NFL Football – The Furious
7 After Week 11
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The Indianapolis
Colts second loss of the season is misleading,
but it’s a loss none the
less. There’s no way the Chargers are ready
to crack the top-7 regardless of the win, but
the Furious Seven continues to balance the best
from the NFC and the AFC as we drive towards
Week 11. There’s a new number two in the
BetUS.com standings, but can you guess who overtook
the Colts?
1. New England Patriots ( 9-0)
New England went in to the bye week after outlasting
the Colts in Week 9, and things only got better
as they witnessed the Colts stumble in prime
time against the San Diego Chargers. The Patriots
are the fifth best defense in the league allowing
275.2 total yards and 16.3 points per game.
There’s no need to go over the incredible
season that Tom Brady, Randy Moss and Uncle Bill
are having. But one thing is being overlooked
as well: they have suffered zero major injuries
this season. That means the NFL’s best
team will be at full strength as they cruise
down the home stretch in search of the perfect
season. They are 9-1 SU in their ten game history
with the division rival Buffalo Bills, whom they
face this weekend.
Next game: New England (-14.5) vs. Buffalo
2. Dallas Cowboys (8-1)
The Cowboys came,
saw and then decisively conquered the rival
Giants at the Meadowlands this past week. Tony
Romo looked unstoppable as he led the Cowboys
with 247 passing yards, four touchdowns and
one pick. He was so efficient through the air
that the Dallas ground game didn’t
need to get revved up.
What’s more important for the Cowboys,
who have the second best offense in the league
with 396.8 total yards per game and 32.9 points,
is the swagger they showed on Sunday in embarrassing
the Giants on their home turf. It starts from
the top down. Tony Romo is a ridiculously confident
individual, and when Terrell Owens is “on”,
he’s relentless against any secondary.
The defense is being infected too. They sacked
Eli Manning five times in epic fashion. However,
the defense will have to shore up if they want
to take the pressure off the high-octane offense
to perform. Dallas gives up 21.7 points per game,
which ranks them tied for twenty-first with Arizona.
Next game: Washington vs. Dallas (-11)
3. Indianapolis Colts (7-2)
Four crazy things happened in San Diego on Sunday
night. First, the Indianapolis special teams
got ripped apart for two touchdowns (kick and
punt returns). Second, Peyton Manning gave up
an astonishing six interceptions. Third, Adam
Vinatieri botched a 29-yard chip shot to win
the game with 1:34 left. Fourth, they still almost
won the game despite having the most injury depleted
roster in the NFL (yes, worse than Miami).
The Colts’ injury
woes continue as Marvin Harrison, Anthony Gonzalez,
Dallas Clark, Freddy Keiaho and Dwight Freeney
remain plagued by nagging injuries heading
in to their tilt against Kansas City this weekend.
Kansas City allows 322.2 yards per games and
19.2 points per game, placing them as the tenth
best defense in the league.
Perhaps the most
pressing concern for the Colts, however, is
Vinatieri, who has missed two clutch kicks
in the past two weeks. Against New England
he missed a 50 yard attempt that would’ve
put the Colts within one-point heading in to
the last drive of the game. The miss in the first
quarter meant that the Colts had to press for
a touchdown in the final quarter against New
England. Against San Diego, Vinatieri missed
a potentially game-winning chip. Has he lost
his edge? Is he secretly under contract to the
New England Patriots while thwarting the Colts
chances single-handedly? Alright, maybe that’s
a stretch, but if the kicker has lost a bit of
his mojo then the Colts are in way more trouble
than we thought.
Next game: Kansas City vs. Indianapolis (-14.5)
4. Green Bay Packers (8-1)
Brett Favre continues on his inspired quest
to finish out his career on top with a Superbowl
victory. He leads the league with 2,757 passing
yards and has 16 touchdowns to boot. He absolutely
gutted a horrific Minnesota secondary for 351
yards and three scores and took enough pressure
off of third-stringer, Ryan Grant, to be effective
on the ground.
The offense has
taken center stage as a statistical top-5 force
in the NFL, but the defense shut out Minnesota
and ranks third in points allowed with a stunningly
low 15.7 points against per game. The front-seven
has been infected by Brett Favre’s will
to win, and are making the Packers a sexy pick
to win the NFC this season.
The Packers have
the daunting task of facing Vinny Testaverde
and the Panthers (read: sarcasm), a team that
they are 6-3 ATS in their last nine meetings
with. With Detroit stumbling against Arizona,
the Packers gained that much needed divisional
breathing room in the NFC North. They are also
a betting man’s best friend. They
have a solid 7-1-1 ATS record on the year.
Next game: Carolina vs. Green Bay (-10.5)
5. Pittsburgh Steelers (7-2)
Despite getting lit up in a 31-28 victory defensively
by Derek Anderson, the Steelers still boast the
best defense in the league. They are tops in
points allowed with a ridiculously low 14.0 and
are the best team against the rush (72.0 yards
against) and pass (157.4 yards against). The
Steel Curtain is back, baby!
Ben Roethlisberger
is engineering a well-balanced offense that
can’t help but score touchdowns
in bundles when it needs to. The offense is fifth
overall, gaining 357.8 yards per game, and grabbing
28.1 points per contest. What’s worth noting
is that Big Ben scored both of his passing touchdowns
outside of the pocket on roll-outs after getting
flushed out by Cleveland defenders. He also rushed
for a dazzling (considering his mammoth size)
30-yard rushing touchdown as well.
The Jets defense is ranked twenty-seventh in
the league and the front-four for New York fails
to get any decent pressure on opposing quarterbacks.
Bet on a big game from Big Ben as he guides the
Pittsburgh Steelers towards a looming AFC North
title.
Next game: Pittsburgh (-9.5) vs. New York Jets
6. Jacksonville Jaguars (6-3)
My faithful subscribers know how much I loathe
the Jacksonville Jaguars. Jack Del Rio consistently
drafts and hordes players based on size. He wants
the biggest guys in the trenches, the tallest
receivers, and small, shifty running-backs that
can expose the gaping holes blown open by his
monsters up front. What has that bred? A team
that is right in the middle of the league with
323.9 total yards per game and 20.3 points per
game on average. They are amazingly mediocre.
Still, the Jags sit at fourth in the AFC, so
there is no denying their success. And they pulled
away from the Titans by completely destroying
their vaunted rushing defense. Their betting
faithful have been rewarded by sticking by this
team, which has gone 5-2 ATS in their last seven
games.
The Jags simply do not have the offensive fire-power
to realistically compete in the AFC. This is
a team that has gotten blown to bits by Indianapolis
and a questionable New Orleans team that just
lost to St. Louis. They also barely squeaked
out a game against Tampa.
Before you get all excited about the Jags and
their record, take a second to double-check their
schedule. They face the Chargers this week and
have games remaining against Buffalo, Indianapolis
and Pittsburgh. Those tests will show how good
the Jags are, but right now they are deserving
of a spot in the Furious Seven.
7. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (5-4)
“Excuse me??? The
Bucs???” We’ve
had this discussion before, kids. The Bucs rank
fourth defensively, allowing only 16.0 points
per game and surrender only 286.2 total yards
against. They are nothing to write home about
offensively, but this is a team that plays mistake-free
football. They have only turned the ball over
eleven times this season (four picks, seven fumbles)
and three Garcia’s interceptions came against
Jacksonville.
The Bucs aren’t
going to scare anyone with Earnest Graham running
the rock, or Jeff Garcia throwing the ball
to guys like Ike Hilliard, or the ageless Joey
Galloway. But coming of a much needed bye-week,
the Bucs face the easiest schedule down the
home stretch. They face the Falcons, Redskins,
Saints, Texans, Falcons, Niners and Panthers
to close out the season. Can you say playoffs?
Because the Bucs can sure taste it.
The Bucs face the Falcons in Week 11 to start
their easy, remaining schedule. They are 5-4
ATS and have never had hardly had success in
the past against the Falcons, but that was because
of Michael Vick. The Bucs betting faithful can
feel a lot more comfortable with them facing
Joey Harrington.
Next game: Tampa Bay (-3) vs. Atlanta
> > Check
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Posted on 11/15/2007 7:23:32
PM
NFL Football Opinion – The Furious Seven, Week 11
By Tim Furious
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