MONDAY UPDATE
Yesterday was a great day to take an afternoon nap. Of course, if you did, you missed some fantasy performances that could have either helped you enormously or blown your team out of the water. I had a little from column A and a little from Column B.
– LaDanian Tomlinson scored FOUR touchdowns for the Chargers in their 48-19 execution of the Niners. Seriously, what was with the multi-TD binges today? TO had 3, LT had 4, 3 for Torry Holt, there were some insane performances. Philip Rivers also had a huge game with 334 yards and 2 TDs. 2 more sacks for Shaun Phillips.
– Willie Parker went off on the Chiefs, to the tune of 109 yards and 2 TDs. In my country, that’s 24 fantasy points. The Steelers throttled the Chiefs 45-7. Both of those teams are now 2-3.
– Lavaernues Coles has been one of the league’s top receivers this year. No, really, I looked it up. He’ll continue to be one too after his 106 yard, 2 TD performance led the Jets to a 20-17 win over Miami, and has the Green even at 3-3. Ronnie Brown had 127 and a TD in the loss. Olindo Mare missed a 51 yarder that would have tied the game with 28 seconds remaining.
Sunday Night, we had the Broncos and Raiders, as per the league rule that the Broncos must be in one of the two primetime games every week. I can’t get enough of those Broncos games. If you’re really lucky, you might just see somebody might score a touchdown. The Broncos won 13-3, I’ll have a gamefilm review of that one up later this week.
Tonight, it’s Bears/Cardinals live from the Big Vibrator in Glendale, AZ. The Bears take their show on the road after a pair of dominating home wins. Their last road game was a not-so-dominating 19-16 win over the Vikings. In 2 road games this year, the Bears have 2 offensive touchdowns. So, what I’m saying is, this game might be a little closer than meets the eye. We’ll see.
4:30 UPDATE
The early games are in the books. Some final things from those tilts:
– Carolina handed Baltimore their second consecutive loss. The Ravens defense was scorched today by the Panthers passing game. However, Kyle Boller looked great off the bench, and there will be a QB controversy if McNair is fit to play. My guess is, Boller’s going to get at least one more start. Both these teams are now 4-2.
– Bruce Gradkowski threw a TD pass to Michael Clayton with 35 seconds remaining to give the Bucs a 14-13 win over the Bengals. That’s 2 losses in a row for Cincy.
– John Carney’s field goal as time expired gives the Saints a thrilling 27-24 win over Philly. New Orleans is now 5-1.
This afternoon, we’ve got 3 games. 2 of them are blowouts, and one is the Jets and Dolphins. So, what I’m saying is, it’s going to be naptime real soon.
CHARGERS 28, NINERS 19 3:28 Q2
The Chargers are moving the ball at will, but everyone does that to the Niners. It’s a little disturbing that the Niners have been doing the same thing to an SD defense that was tops in the league coming into this game. Philip Rivers and Alex Smith both have a pair of TD passes. LT has 2 TD runs for the Bolts.
STEELERS 31, CHIEFS 0 HALFTIME
Remember how this was the one game I wanted to see? Well, yeah, I don’t want to see it anymore. The Steelers are just destroying the Chiefs. 2 TDs for Willie Parker so far, and a pair of TD passes for Ben Roethlisberger.
JETS 3, DOLPHINS 0 HALFTIME
I think this is the game that Hell is getting on TV this week.
3:00 UPDATE
PANTHERS 23, RAVENS 21 2:06 Q4
The Ravens offense has come alive behind Kyle Boller. That’s something I never thought I’d write. Boller has 3 TD passes, 2 to Mark Clayton, 1 to Todd Heap. Steve Smith has had a 2005 vintage game for the Panthers, he has 189 receiving yards, including a 72 yard TD reception.
SAINTS 24, EAGLES 24 8:26 Q4
An excellent game going on in New Orleans. The Eagles have come back from a 17-7 halftime deficit to even the game. Philly scored 21 unanswered points after the half, thanks to a pair of McNabb TD passes to Reggie Brown and LJ Smith, and a TD run by Brown. The Saints have answered with a 48 yard pass from Drew Brees to Joe Horn for a TD. Horn and Brown both have over 100 yards receiving.
LIONS 20, BILLS 17 1:08 Q4
127 rushing yards for Kevin Jones, and 161 receiving yards for Roy Williams. The Bills have kept the score close, but it’s looking like the Lions will get the win. James Hall had 3 1/2 sacks for the Lions.
COWBOYS 34, TEXANS 6 0:32 Q4
The Texans self destruct in the second half, turning the ball over on pretty much every possession. David Carr had a miserable day and has been relieved by Sage Rosenfels. 106 rushing yards for Julius Jones..and…3 touchdowns for TO. Hope you like TO. You’re going to get a lot of TO this week.
GIANTS 27, FALCONS 14 1:02 Q4
Another game that completely changed in the second half. After Warrick Dunn’s 90 yard TD run put the Falcons up 14-3, the Giants took over. Jeremy Shockey has 2 touchdown receptions, and Tiki Barber 185 rushing yards. The Giants have sacked Michael Vick 7 times.
TITANS 25, REDSKINS 22 2:41 Q4
Set the table, because the Redskins are just about done. Travis Henry has rushed 32 times for 178 yards and a TD. If the Titans hold on, the Redskins will be 2-4. Like I said, done.
BENGALS 13, BUCS 7 1:52 Q4
The Bucs have 4th and 3 on the Bengal 8 with 43 seconds left as I write this. Bruce Gradkowski has thrown 43 passes today, completing 24 of them.
SEAHAWKS 30, RAMS 28 FINAL
Josh Brown kicks a 54 yard field goal with no time remaining to give Seattle the comeback win in a great game. 3 TD passes for Matt Hasselbeck and Marc Bulger. 3 TD catches and 154 yards receiving for Torry Holt. 2 TDs for Deion Branch. Hope you weren’t playing against Torry Holt this week. A huge win for the Hawks.
1:30 UPDATE
PANTHERS 13, RAVENS 7 HALFTIME
Steve McNair has left with a neck injury. You knew it was only a matter of time before he got hurt. Steve McNair gets hurt if someone looks at him funny. Kyle Boller has come on and played well in his place, throwing a 14 yard TD pass to Mark Clayton. Delhomme has been insane today though, throwing for 193 yards in the first half against vaunted Raven defense, including a 42 yard TD strike to Drew Carter.
SAINTS 17, EAGLES 3 HALFTIME
The Saints got a scare when Deuce McAllister left briefly with an apparent hamstring injury, but he’s back in the game now, and the Saints are rolling. Drew Brees has TD passes to Joe Horn and Marques Colston. McNabb has struggled, completing only 8 of 17 passes for 67 yards and an INT.
LIONS 17, BILLS 10 HALFTIME
Roy Williams, Jon Kitna, and Kevin Jones have shredded the Bills defense, with the Lions rolling up 267 yards of total offense in the first half. Somehow, the Bills remain in the game thanks to a long TD pass from Losman to Roscoe Parrish, and a 53 yard FG from Rian Lindell.
TEXANS 6, COWBOYS 3 HALFTIME
The Cowboys are sleepwalking thru this game. If they don’t wake up, they’re going to suffer a bad loss and fall to 2-3.
FALCONS 14, GIANTS 3 11:53 Q3
Warrick Dunn has 141 rushing yards and a TD. Of course, I benched him this week for McAllister. Someone fetch me a glass of Drano.
REDSKINS 14, TITANS 13 14:55 Q3
For the second week in a row the Titans are giving a playoff contender all they can handle on the road. Vince Young has a TD pass to Brandon Jones, and Travis Henry rushed for 76 yards in the first half
BENGALS 7, BUCS 0 HALFTIME
TJ Whos Yo Mama has the games only score, a 33 yard TD reception. The Bengals have 3 rushing yards.
RAMS 21, SEAHAWKS 7 9:33 Q3
The Seahawks have played poorly this year, and today they are being exposed by a resurgent Rams team. 83 yards and 2 TD receptions for Torry Holt.
12:30 UPDATE
PANTHERS 3, RAVENS 0 2:35 Q1
A pretty sloppy game so far in Baltimore. The Ravens offense continues to get worse and worse. Steve McNair has already thrown an interception today after throwing 3 last week. Jake Delhomme’s also thrown a pick for Carolina. He has also thrown a 32 yard completion to Steve Smith though, which set up a John Kasay field goal to give Carolina the early lead.
SAINTS 10, EAGLES 0 0:19 Q1
The Saints are all over Philly in the Superdome early on. Drew Brees is 8 for 8, and capped off the Saints’ latest drive with a TD pass to Joe Horn.
LIONS 10, BILLS 0 3:23 Q1
Kevin Jones already has 83 rushing yards and a TD for the Lions. The Bills have 2 yards of total offense in the game so far.
TEXANS 3, COWBOYS 0 3:52 Q1
The Cowboys come out flat in a big game for them. David Carr has been able to spread the ball around, and avoid getting sacked. Meanwhile, Drew Bledsoe has completed only 1 pass for 9 yards, and Julius Jones has been held in check.
GIANTS 0, FALCONS 0 0:17 Q1
Atlanta’s shot themselves in the foot with turnovers in this game. Michael Vick has thrown an INT and lost a fumble. This has negated Atlanta’s 65 first quarter rushing yards. Tiki Barber has 38 yards on 6 carries for NYG.
REDSKINS 7, TITANS 3 15:00 Q2
Today the Redskins offense looks good, as it should against the Titans 30th ranked defense. Clinton Portis has a TD run, and Santana Moss has 51 combined rushing and receiving yards.
BENGALS 0, BUCS 0 15:00 Q2
Cincy’s offense hasn’t gotten untracked this year, and it’s struggling today in Tampa. 4 carries, 0 yards for Rudi Johnson. Only 18 yards total in the first quarter for the Bengals.
RAMS 14, SEAHAWKS 7 13:02 Q2
We’ve got a shootout going on in St. Louis. Marc Bulger and Matt Hasselbeck traded TD passes to Torry Holt and Deion Branch in the first quarter. Stephen Jackson has put the Rams ahead early in the second with a 2 yard TD run.
PREGAME SHOW
We’ve only got 13 games this week?? What is the reasoning behind that??? Well, I won’t complain too much because, for me, that means that this week my fantasy team faces a gruesome running back twosome of Mack Strong and Mike Anderson. Good luck with that.
In the real football world, we’ve got some interesting matchups this week. Let’s take a look.
(3-1) BENGALS AT
(0-4) BUCS
This game feels dangerous for the visiting Bengals. The Bucs are winless, but haven’t looked bad in their last 2 losses, to Carolina and New Orleans. Meanwhile, the last time we saw the Bengals, they were getting waxed at home by the Patriots, 38-13. The thing about the Bengals is they beat the teams they should. They are 16-3 outright as a favorite over the last 3 years, 6-12 as an underdog. That bodes well for Cincy today.
(3-1) SEAHAWKS AT
(4-1) RAMS
It was just last year that the Rams were passing the baton to the Seahawks in the NFC West. Can it be that the Hawks are already passing it back? Maybe. Seattle’s been real bad this year (despite having a 3-1 record). They rank in the bottom 3rd of the league in total, rushing, and passing offense, and 23rd in pass defense. The Rams have flourished offensively under Scott Linehan, finding the balance that was missing under Mike Martz. The defense has also been opportunistic. This team looks alot like the 05 Bengals to me.
(2-2) GIANTS AT
(3-1) FALCONS
This is a game both of these teams need to have to avoid sinking in their respective, tightly bunched divisions. Atlanta’s been great in all facets of the game, except throwing the ball. The Giants have been great in all facets except defending the pass. So, the Falcons don’t have the card that beats the Giants. However, the Falcons, who are favored by a field goal, are 18-4 outright as a favorite since 04, while the Giants are 5-14 as underdogs in that time period.
(4-1) EAGLES AT
(4-1) SAINTS
Who would have looked at the schedule and seen this game as a clash of division leaders? Here we are though. The Eagles have succeeded despite having a weak defense this year. The Saints’ 7th ranked offensive unit could expose them today.
(3-2) PANTHERS AT
(4-1) RAVENS
Speaking of exposed, that’s what happened to the Ravens offense in their Monday Night loss in Denver last week. The defense is elite in all areas though, while the Panthers have ranged from mediocre to bad on both sides of the ball this year. Can the Ravens beat a decent team though? In the last 3 years they are 3-10 against teams with winning records. Their 4-1 record this year includes wins over Tampa, Oakland, and Cleveland, who have a combined reocrd of 1-12.
(2-2) CHIEFS AT
(1-3) STEELERS
If you look at the records, this game looks like a dud. But in reality, it’s two teams expected to contend this year who are fighting to remain relevant in 2006. If I can watch only one game this week, this is the one I want to see.
And then we have assorted mismatches and stinkers, which include:
TITANS AT REDSKINS
Lucky schedule break for Redskins, as they absolutely have to get to 3-3.
TEXANS AT COWBOYS
Don’t think Jerry Jones doesn’t remember that in the Texans very first NFL game, they beat the Cowboys in 2002.
BILLS AT LIONS
Detroit is favored despite being 0-5. Sounds like a great game.
DOLPHINS AT JETS
The second week of Joey Harrington’s reign as Dolphins QB. If the Jets continue Miami’s misery, they will be 3-3.
RAIDERS AT BRONCOS
I bet NBC wishes they could invoke that “flexible schedule” right about now. This game should be over by halftime.
Okay then. It’s now 10:05. I am going to the gym now to gird my loins for a grueling Sunday of football. I’ll be back around 12:30 (Central time) with my first updates of the day, then will update hourly on the 30s after that.
