playing with health setbacks. The Cardinals are very dependant on Kurt Warner. When he came out of the game last week against the Rams, the offense became stagnant. The Titans are going to take advantage of this aspect and provide a lot of pass rush packages. Look for the Titans to try to reestablish hard hitting defensive play in order to win the game. Oh, and Chris Johnson is going to have another big game.

Winner: Tennessee

EVERYTHING ELSE

Tampa Bay AT ATLANTA

Meangingless NFC South action. The division will be wrapped up within the coming weeks by the Saints, and the Falcons are in disarray after stumbling through their last several games. Michael Turner may possibly return to the lineup, and that is fortunate because their playoff contention is steadily slipping away. The Falcons need to start playing their best football if they want to even have a shot at the postseason. They could not have had a better game to start building a streak on than a home game against the poor Bucs. Look for Matt Ryan to have a big, bounce-back game.

Winner: Atlanta

Miami AT BUFFALO

The Dolphins are in control of their playoff hopes. They currently lead the wild card race and are playing well behind Ricky Williams and the Wildcat. The Bills have a pulse on offense, but are still essentially a mess all around. Even when they managed to give Terrell Owens the chance to make some big plays, they still come up short. Miami should dominate this game and make a clear statement to the rest of the AFC wild card hopefuls.

Winner: Miami

Cleveland AT CINCINATTI

The Bengals had a fitting return to historical form last week by losing to the lowly Raiders. Losing those kinds of games really hurts the legitimacy of a team. The Bengals need to bounce back with a dominant win. The Browns offense had a big turnout last week. Unfortunately, it was against the Lions. The Bengals are much different of a team on defense, and they will prove it Sunday.

Winner: Cincinatti

Seattle AT ST. LOUIS

The Rams are playing the role of Lions, showing heart and guts week in and week out. Steven Jackson won’t be at the top of his game this week due to a minor injury, so a big game out of him may not be plausible. He engineers the production of this offense, so the Rams are going to have quite a difficuly getting anything going. Kyle Boller is starting for the injured Mark Bulger…which is either bad news or a blessing in disguise. Regardless, the Seahawks historically play well in St. Louis. They will edge out the Rams here, but it will be closer than one would think.

Winner: Seattle

Carolina AT NEW YORK (JETS)

Despite poor play, I still believe the Jets are much better than their record shows. Mark Sanchez has killed this team with turnovers, but Rex Ryan is not going to let this continue to be a game-changing factor. His staff is working with the offense to completely retool the production of Sanchez and his receivers. The Panthers offense will be kept quiet if the Jets can shut down the running attack early. jake Delhomme is going to have trouble against this Jets secondary, who has continued to play relatively well despite the recent trend of losses. Look for a bounce back game for the Jets here.

Winner: New York

Washington AT PHILADELPHIA

The Redskins owe any amount of competitiveness to their defense, who has kept them in games constantly throughout the season. They just need to finish games. They managed to quiet the Cowboys offense last week up until one final drive, which ended up resulting in the only touchdown. That touchdown would end up causing the Redskins the game. This will be a much different game. McNabb’s got bigger playmakers than Romo does. If the offense can play consistently, the Redskins will not hang around too long.

Winner: Philadelphia

Indianapolis AT HOUSTON

Peyton Manning will be playing with a small injury in this game, and the defense continues to have injuries pile up. Many consider this to be the game where the Colts finally drop a game. I think otherwise. The Texans are too inconsistent, and Matt Schaub’s great season is rendered useless when the rest of the team plays at a lower level. The Texans will stay competitive with the Colts, but their recent trend of being unable to wrap games up will continue, and the Colts will edge it out in another nailbiter.

Winner: Indianapolis

Kansas City AT SAN DIEGO

The Chiefs are coming off a huge win against the defending champions and a two game winning streak, unfamiliar territory for a team that has struggled tremendously this season. The streak ends against in San Diego. The Chargers are playing like a complete team. LT is in the midst of a career resurrection as of late, as is Shawn Merriman, and Phillip Rivers continues to play well. This won’t be a trap game by any means, but the Chiefs will keep it interesting for a couple quarters.

Winner: San Diego

Jacksonville AT SAN FRANCISCO

The Jags have control of a playoff spot currently, but holding onto it within the coming weeks will be quit the challenge. It starts here with a disappointed 49ers team, who look to be on the outside looking in for their respective wild card chase. I don’t see Mike Singletary being too happy with his team, who may be playing for pride at this point. Just like last season, though, Coach Singletary made this team look like winners when it didn’t matter. That trend may start again here. Frank Gore and Maurice Jones Drew will both have solid games on the ground, but the 49ers will attempt to reestablish itself with the passing game, and the results will be positive.

Winner: San Francisco

Chicago AT MINNESOTA

Unless the Bears win out, their playoff chances are done for. That is too much to ask out of Mr. Interception, Jay Cutler. But he’s not all to blame here for Chicago’s losing ways. The running game is depleted and the defense gives up too many big plays. Expect more of the same when they visit a Vikings offense that is firing on all cylinders. Brett Favre’s been pretty outstanding this season, accuracy-wise, and will continue to contribute solid numbers here, especially if Adrian Peterson is slow to start. The Vikings may even dominate this game.

Winner: Minnesota

Pittsburgh AT BALTIMORE

Ben Roethlisberger is officially out. As is Charlie Batch. Dennis Dickson gets the start. Who? Exactly. The Ravens caught a huge break here, and they needed it after stumbling through their recent stretch of games. The Ravens continue to search for an identity, but they will have a chance to provide more of a showcase offensively now that Big Ben is sidelined. Joe Flacco needs to have a solid outing here to really make a statement against their rivals, because with Big Ben injured, the Steelers offense will slow down tremendously. Unless this Dennis Dickson character ends up being the second coming of Tom Brady or something. The chances of this are unlikely, though. The Ravens defense should have a monstrous game.

Winner: Baltimore

NFL Week 11 Predict-a-thon: Where Going For It on 4th and 2 is the ONLY Choice

Let’s be real here: I hate the Patriots about as much as a punch in the kisser. Arrogant teams with arrogant fan bases have an unfortunate position in sports, and Boston’s big three teams are the cream of the crop. Hateful disposition notwithstanding, Bill Belichick’s decision on a 4th down play last Sunday night was extremely gutsy. And smart.

Belichick’s Patriots squad are far too familiar with Peyton Manning and his late-game heroics. The 2006 AFC Championship game is surely still leaving a bad taste in the entire organization’s mouths. You just cannot leave Peyton Manning any amount of time to score, especially in the clutch. He may be significantly known as a choke artist in the playoffs, but we’re several weeks apart from the playoffs. This was just another big game. Peyton Manning wins big games.

Punting on that 4th down play still gives Manning and his offense the ball. Granted, it’s much better to have the opposing team pinned back as far up the field as possible rather than the red zone, but Belichick’s philosophy was simple: kill the clock.

And when you have a future hall of fame quarterback with three rings, an endless resume of accomplishments and feats, and a supporting cast with play makers such as Randy Moss and Wes Welker, 4th and 2 all of a sudden sounds more like routine than a gamble.

Belichick tried to put the game away. His incredibly well coached offense came up short. Even proven winners run into a roadblock.

If you’re Peyton Manning, though, the roadblock for this season remains nonexistent. At 9-0, the Colts look to have a tight grip on the AFC’s top seed. Their remaining schedule is a mixed bag. This Sunday’s showdown with the Ravens may prove to be a tough test for the Manning-led offense. Then next week, they travel to Houston to play a Texans team with playoff intentions and are itching for revenge after their Week 9 defeat at Indianapolis. A home game against the Broncos remains on the horizon as well. The rest of the schedule looks very favorable, including games against two inferior division rivals, a fizzling Jets team, and a finale at Buffalo against a team slamming on the reset button after firing head coach Dick Jauron. The Colts are, at worst, looking at a 13-3 record. Not bad for a post-Dungy era, I’ll say.

Patriots nation will have to bite on their tongues for a little while (easier said than done). They have a potentially enduring three game stretch coming up, including two divisional games in which will look to decide the AFC East crown and the BIGGEST Monday Night Football showdown of the season against the Saints. A 2-0 record against the Jets and the Dolphins will just about lockup the division for New England, but if they can beat the should-be undefeated Saints in the Superdome next Monday, the road to the second seed of the AFC becomes a little less bumpy. The Patriots franchise are not exactly strangers to running a stretch of games, as their 2007 season would indicate.

The Patriots have company in the race for the second seed, though. Coming off of a divisional sweep against the Steelers, the Bengals are easily the league’s most surprising team at 7-2. They are in the driver’s seat in their division, and with a schedule as light as theirs, you have to like the chances of Cincinnati potentially gaining home field advantage in the playoffs. Their next three games are against teams with a combined record of 4-23. A tough two game stretch on the road against the Vikings and the Chargers will prove to be their biggest remaining games, as both teams are playoff contenders. Their season concludes with games against the Chiefs and the Jets. Even if they drop three of their remaining games, the Bengals hold tiebreakers against the rest of the division. The AFC North looks to be theirs for the taking, but if you’re part of the Bengals organization, you’re looking to shoot for a top seed. Regardless of the outcome, you know times are swell in Cincinnati when ONLY winning the AFC North is considered underachieving.

Now then, onto the games.

WEEK 11 PREDICTIONS

(The home teams are in ALL CAPS.)

GAME OF THE WEEK: San Diego Chargers AT DENVER BRONCOS

The lead in the AFC West comes down to the winner of this game. The Broncos were off to one of the hottest starts in the league at 6-0, but after their bye week, the Ravens and Steelers shut down the offense crafted by Josh McDaniels. Now with Kyle Orton injured, their offensive progression looks to be in jeopardy. In Orton sits out, Chris Simms gets the start. Simms was uncomfortable and confused in an offense built around somebody with Kyle Orton’s capabilities. Not to mention, the Chargers have suddenly found a bit of production out of their defense. Shawne Merriman finally remembered he was a pretty good player and has improved tremendously. The only way I see Denver taking this game will be through inspired defensive play. To beat the Chargers, you have to shut down Phillip Rivers. He’s thrown only 6 picks this year, all scattered throughout the season, and is sitting on a 97.9 overall QB rating. Defensive coordinator Mike Nolan has turned the once abysmal Denver defense into a proud squad, and with the division on the line at home this Sunday, the Broncos Defense has A LOT to play for. The Broncos are on the verge of another potential collapse, and just like last season, the Chargers are in the position to take advantage of their downfall.

Prediction: San Diego over Denver

- Whether Kyle Orton plays or not, the offense will have trouble finding a rhythm while Phillip Rivers and the Chargers will air it out and score enough points to put the game away by the 4th quarter. The Rocky Mountain Meltdown of 2009 is looming for Josh McDaniels and his Broncos team.

UPSET OF THE WEEK: San Francisco OVER GREEN BAY

Not too much upset potential this week. The sports media is convinced the Packers have rebounded soundly following the victory over Dallas a week after their embarrassing defeat in Tampa. I still think they are way too inconsistent, and when the 49ers come to town, Aaron Rodgers will be in for one vicious pass rush. Niners coach Mike Singletary has a defensive philosophy that has kept them in games against high-powered offenses like the Colts and the Vikings. Much like the Packers, though, the 49ers have been battling their own fair share of inconsistent play. After a 3-1 start, the 49ers dropped four tough losses in a row before rebounding last week against the Bears. At 4-5. Mike Singletary is very much aware that crunch time for playoff contention is near, and he’ll have his team playing inspired football team. I think the 49ers are better than their record shows, but they haven’t been playing balanced football games due to injuries on the offense. If they want to stay close with Arizona for the division lead, they will have to start winning a good string of games. It starts in Green Bay. Feature back Frank Gore will have to try and find holes in the Packers defensive front early in order to ensure a balanced game. Alex Smith needs to manage to game and try to help his talented receiving core make big plays. Michael Crabtree’s been lighting up the stat board since he signed with the team. Now it’s time to reach the end zone. I think the 49ers win in a close one here and look to build a streak of games up towards a Week 14 showdown with the Cardinals. The Packers will once again show their inconsistency and come up short.

EVERYTHING ELSE…

Washington AT DALLAS

After an anemic performance in Green Bay, the Cowboys should be fortunate for their division lead. Washington, meanwhile, is coming off a big win against the Broncos and have some confidence restored after this meltdown of a season. Clinton Portis is still sidelined after a concussion a couple weeks ago, but things are continuing to look up. The Cowboys are playing for their division lives here, because in the NFC East, having a one game lead means nothing when you have the Eagles and the Giants right behind you. The Cowboys need to start running the football and forcing balance into the offensive scheme. Tony Romo has his moments, but you just cannot put the game in his hands. Dallas needs balance, and if they run the ball as much as they throw it, the Redskins become pushovers, no matter how solid their defensive line is. Dallas has proven they are lethal when they move the ball on the ground. When your number one wide receiver is dropping and fumbling balls, you have a problem. Roy Williams is ineffective as can be for the Dallas offense. Give the ball to Marion Barber and company.

Prediction: Dallas over Washington

Cleveland AT DETROIT

My god, I feel bad for anybody who actually is going to watch this game. To the credit of the Lions, they make games fun to watch because they are capable of scoring some points. Calvin Johnson is a fantastic receiver, and I’m not just saying that because he is on my fantasy team. Matt Stafford is far from great, but he has chemistry with his receiving core. If he can cut down on his mistakes, the Lions will be significantly better. I can’t say anything positive about the Browns here. Their offense is awful. Their defense is awful. Their organization is in severe need of personnel changes. These aren’t your daddy’s Cleveland Browns. In fact, they’re even worse.

Prediction: Detroit over Cleveland

Pittsburgh AT KANSAS CITY

In terms of morale, Kansas City should be feeling very confident after winning another game last week. Unfortunately, it was against Oakland, and it was a very ugly win. The Steelers are coming into town fresh off of their defeat against the Bengals, and it appears as if they are fighting for a wild card spot now. Don’t look for Kansas City to be some sort of trap game when you have coach Mike Tomlin running things. Tomlin’s Steelers make it to the playoffs by any means necessary. The defending Super Bowl champions lost control of the division after being swept by the Bengals, but they are easily the best team in the hunt for the AFC wild card berths. Outside of two divisional games against Baltimore and a potentially playoff-deciding contest for Miami in Week 17, the Steelers have a cakewalk of a schedule remaining. Ben Roethlisberger has been putting up pretty big numbers for a Steelers quarterback. His role as a game manager of a run first offense has shifted a bit in philosophy. Big Ben is airing out more in this season than he has in his entire career, and the results have been pretty solid. The Steelers travel to Baltimore next week in an important divisional game, so they need to build momentum. What better team is there to play to get your offense and defense adjusted accordingly than a punching bag like the Kansas City Chiefs?

Prediction: Pittsburgh over Kansas City.

Atlanta AT NEW YORK (GIANTS)

Both of these teams are at 5-4, but their records and current conditions hold different stories. For the Falcons, they are four games behind the unbeaten New Orleans Saints and can only make the playoffs by posting an impressive record for the wild card. After losing Michael Turner to injury and several other key injuries to the defense, the Falcons are reaching a panic mode. For the Giants, they are coming off of a bye week and are only a game behind Dallas in their division. Despite losing four straight games, the Giants are still much alive in the playoff hunt. Eli Manning has had some time to reassess his quarterback play, so there is a chance he can use this game as a bounce back to form. The Giants have been ineffective in their power running game, and that is what’s been dragging the Giants backwards significantly. Tom Coughlin needs to rely on what worked. This team needs Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw to start taking some snaps. If we were earlier in the season, I’d have the Falcons heavily favored over the Giants because they were healthier and hitting some strides. Matt Ryan has been throwing quite a few interceptions, though, and Michael Turner is injured. Their running game is suddenly almost a non-factor and the injuries are stacking up on both sides of the ball. The Giants need to utilize their weaknesses and assert themselves back into the mix of playoff contenders.

Prediction: New York Giants over Atlanta

New Orleans AT TAMPA BAY

Since their trip to Miami, many have questioned whether or not the Saints are as good as their record shows. Their last few games have been contested against clearly inferior teams, but in typical Saints fashion, the team finds ways to beat themselves. Drew Brees has been a bit careless with the ball, and the defense has endured some tough injuries, including comeback player of the year Darren Sharper. Last week created a lot of fuss after the Saints barely edged the 1-8 Rams by only 5 points. If this were any other year, New Orleans would be sitting somewhere between five and seven wins. The 2009 Saints are different. This team is 9-0, and no matter who or what you’re playing against, 9-0 is impressive. This team does not lose against itself anymore, and when they are healthy, they are the most complete team in the NFL. This week, they still remain a bit banged up. They travel to Tampa to play the 1-8 Buccaneers. Drew Brees needs a bounce back game to reassemble those MVP talks, so this game will either be a blowout or a close contest depending on which Saints team decides to show up. Regardless of who shows up, The Bucs are a pretty poor football team. Josh Freeman has been impressive and will have a career there in Tampa, but this is a rebuilding period for the team, and there is no such thing as contending when you’re playing a team that will most likely host the NFC Championship game. The Saints should be 10-0 after this game, and their injured players should be well rested heading into their gigantic showdown with the Patriots next Monday night.

Prediction: New Orleans over Tampa

Buffalo AT JACKSONVILLE

Don’t look now, but the Jaguars are at 5-4 and realistically in the hunt for the playoffs. Despite being blown out by the Seahawks and constantly plagued by inconsistency, the Jags are finding ways into the end zone and are just barely keeping things together on defense. Maurice Jones-Drew may have killed your fantasy team last week, but he is a main factor as to why Jacksonville even has a chance to contend in the first place. As for Buffalo? Well, Dick Jauron has finally been let go. This needed to happen because the Bills have been going nowhere for several seasons now. They have invested too much faith into failed prospects (Trent Edwards) and have tried to adapt to countless new play schemes and big signings (Terrell Owens) in free agency. They could never break the ceiling of 7-9, though, and this season has become a dud. Their offense has stalled tremendously and Owens has been about as productive as a slug. I only see Buffalo picking up about two more wins, and one of those is against a Colts team who will, in all likelihood, be resting their starters in Week 17…hell, I can’t even see them pulling that game out with a win!

Prediction: Jacksonville over Buffalo

Indianapolis AT BALTIMORE

If not for the Denver/San Diego clash, I’d say this would be the biggest game of the week. Baltimore is in desperate search of an identity as they stumble onward through the playoff race. After a hot start, the Ravens have failed to play consistently on defense. The Ravens are built on a defensive philosophy in which effects the production of the offense. When the defense is playing well, Joe Flacco manages the game well. Flacco is a great quarterback, but the offense he runs is not built for shootout play. In many games this season, Flacco has had to pick up the slack left by the defense, and while many times he has been successful, it has hurt this squad against teams like Minnesota and Cincinnati. Ray Lewis, Ed Reed, and the rest of this veteran-led defense needs to pull out a big game here. Peyton Manning is playing out of his mind right now, and if he gets into a rhythm early, the Ravens won’t have a shot at hanging in there. The Ravens need to apply a pass rush that will knock Manning out of his comfort zone and force mistakes. The Ravens have a huge opportunity here to make a statement and get right back into the playoff hunt. While they may have the potential to soundly beat the Colts, I don’t think it happens here. Even when the Colts make mistakes, they rebound on both sides of the ball and still find ways to win. The Colts are the best team in the AFC.

Prediction: Indianapolis over Baltimore.

Seattle AT MINNESOTA

Brett Favre has a double sided coin of fortune and misfortune with the Seahawks. In the 2007 Playoffs, Favre led the Packers to victory after falling behind 14-0 in the first quarter. Last year, as a Jet, Favre threw several picks and had an awful game, which would ultimately end up costing the Jets a playoff berth. History will not play a factor into this game by any means. Favre’s a Viking now, and the Vikings are an overall solid football team. The Seahawks have way too many injuries and setbacks keeping them from contending with most of the teams in the league right now. Julius Jones has shown some promise in the running game in recent weeks, but when there is a football game with Adrian Peterson on the roster, there is no discussion about running games. Adrian Peterson will have a solid game if he can find some holes in a relatively competitive Seattle defensive front , and Brett Favre will definitely not have the game he had last year in the snowy Qwest field. This year, Favre’s in a dome. This year, Favre’s going to win.

Prediction: Minnesota over Seattle

Arizona AT ST. LOUIS

The Cardinals are hot right now. Kurt Warner is in a groove and the running game is starting to emerge soundly. Beanie Wells and Tim Hightower have been excellent in moving the ball and opening up the passing game for Warner. If they continue their balanced play, the Cardinals will find themselves playoff bound once again. The Rams have shown a lot of competitive promise recently, especially last week against the unbeaten Saints. Steven Jackson is such a phenomenal player as both a runningback and a receiver. Donnie Avery has provided some progress as well. The offense is starting to take form and score points, and their defense is starting to come alive. The Rams have a long way to go, and it is unlikely they stop the Cardinals here, but progress is progress, and that’s the mentality first year coach Steve Spagnuolo has been trying to set in stone since he was hired.

Prediction: Arizona over St. Louis

New York (Jets) AT NEW ENGLAND

It is amazing how fast everything changes as the season continues onward. In Week 2, the Jets looked to be the biggest surprise in the NFL after completely throwing Tom Brady into a pass rush frenzy and defeating the Patriots 16-9. The Patriots looked average two weeks into the season and Tom Brady definitely was not playing up to his known level. Here we are at Week 11 and the Jets have fallen into a midseason collapse at 4-5 and the Patriots are quickly coming back into rhythm. The controversial call by Bill Belichick may or may not have decided the game against the Colts last week, but regardless, the Patriots still lost. They want to avenge their loss by gaining revenge on their division foes. Brady is playing great right now and is in perfect sync with his receiving core. As for Mark Sanchez, his great start has been long forgotten due to poor play and rookie mistakes. The Jets are quickly falling from contenders to pretenders. The defense is allowing too many points to be scored and the offense is turning the ball over far too much. Thomas Jones has quietly had a great season on the ground, and if the Jets want to win this game, they need to pound the ball through their throats. The Jets need to start winning games. They have a four game stretch with games against Carolina and Atlanta, both of which play hard despite their setbacks. They finish the season against the Colts and the Bengals, and if they are lucky and need a couple wins, both of those teams may be resting up for the playoffs. The Jets control their own faith, though, and they need to start winning soon. It doesn’t start this week, though, as the Patriots have their eyes on the division crown and the AFC’s second seed.

Prediction: New England

Cincinnati AT OAKLAND

The Bengals are the hottest team in the league, so it is no surprise people are counting on the Raiders to be a trap game team like they were against the Eagles. Don’t expect that to happen here. The Raiders have a quarterback controversy and the whole organization continues to be a mess. Even if Jamarcus Russell is not the starter, they picked the wrong team to try and start fresh with. Cedric Benson is unlikely to play this game due to a short term injury, but his absense will be a nonfactor. The Bengals are too good to lose to a team this bad.

Prediction: Cincinnati

Philadelphia AT CHICAGO

Any little hopes the Bears have in making the playoffs depend on this game. Jay Cutler turns every game he plays in into an interception fest. He’s thrown four more picks than Jake Delhomme this season. It doesn’t help that the Bears have barely any weapons on offense. Matt Forte has fallen into a sophomore slump, and Devin Hester can only do so much for this team. Like it or not, the Bears finally have a franchise quarterback, but it is too little too late. The Bears are no longer a consistent defense and there is a lack of production on offense. If Cutler played for the 2006 Bears, that team could have won a Super Bowl. The 2009 Bears are depleted and plain. As for the Eagles? No Westbrook, no problem. They need a big win to put themselves back into the NFC East race. McNabb and the rest of the offense will be up to the task.

Prediction: Philadelphia

Tennessee AT HOUSTON

The Texans host Monday Night Football for the second time ever, but this year they could potentially fight for the playoffs and get even more appearances on the big primetime stage. The Titans have shown some life since making Vince Young the starter. The defense is playing better and Chris Johnson is still destroying defenses on the ground and through the air. After three straight wins, though, they will have to settle for a halt. The Texans are hungry for the playoffs and are in a position to contend. Starting with this game, they have a three game stretch of division games, two others against the Colts and the Jags. Even if they go 2-1 in this stretch, they are in good shape as they progress with the rest of their schedule: Seattle, St. Louis, Miami, and New England. If the Texans miss the playoffs, they can still lock up a winning season, which is better than nothing. For this squad, though, it’s playoffs or bust. They have to show they can contend with elite teams by beating either Indianapolis or New England. The AFC wild card race is going to be a very crowded race, and for the Texans, they absolutely have to show that they can beat superior teams. The stretch starts Monday against the Titans. Matt Schaub has been fantastic this season, finding receivers and keeping the offense on balance. They do have a few inconsistency issues, but whether or not they can overcome the little issues goes a long way in proving their worth in playoff contention. I think the Texans start digging deep right here.

Prediction: Houston

Other tidbits…

- The Dolphins beat the Panthers last night 24-17. To the six people that watched this game, how impressive was Ricky Williams last night? …no, seriously, didn’t he play or something? I was watching The Office.

- Larry Johnson is now a Bengal in relief of the injured Cedric Benson, continuing to show that Cincinnati is the number one place for football career resurgences if you’re a thug or a criminal.

- Reggie Bush is doubtful for this weekend’s game in Tampa. I guess if you’re Reggie Bush, being productive and effective in a game for once is simply just too physically demanding.

- If you played Maurice Jones-Drew in fantasy last week and lost because of his kneel at the one yard line, it’s okay….it turns out Mojo himself started him (that was weird to type) and lost as well. The difference between MJD and us geeky fantasy footballers? Maurice Jones-Drew actually has money. ::sigh::

Until next week…

-Bobby

The Jay Cutler trade: What We’ve Learned Ten Weeks into the Season

You know the story. Earlier this year, former Broncos quarterback Jay Cutler was offered in a three team trade by first year Denver Broncos coach Josh McDaniels. Cutler acts like a baby and wants out of Denver. McDaniels ships him to Chicago for several draft picks and then-Bears quarterback Kyle Orton. McDaniels is criticized heavily for the trade. Jay Cutler becomes an A-list superstar in the Windy City.

Before this season started, I, along with several other prediction makers, bit on the hype of Jay Cutler leading the Bears to the playoffs and the Denver Broncos taking a major turn backwards. The Bears, after all, had a relatively decent draft and were already not too shabby of a football team to begin with. An elite quarterback was the only piece missing out of the puzzle. As for Denver, they were without their star quarterback. Their best player, wide receiver Brandon Marshall, was unhappy and underwent a holdout in which led to a suspension. All the hype that surrounded the trade for Eagles Pro Bowler Brian Dawkins was gone, and many doubted his abilities to be an effective leader.

After ten weeks of the NFL season, we’ve seen a little bit out of everything between these two teams.

The Chicago Bears opened the season with a poor performance out of Jay Cutler against the Packers, but bounced back in three straight wins, including a win against the defending NFL champions. Jay Cutler made less mistakes and Greg Olsen became a primary target. After their bye week, they’ve dropped five of their last six, their only win against a garbage Cleveland team. It would be easy to point the finger at Jay Cutler, seeing as though he has 17 interceptions this season. The team, as a whole, have turned the ball over far too much. Matt Forte, coming off of an excellent rookie season, has been disappointing in his sophomore year as the premiere back. Above all else, though, the once feared Chicago defense has become an average unit with a very battered defensive line. There is a lack of identity and balance on this team, and at 4-5, there is much work to be done. The NFC wild card race is turning out to be very crowded, and there aren’t many favorable games for them to pick up. Jay Cutler needs to be more conservative with the ball. The turnovers are putting too much pressure on the defense, ajnd this defense cannot win games anymore. There is also a very significant lack of depth in the receiving core. Jay Cutler really only has Devin Hester and Greg Olsen to count on for clutch plays. It is difficult for him to spread the ball around to unreliable, young and unproven receivers, which has resulted in his 14-17 touchdown/turnover ratio. The trade for Cutler was a very wise decision, but there won’t be much to show for it this season. This team needs weapons for Cutler to throw to. Oh, and Cutler has to actually play like the quarterback the Bears thought they were going to get out of this trade and not a careless guy with a big arm. It is unlikely the Bears make the playoffs, and I doubt coach Lovie Smith is going to be there much longer. They could keep him around for another year, but next season will be “Do or Die”, and it all starts with a great draft. It also requires Jay Cutler to lead this team. They gave up several draft picks and a decent quarterback for him, after all.

As for the Denver Broncos? Up until their Week 7 bye, the Broncos were beating every team in their path with inspired defense and an offense that always seemed to be in rhythm. Josh McDaniels constructed an offensive philosophy that only required a steady game manager to keep it moving, and that’s how Kyle Orton was built into this offense. Brian Dawkins and the revamped defense have played inspired football and were able to help keep the Orton-led offense on the field. I had this team winning three to five games total season just because of how much of a mess the franchise had looked in the offseason. By Week 6, they were 6-0. Josh McDaniels was looked upon by the NFL brass as a genius, and the Broncos were riding high towards an AFC West title. After the bye week, though, they traveled to Baltimore and were routed by a feisty Ravens squad. The offense could not get into a rhythm and the Ravens applied a rough pass rush the entire game, exposing Kyle Orton for the first time all season. The following week was more of the same when the surging Steelers came to town. While dropping two straight games is relatively difficult to overcome, their 6-0 start gave them some breathing room, especially in a division where half of the teams are terrible. In a Week 10 game against a weak Redskins team in Washington, though, what was expected to be a turnaround game for the Broncos turned out to be a costly affair. Kyle Orton injured his ankle and was taken out the game. The offense turned the ball over and the Redskins capitalized on their ailments plaguing the once-feared Broncos. At 6-3, the Broncos are in position to lose hold of their lead in the division. The San Diego Chargers, who are surging after a rough start, share a 6-3 record with Denver and are coming into town this Sunday. With Orton still unlikely to play and the offense in limbo, the Rocky Mountain Meltdown of 2009 may be in full effect if the Chargers manage to take the lead in the division.

The Bears and the Broncos are both in jeopardy of missing the playoff boat. Between the two teams, though, Denver has the best chance of swimming afloat and sneaking into the playoffs. The Chargers are very inconsistent, to the point where they could even lose hold of the division themselves. Denver, regardless of the result in the battle for the AFC West crown Sunday, will still be alive in the playoff chase. Kyle Oton will return sooner rather than later, and Josh McDaniels is too witty of a coach to let a playoff bound team slip through the cracks and miss the boat again. Not counting a big game against the unbeaten Colts, the Denver Broncos have a relatively favorable schedule ahead of them.

As for the Bears? They have plenty of rivalry games to play, including two against the Vikings, who lead the NFC North, and a crucial game against Green Bay. Outside the division, they host the Eagles on Sunday night, a team in which are in must-win mode at the moment coming off a hard loss against the Chargers. They also have to travel to Baltimore and try to stop a Ravens team who will most likely be fighting for their playoff lives by Week 15. The odds do not look in favor of the Bears. Their coach will be on the hot seat if they don’t make a run for playoff contention. With no chance at all to keep up with a red hot Vikings team, they need to settle for a wildcard spot by pulling a few games out from their own division, possibly even splitting one with the Vikings.

For the Bears, their season rests within the big arm of Jay Cutler. For the Broncos, they absolutely NEED Kyle Orton. In terms of the big trade made in the offseason, you could make a stand and say that both teams came away was winners, but we will not really see how these teams fare until perhaps next season; Denver will have several draft picks to help make their team better on both sides of the ball, and Jay Cutler will be able to have a showcase season without the pressure of living up to the hype from the trade.

As for this season, though, the Broncos are still in the race and the Bears are in complete disarray. I am sure Jay Cutler wouldn’t mind being shipped back to the Rocky Mountains, though.