NFL WEEK 5 – T&R (thought and revelations)

I try not to point out the obvious. So you may notice I rarely comment on a big name runner or a top receiver unless I really believe the game is on his shoulders. Is it going to matter anyway? Are you going to bench Andre Johnson because I suggest it? Are you ever going to sit LeSean McCoy? No, even if the matchup below didn't favor him, it's not worth making the recommendation. The mantra of fantasy still remains, always start your studs. You didn't draft Ray Rice or Tom Brady to sit him because of the matchup. You drafted him to play weekly, regardless of matchup. So if you don't see me mention that stud runner or receiver in a matchup, usually it's because I assume you're playing him, and you don't need me telling you something that's a no-brainer.




PHILADELPHIA @ PITTSBURGH    
Steelers' linebacker Lawrence Timmons was everywhere. The return of James Harrison no doubt affected the way the Eagles handled the pass rush, and the Steelers hurried and harried Michael Vick into four fumbles, two turnovers and three sacks. Running back Rashard Mendenhall ran like a possessed man against an Eagles defense ranked 12^th against the run, putting up 81 yards on just 14 rushes, and the Steelers managed to eke out a two point victory. The Steelers lost safety Troy Polamalu again, as he re-aggravated his calf injury, which means he'll likely be out a few more weeks. That makes Thursday's game a near impossibility and Ryan Mundy will act has his fill-in again. Two more important notes as regards the Steelers: First, Antonio Brown continues to be the most targeted receiver for Pittsburgh, and when it came to third down conversions, Brown was targeted on three in the second half, including the third and 12 conversion on their final drive; second, Todd Haley's offense is finding ways for TE Heath Miller to be more involved, raising his fantasy profile. He's on pace for career highs in receptions, yards and touchdowns, having caught 19 balls, four for touchdowns in the first four games. As for Michael Vick, his post-game press conference made no sense.  Michael Vick came to the microphones after the game to declare he doesn't have

Michael Vick has fumbled eight times this season.

a fumbling problem.  He's right, he doesn't have a fumbling problem…. It's more like he's got a fumbling epidemic. When the Eagles found a way to retain possession and move into the red zone, Vick found Brent Celek for the touchdown. Celek only had three grabs, and has seen his numbers decline since Week Two. Part of the reason might be the Eagles offensive line, which in pass-blocking terms hasn't exactly been stellar. On Sunday, Vick was tormented, and sacked three more times, making that 14 times on the season. If you're a Vick owner, you should be looking ahead at the schedule, and considering when Vick might cede his role to Nick Foles. It's very possible if things don't improve.



GREEN BAY @ INDIANAPOLIS
The return of Dwight Freeney can't be understated. He had one of the Colts five sacks and Andrew Luck led the Colts on scoring drives all through the third and fourth quarters, none more important than with just 39 ticks left on the clock. Reggie Wayne continues to be one of the feel-good stories of the year, both in the NFL and among fantasy circles. His 212 yards receiving broke his career best of 200 set back in 2010. However, as great as his day was, I'm pretty sure the headline on NFL.com is not one he'd have preferred, Reggie Wayne endures severe cramps in Colts win.
   
For Green Bay, Alex Green becomes a huge pick-up on the waiver wire as Cedric Benson was carted off the field with a Lisfranc injury.  He may miss up to eight weeks.  The Packers have already made it clear by signing Benson they didn't fully believe in the talents of James Starks. Thus, expect Alex Green to get one heck of a tryout, especially after his nine carry, 55 yard performance Sunday.  Aaron Rodgers gave you three touchdowns, two to James Jones, who continues his career year. Jones has never caught more than 50 passes and seven touchdowns. Through five games he has 20 grabs and five touchdowns. No doubt those who drafted Green Bay receivers Greg Jennings and Jordy Nelson (guilty on Nelson) have to be getting frustrated. Jennings has been fighting a groin injury, but Nelson is fresh off of signing a three year extension in October 2011. He's coming off a 1,300 yard season where he had 68 receptions. So far, his reception totals are decent (23) but his yardage through five games is just 289 and he's scored once. The inconsistency has plenty to do with Rodgers' offensive line woes, which is not going to improve overnight. The Packers now at 2-3 need Jennings to return sooner than later, especially since TE Jermichael Finley went down Sunday with a shoulder injury.


CLEVELAND @ NEW YORK GIANTS
The Browns scared the Giants just enough in the first half to get them re-focused, and RB Ahmad Bradshaw gave a tour de force performance for 200 rushing yards alone and touchdown.  Giants QB Eli Manning found Victor Cruz three times in the end zone, effectively making Reuben Randle's 82 yards receiving nothing more than a footnote. However, for fantasy owners, Randle's nine targets should be recognized for what they are, a direct result of Hakeem Nicks and Ramses Barden being ruled out of the game. However, a solid performance such as this can change things, and Barden and Randle are of the same breed of physical receiver. Barden has four more inches of height, which theoretically could mean more targets around the red zone, but Barden is injured and has made his share of bone-headed mistakes.  Thus, Randle could easily see more targets in the future that cut into Barden's playing time. He has put everyone on notice. For Cleveland, Josh Gordon made himself relevant this game, but his numbers looked like those of Greg Little, as he managed two catches on eight targets. Little was targeted just twice and didn't have a catch. It is also worth noting that in just two games with the Browns Jerious Norwood has 13 catches. While Norwood hardly figures in with ground yardage, he appears to be a PPR specialist in waiting, especially on a Browns team desperate for output.



MIAMI @ CINCINNATI
The first half was a mistake-filled battle with penalties and turnovers, a defensive battle of who would bend but not break if you will. Unfortunately for Cincinnati, they continued that style in the second half, while Miami pulled themselves together, picked off Cincinnati QB Andy Dalton to open the second half and capped off a 36-yard drive with a Reggie Bush touchdown run. Dalton was picked off a second time in the fourth quarter and that was the game. The Miami defense was gaining a reputation of not being able to hold onto victories, much like the Colts last year. This time they eliminated any Bengals rushing attack, forcing Dalton to make 43 pass attempts. They kept Andrew Hawkins and Armon Binns from having any say in the outcome, while holding A.J. Green to 65 yards and a touchdown on his nine catches. Miami RB Lamar Miller was lost to a hamstring injury, meaning Daniel Thomas' value has just increased for fantasy owners. Not only is he the red zone back, as he showed today again with a one-yard touchdown plunge, but Miller's carries are headed Thomas' way. He had 10 on Sunday. Bernard Scott, the man Cincinnati's been waiting on to become their top runner, fears he tore his ACL after leading the team in carries and yards. If so, he'll miss the remainder of the season, keeping BenJarvus Green-Ellis as a solid third RB on your fantasy team.


ATLANTA @ WASHINGTON
Washington backup QB Kirk Cousins stepped in and immediately gave the Redskins back the lead, finding veteran receiving Santana Moss for a 77 yard touchdown strike. Unfortunately, the reverie was short-lived as Cousins' two final drives ended in interceptions, and the Falcons were able to secure the victory. The Redskins kept Michael Turner and Jacquizz Rodgers in check all day up until the final drive when Turner found the end zone. Both Roddy White and Julio Jones, were kept under 100 yards receiving, something that's only happened one other time this season. However, Tony Gonzalez continues to defy his age and put up over 120 receiving yard and a score. For Washington, RB Alfred Morris continues to be one of the top backs in the NFL and in fantasy, as he had 115 rushing yards on 18 carries and 20 more receiving yards. However, the 'Skins lost another game where he failed to carry more than 20 times. Kirk Cousins might be the starter next week depending on how serious the concussion is to Robert Griffin III. Griffin tweeted after the game that he feels all right, but that will be up to the medical staff this coming week. Fred Davis did lead all Washington receivers in yards until Moss' big play. Pierre Garcon had seven targets to lead Washington.

Brady Quinn: Chiefs Savior?

BALTIMORE @ KANSAS CITY
Leave it to Joe Flacco to make a statement that he believes he's an elite quarterback only then to lay an egg against the Chiefs defense. This is why Flacco has his disbelievers, with me being one of them. It's not that he's not a solid QB. But he's not "Matty Ice." He's not Brady. Coming into Sunday's game, Baltimore's passing offense was ranked fourth, their running game ranked 12^th.  The Chiefs passing defense had given up 10 passing touchdowns. Their rushing defense had given up four rushing touchdowns and 4.2 yards per carry. Baltimore failed to score a single touchdown. Flacco went 13 for 27 for 189 yards and an interception. Perhaps this is why they say good defense beats good offense. However, Baltimore's defense isn't very good. Jamaal Charles dropped 140 rushing yards on them and 21 receiving yards. The Chiefs gave up 118 all purpose yards to Ray Rice.  To Eric Winston, who stood up for his quarterback, Matt Cassel, who has endured his share of boos, and had to endure a positive reaction to him getting hurt, kudos to you. Matt Cassel hasn't always played well. He has a lot of interceptions this year, no doubt, But of his eight total interceptions, much like Sunday's pick that went of Dwayne Bowe's hands, he has endured the faults of his players as much as his own. At least half of these interceptions should have been receptions. You can make the case that Sunday's fumbled exchange on the one yard line was Cassel's fault, but who's to say it wasn't the Center's. That doesn't make it any more welcome, but nevertheless, mistakes are easily blamed on the quarterback. I haven't seen Matt Cassel play a ton of great football this year. However, I haven't seen him play as bad as the Chiefs have been. Sunday, the Chiefs gave Cassel just 15 pass attempts, instead placing the game in Jamaal Charles hands. Cassel's fumbles surely hurt his team badly today. He didn't have the benefit Jamaal Charles did fumbling the ball out of bounds. He doesn't get a pass like Dwayne Bowe does for tipping passes into defenders, or committing offensive holding on a key third down conversion. Cassel won't get the benefit Dexter McCluster did for committing pass interference on a Brady Quinn touchdown pass to Bowe in the fourth quarter that should have given the Chiefs the lead. For now, until Cassel is cleared to play, Brady Quinn will give the Chiefs fans the break they wanted. Yet after looking at Quinn's 52 percent completion percentage, 10:9 TD:INT ratio, and 5.39 yard per attempt average, Chiefs fans might want to reconsider about what they're wishing for.


SEATTLE @ CAROLINA
The biggest news from the game, and perhaps from the Carolina season so far has been the criticism being levied on QB Cam Newton, who apparently has not gotten used to losing. See parents, this is what happens if you spoil your children. They grow up to be million dollar quarterbacks who pout when they lose. Look, the second year for many NFL quarterbacks is tough. There's enough game tape for NFL teams who study every moment of every game multiple times to pick up on things. The problem with Newton is that he is such a gifted athlete and is so used to expressing the invisible "S" under his uniform, he forgets that what he did his rookie season was something that had never been seen. He ran for an obscene number of touchdowns. He also added 706 yards rushing to over 4,000 yards passing for a team that had one relevant wide receiver and a few decent running backs. Ask Reggie Bush what it's like to get a dose of reality upon entering the NFL.  Bush was the guy that once outran any college player.  Suddenly, he's in the NFL and can't outrun anyone anymore.  Quarterbacks in the NFL take great risks when they expose themselves out of the pocket, and it's really not so shocking that Newton, who fumbled only twice last year and lost none, has fumbled five times this year. It's also not surprising that he has learned to rely on Steve Smith, the one solid receiving threat he has. This past Sunday, Smith was targeted 13 times. That was three times more than Newton's second favorite target Sunday, RB Jonathan Stewart. Smith only caught four of those 13 passes, making Newton's day futile.

On the other side of the ball, Sidney Rice had another five receptions, leading the Seahawks, but again, failed to find the end zone. This shouldn't be a surprise, as Pete Carroll knows he's going to have to bring Russell Wilson along slowly.  As recent as last week spoke of his being ready to put Matt Flynn under center if things didn't improve. They did improve in terms of winning, though Wilson threw another two interceptions and managed a QB rating of 82.3. After grabbing another touchdown pass on Sunday, WR Golden Tate already has three touchdowns this year, equaling his career total. So far, he's Wilson's favorite target around the end zone, but still hasn't managed a game with more than three receptions.


CHICAGO @ JACKSONVILLE
This one was as ugly as advertised, and the Jags offense helped the Bears defense accomplish something never done before. For the second straight week LB Lance Briggs and CB Charles Tillman returned an interception for a touchdown. So when people talk about the Bears scoring a lot of points, remember the defense has as much to do with this as the offense. In fact, Briggs and Tillman have scored as many touchdowns as Alshon Jeffery, and more touchdowns than every other receiver besides Brandon Marshall.  However, for the first half it was a game, one that could have turned out very differently if the Jags had taken the lead. With 2^nd and 11 at the Chicago 21, Blaine Gabbert was sacked and fumbled the ball. It's the kind of turnover good quarterbacks somehow avoid.   Had Gabbert held onto the football, the worst case scenario is that Jacksonville goes up 6-3 at halftime. Instead, the Bears came out from halftime, took a 6-3 lead, then intercepted Gabbert to go up 13-3 and the game was all but over. Maurice Jones-Drew was effectively shut down, gaining 59 all purpose yards. For that again you have to give the Bears defense credit. Justin Blackmon is quickly becoming the top target in Jacksonville as I wrote about in the previews. For the second straight week, Blackmon garnered eight targets, tying for the team lead again.

 

Wright is reaching new heights in Tennessee.

TENNESSEE @ MINNESOTA
The Vikings are a surprising 4-1 and not necessarily because RB Adrian Peterson is having a great year. Peterson has only one 100-yard game thus far, and hasn't scored since Week One. He also slightly injured his ankle on Sunday. You have to give the guy credit just for being out there. As fast as he's healed, he may not be returning the kind of league-winning draft pick you were hoping, but the season is just five weeks old. Kyle Rudolph found the end zone again via Christian Ponder's arm, and Percy Harvin, well, when the kid is healthy is probably one of the most dangerous football players around. He's a hybrid type player who is a rare find, and if Minnesota could complement him by even half, they'd have a darn good chance to go far. Offensively though, no one has really stepped up but Rudolph. Jerome Simpson appeared rusty as he caught zero of the three balls thrown his way. Michael Jenkins and Devin Aromashodu were targeted four times each, but it amounted to very little. On the flip side, Matt Hasselbeck continues his struggles against the Vikings, and if you waited to sell Chris Johnson, the chance has gone. Johnson averaged 1.6 yards per carry against the stout Minnesota rush defense. His 15 carries gave you 24 yards. As for the wide receivers, Kendall Wright is developing into a consistent target and worthy of fantasy attention. He had nine receptions on 11 targets, resulting in 66 yards. In PPR leagues, he has given 10 points or more the last four weeks.


DENVER @ NEW ENGLAND
What do we take from this game? Simple, the New England's offensive line is getting scary good. Keep in mind, Denver's rushing defense was giving up just 3.4 yards per carry before running into the Patriots. After Sunday's game, that average vaulted to 3.8. The Patriots now have the third best rushing attack in the NFL, and Stevan Ridley ranks fourth in rushing yards. Some tougher opponents lie ahead, including Seattle next week, but let's look at what really happened here. Denver's front seven got pushed around almost the entire game. Even when they knew the Patriots were going to run, which used to be something that was a rare as a good steak, Denver couldn't slow down any of their runners. Ridley averaged 5.9 yards per carry, Danny Woodhead averaged 6.7. Brandon Bolden averaged 3.9, and that was the worst of the day. On third and 17, Woodhead broke a run for 19 yards. Since we've seen the Patriots can run this year more than once, perhaps it's less a condemnation of Denver and more an accolade to be bestowed upon New England, which at the beginning of this year had major offensive line worries. Tom Brady was still sacked four times, but the running game is now a force to be reckoned with. With Aaron Hernandez possibly one week away from returning, how scary will this team be if Brady no longer has to throw on third and long every time.  As for Denver, Demaryius Thomas is a superior athlete atop Denver's receiver class. However, his fumbling problem is becoming a serious one, as this was the second game in a row he lost a potential touchdown by not securing the ball well. Fantasy owners shouldn't worry as Thomas will continue to be the Broncos top weapon of choice. However, in the red zone, this may mean fewer chances to make plays in space unless he's already in the end zone. His 188 yards receiving Sunday speaks to this as it didn't include a touchdown.


SAN FRANCISCO @ BUFFALO
Alex Smith threw for only his third 300-yard passing game of his career, and the 49ers had three rushing touchdowns to clobber the already wounded Bills 45-3. No surprise that Frank Gore ran for over 100 yards and touchdown, but even Anthony Dixon, a name we haven't called in almost as long as Glen Coffee, scored his first touchdown since January last season. The Bills have fallen frightfully low, as their running game amassed just 89 total yards, and their passing game only 37 more yards than that. C. J. Spiller probably wasn't fully healthy this game and his totals showed it: seven rushes, 24 yards and zero receptions. It wasn't any turnover that changed the momentum of this one. It was an ill-timed penalty. After stopping San Francisco for a three and out on their first drive, Leodis McKelvin took the punt back 80 yards for a score, but it was nullified by a holding call. What could have been a 7-0 lead suddenly wasn't. Later, a Scott Chandler fumble after what would have been a first down catch turned the ball back to the 49ers with just 29 seconds left in the half. Smith found Michael Crabtree for Crabtree's first TD of the year and the 49ers led 17-3 at half. From there the Bills lost their rhythm and lost the game. Vernon Davis continues to be the most consistent fantasy player for San Francisco, while Randy Moss has not only been surpassed by Mario Manningham, he's basically disappeared. He finished with one catch for 11 yards.


SUNDAY NIGHT GAME

SAN DIEGO @ NEW ORLEANS
Forget the New Orleans offense if you would for second. The New Orleans defensive front seven, which now includes pro-bowlers Curtis Lofton and Will Smith, star DE out of USC Sedrick Ellis, as well as tough inside man Scott Shanle, is simply hapless. Teams are simply running by, through and over them, and watching them reminds me of the Detroit Lions in 2008, who simply got pushed around for the second most rushing yards ever allowed with 2,754. When the Chargers start with 1:48 left in the half at their own ten yard line and choose to run with Ronnie Brown, and he gains 21 yards, there's a lot wrong with your defense. By the way, Ryan Mathews looked hungry Sunday night, like a man possessed. I've never seen him run that hard or aggressive. Perhaps he realizes, as was confirmed later in the game, that he's got almost no shot of toting the rock inside the ten yard line anymore. Robert Meachem reminded you why it almost goes without saying that when a player you own faces his old team, you start him. Meachem, who had managed just six reception and 92 yards this season, had three catches for 63 yards and two scores. Sell high while you can. Malcom Floyd will continue to lead this group as long as he's healthy. Tight end Antonio Gates is clearly not the same player he once was, and I just wonder how long until the team pushes more action to Randy McMichael and rookie Ladarius Green. Green was one of my big sleepers this season, so naturally I'm biased, but in a game that had this much passing, Gates managed just three catches for 19 yards. He complained a whole lot about being held, but with his size and strength, Gates used to throw around defensive backs. Now he can't escape them. Oh, and Jackie Battle lovers who thought his move up was going to last, expect more of the same unpredictability while Mathews is healthy.




MONDAY NIGHT GAME


HOUSTON @ NEW YORK JETS
Is the Rex Ryan era treading on thin ice? Will Mark Sanchez abdicate his position to Tim Tebow? Does anyone think that blaming Mark Sanchez for the Jets dismal performance so far is logical? Monday night, Sanchez became victim again to one of the cruelest statistics in football – the tipped interception. The stat book says Sanchez threw two interceptions, taking no account of how they happened. Ask Matt Cassel how much he digs this rule, huh? Granted, his second interception to Jeff Cumberland wasn't the best of passes, but it hit him the hands. And if a pass hits you in the hands, then you either have to catch it, or make sure it goes to the ground. In all fairness to Sanchez, his touchdown pass to Cumberland earlier in the game was on tightly wound rope. It was a thing of beauty and showcased his potential.  As for Houston, WR Andre Johnson was held to just one catch for 15 yards. Another Matt Schaub pass intended for Johnsonswas intercepted by Antonio Cromartie.  However, besides Week One, Johnson's tallies have hardly made him worthy of a second round draft pick. He has two scores this season, but other than that he hasn't record more than three catches the last four weeks. The truth is it probably has little to do with Johnson. When you're on a team with as powerful a running back as Arian Foster and his backup Ben Tate, you're going to play second fiddle. Johnson simply isn't getting enough targets, as the play calling leans more on the running game, and my thought is that if he has another big game, you try to sell him for another option.

NFL WEEK 5 – MATCHUPS & BREAKDOWNS

One quarter of the season is over for all but two teams, and though we have an idea of who is in the race, this is where the race really starts. Could this be the first time since 1992 an 0-4 makes the playoffs? When you consider that one of the NFL's 0-4 teams is the Saints, well why yes it could be. Are the Jets on the brink of the collapse I predicted? If Houston has their way with them on Monday night taking dropping their record to 2-3, well yes it may be.  The Bye Weeks have come to Dallas, Detroit, Oakland and Tampa Bay.  All of those teams are 1-3, except the Cowboys, who are playing like they're 1-3, but are actually 2-2.


THE 1PM DOCKET


MIAMI @ CINCINNATI
The Dolphins have to be happy about the way things are going with the Ryan Tannehill experiment. No, they're not yet winning a lot of games. No, Tannehill isn't lighting up the scoreboard with a lot of touchdowns. However, when you consider the weapons he has, and then look at how he's played, particularly last weekend, you can't help but think there could be a future there.  This week, Tannehill's job won't get any easier, as the Bengals have a tenacious pass rush which has sacked opposing QBs on 11 percent of their drop backs. However, it is important to note that eight of the Bengals 16 sacks came last week against Jacksonville, so the question remains whether the Bengals have hit a groove or just had a great matchup. A healthier Reggie Bush will certainly assist in keeping that pass rush at bay, as may rookie runner Lamar Miller, who has overtaken RB Daniel Thomas in rushing yardage by more than 40 while doing so in three less carries. Thomas may hold goal-line duties for Miami, but Miller's and Bush's 5.5 yards per carry (YPC) is likely to keep Thomas and his 3.2 YPC on the bench. Bush should have a strong outing in Cincinnati, as the Bengals' 24^th ranked rushing defense is yielding 4.3 YPC and 133.5 yards per game.  The Dolphins only win this year came when Bush carried over 20 times, and if you go back to last year, the Dolphins lost only one game where Bush cracked the 20-carry mark. Expect Mike Sherman to feed the team of Bush/Miller/Thomas the ball for least 35 carries.   Bush could easily see 100 yards, as well as be the difference in the game. For Cincinnati, their tenth ranked offense and eighth ranked passing attack is going to give the Dolphins pass defense trouble. The Dolphins traded CB Vontae Davis prior to the season, believing they could compete with Sean Smith and Richard Marshall in their starting ranks. So far, they've struggled, giving up 298 yards per game and six touchdowns, despite allowing just a 55% completion rate. No worse a reminder of their struggles can be found than last week's fourth and 10 touchdown pass from Cardinals QB Kevin Kolb to Andre Roberts in the waning seconds of the fourth quarter. Now they'll have to solve A. J. Green, who has three touchdowns in four games, along with no less than five receptions per contest.  As Andy Dalton's favorite deep threat, Green is averaging 107 yards per game and has five plays of greater than 20 yards.  He's set for another couple of deep grabs, and 100-yard day is in his reach. Andrew Hawkins, who has found ways to be deadly in space, has four plays of his own greater than 20 yards and is fourth overall in yards after the catch. Forget BenJarvus Green-Ellis this week, as not only did he lose two fumbles last week, but he's up against a Dolphins defense ranked first against the run. If Ellis scores it'll be on a short plunge, but I'm not banking on him being as big a part of the game plan. Jay Gruden's offense will attack early and often, with full knowledge they play better when ahead.  The Dolphins may cause a few turnovers in this one, and should gain good chunks of yardarge, but Tannehill is completing just 29 percent of his passes inside the ten yard line and less than 20 percent inside the 20, leaving his runners as the truly viable fantasy plays. The Bengals have had a hard time defending the middle of the field, so you might see a downfield shot to Brian Hartline. However, it's more likely you can count on decent PPR numbers from Hartline as your WR3 or Flex, but I don't see anything more than 70 yards or so. Davone Bess has seen steadily increasing targets and could see more opportunity here. In the end, the Bengals have too much firepower, even for an opportunistic defense like Miami's.  Though Dalton's been sacked 12 times, he's tough and poised in the pocket.  He's a strong fantasy play this week and will be a difference maker on Sunday.

CINCINNATI 27, MIAMI 17

An emotional week for Arians

GREEN BAY @ INDIANAPOLIS
In a game likely to be played on high emotions, the 1-2 Colts have to face their toughest opponent without the services of Head Coach Chuck Pagano. It was announced earlier this week that Pagano is suffering from Leukemia, leaving Colts Offensive Coordinator Bruce Arians to take over on an interim basis. The Packers come into this one having just escaped New Orleans, and this is a scare game for the.  Quarterback Aaron Rodgers hasn't been in sync with his offense and is 1-3 for his career against the AFC South.  Packers RB Cedric Benson has never managed more than 3.5 yards per carry against Indianapolis in three games while scoring just once.   On the other side, in two games against the Packers Reggie Wayne has gained 208 yards and scored once.  In his new role as head coach, Arians faces a tough first game plan. Offensively, Arians by nature is aggressive, choosing to eschew shorter passing options for spreading out the defense and attacking mismatches down field. He also has given up the mantra that you should use the run to set up the pass. Instead, Arians will attack on early downs in an effort to move the ball and take advantage of man coverage in the defensive backfield. In this case, he's blessed to be working with a young talent like Andrew Luck. He also has patched together what is a pretty decent trifecta of receivers with veteran Reggie Wayne, St. Louis injury casualty Donnie Avery and rookie T. Y. Hilton. All three have found the end zone this year, and all three warrant attention from defensive coordinators for their speed and hands. With Wayne mentoring the group, the Colts passing offense, ranked 27^th just a year ago, is ranked 12^th in yards per game this year. Donald Brown has been the casualty of this growth, particularly for fantasy owners. Brown has just 43 rushing attempts through three games and has caught just one pass.   Stopping the run has been the Packers' biggest problem this year. While they're currently ranked 18^th, giving up 113 yards per game, a week prior to facing off with the hapless rushing attack of New Orleans they were ranked 26^th. Thus Brown's importance in this game is amplified, and I expect Arians in his first game as head coach to use Brown a little bit more often. Make no mistake though, Andrew Luck will attempt over 30 passes against the Packers, and that's because the Colts defense, though improving, still is giving up too many touchdowns through the air. The Colts will likely find themselves behind and forced to throw. Keep an eye on Hilton, who is seeing his role in the offense grow, including his Week Three highs for the team in receiving yardage with 113.

For the Packers, finding RB Cedric Benson was a chance to take some pressure of QB Aaron Rodgers, because the offense was beginning to become repetitive and predictable. Benson is tied with Ray Rice for number of attempts with 64, and while he isn't the yardage eater of days past, he is consistently receiving 18 carries per game. In addition, he's added a new wrinkle to his game, that of receiver. Benson has never caught more than 28 balls in a season. He already has 12, and all of those have come in the last three games. Even without the services of WR Greg Jennings, the leadership of Rodgers and the experience of Jordy Nelson and Jermichael Finley, along with newer weapon Randal Cobb should carry this team. Andrew Luck will make his share of plays, and in two QB leagues, he'll be worth starting, giving you around 210 yards, with two touchdowns and a couple of picks. Rodgers, who has a 26/5 touchdown to interception ratio indoors, will throw for near ly300 yards with three or four TDs shared between Nelson, James Jones and Finley; and since Green Bay throws 67 percent of the time inside the ten, fullback John Kuhn will likely add one as well.

PACKERS 31, COLTS 20


BALTIMORE @ KANSAS CITY
The last time these two teams met was in January 2011 in the AFC Wild Card Game. Baltimore disposed of Kansas City 30-7 rather easily, intercepting Chiefs QB Matt Cassel three times and holding him to just nine completions on 18 attempts. The only Chiefs player that made an impact was Jamaal Charles, who rushed nine times for 82 yards and a touchdown. The good news for the Chiefs is Charles is healthy and still around. The bad news for the Chiefs is so is Cassel. Cassel has thrown seven interceptions in the last four games while throwing nine all last season. Ironically, though the Ravens defense has given up 83 points and just two passing touchdowns, they have given up a league worst 63 passing first downs, and are ranked 29^th in ceded passing yardage with 296 per game. They've also given up six rushing touchdowns, so you'll see a heavy dose of Charles, both on the ground (career average of 6.4 yards per carry against the Ravens) and in the air. Cassel will have to throw against this secondary, but will have to do more than look for big man Dwayne Bowe, even though he's the one with the most consistent hands.  I expect more of Tony Meoaki and Jon Baldwin in this game to take coverage off of Bowe.

Baltimore's offense is ranked second overall, and QB Joe Flacco's aerial weaponry of Torrey Smith, Anquan Boldin and Dennis Pitta can work all areas of the field. Ray Rice has seen his value shift to more of a PPR player so far, and that could continue in the future. With Flacco becoming a more powerful QB, we've seen Rice's rushing attempts lessen. His 64 has him tied with Cedric Benson for 16^th in the league. However, this game should be Ray Rice's to own. The KC defense is ranked 13^th, and might be better if their offense wasn't constantly pinning them back into bad position with costly turnovers. Thus, the Chiefs defense has been faced with short fields and as such, have given up 136 points; Only the Titans having given up more. Where the Chiefs really struggle though is against the run, giving up 4.2 yards per attempt and 118 yards a game. With the Ravens having played three games in a span of 14 days, now on the road, and add the possibility that KC star LB Derrick Johnson hasn't practiced and may not play, expect Rice to get 25-30 carries this weekend. Flacco will have less attempts, and thus less yardage. Torrey Smith, nursing a sore ankle, is likely to draw the Chiefs best CB Brandon Flowers as his matchup, meaning more receptions for Anquan Boldin this week, in addition to a touchdown.   Dennis Pitta will also cause problems in the middle of the field and provide 70 yards receiving. The Chiefs only chance to win is to play a perfect game without turning the ball over. The Chiefs are minus 13 in the give/take this year. The Ravens will take a halftime lead and never look back.

RAVENS 27, CHIEFS 14

ATLANTA @ WASHINGTON
If there was a troubling statistic for Atlanta QB Matt Ryan last Sunday it was that the his offensive line that had allowed just four sacks in the first three games, allowed Ryan to be stung seven times. This could have been great news to Redskins Defensive Coordinator Jim Haslett.  However, the losses of Brian Orakpo and Adam Carriker on defense have made for trying times in Washington. Last week, they were unable to prevent the Buccaneers from torching their secondary for nearly 300 yards Sunday. Now they get an Atlanta offense completing around 75 percent of its passes on the road, an offense which plays better on grass than on their home turf, and one that is averaging 31 points per game. Perhaps the only thing Washington has going for it is that only Houston and Pittsburgh are better keeping time of possession than the Redskins.  Thus, the Redskins will probably employ a similar strategy to what Carolina did. They'll use their mobile quarterback Robert Griffin III to throw short passes to his receivers and use his legs on some bootlegs and draws. The Redskins are averaging 5.8 yards per carry at home, making Alfred Morris, the first consistent runner in a Shanahan system since Terrelle Davis, a strong fantasy play.  The Redskins have yet to lose when Morris carries 20 times or more.  Griffin will make his share of throws, mostly to Fred Davis, which

Morris has made a huge difference for Washington.

like Greg Olsen, will be tough for Atlanta to handle.  
In the end, Washington's 31^st ranked secondary won't have enough to stop Ryan and the Falcons. Roddy White has proven over and over he's impossible to guard in single coverage – just ask Haruki Nakamura.   Julio Jones is a versatile weapon who can run and catch. Then there's TE Tony Gonzalez, who finds gaps in zones and outmuscles man coverage. White will improve his numbers this weekend with over 100 yards. Bigger backs have struggled against the Redskins linebackers, and Michael Turner will be no different. Pencil him in for 50-60 yards and maybe a late touchdown. Washington might hang in initially, and Griffin will make in interesting, but the upset seems a little far-fetched with their beat up defense.
 
FALCONS 31, REDKSINS 24


CLEVELAND @ NEW YORK GIANTS
A surly 0-4 Cleveland team could be the most dangerous kind for the New York Giants to face if they weren't coming off such a disappointing loss. Eli Manning threw for over 300 yards but it wasn't enough to keep Philadelphia from pulling out the victory. The Browns have had over 10 days to get ready for New York, and after a tough fought loss to divisional foe Baltimore, the Browns should give the Giants all they can handle. Unfortunately for Cleveland, CB Joe Haden won't return until next week and they'll miss him in a big way against the pass-happy Giants.  Cleveland rookie Trent Richardson, who saw his attempts dwindle to 14 last Thursday, should get a full load. In Browns lore, that means 15 carries, but we'll call it a load and watch Richardson break a few nice runs. Keep in mind though, that the Browns have generated just 12 rushing first downs. Only Oakland has been worse.  And when it comes to scoring by run, both of these teams hold the fort, allowing just three rushing TDs between them.  Thus, Richardson might have more success finding that area of the field catching the football.

Joe Flacco scored the only rushing touchdown against Cleveland this year, and I don't expect Ahmad Bradshaw will do much until late in the game, the only time the Giants seem to run well. However, with Hakeem Nicks already ruled out of this weekend's game, Bradshaw could see higher than average receptions. For Nicks, that makes three of four years where he's missed at least two games. Ramses Barden is also questionable with a concussion, which he suffered some point late in the Eagles game and may be the only reason to explain how Barden thought he'd get away with that fourth quarter mugging of Nnamdi Asogmugha. Victor Cruz will be Manning's top target and as long as he doesn't turn into Greg Little, should bring nice returns and a score. Martellus Bennett should put up good yardage, but the Cleveland linebackers are pretty tough in coverage and haven't allowed a TE to put score yet.   Look rather for Domenik Hixon as a solid play again, and don't be surprised if Reuben Randle shows up with decent numbers in the box score.

For the Browns, Greg Little will continue to be Brandon Weeden's top receiver, which means 10 targets, three drops and 4-6 receptions. Mohamed Massaquoi is still questionable, though Josh Cribbs will return. That's a help to the Browns special teams, but not much else. There's just not enough weapons for Weeden to pull this one out, even with a depleted Giants secondary, I'm taking them Giants in a close one.
GIANTS 21, BROWNS 18

The NFL's fine favorite Harrison returns

PHILADELPHIA @ PITTSBURGH
For the first time this year the Steelers will see their entire starting defense take the field. It couldn't come at a better time, as the Steelers are 1-2 and facing an optimistic Philadelphia team that just moved to 3-1 despite being outscored 83-66. Much has been made of Michael Vick's QB rating of 65.5 versus the blitz, especially since the Steelers tend to blitz a lot. However, he's 1-0-1 against the Steelers with five touchdowns and just two interceptions. It's also worth noting the Steelers haven't been getting to the quarterback that much. Their sack total dropped from 48 to 35 between 2010 and 2011, and this year they've put quarterbacks down just five times. Lamar Woodley has been relatively useless without James Harrison on the field, and Harrison has now missed nine games in the last twenty. If the Eagles can get LeSean McCoy going, then they'll be able to keep the Steelers rush at bay, making Vick better able to find his favorite target Jeremy Maclin for decent yardage. For the Steelers, in order to open up the downfield passing game, they will have to convince the Eagles they can run.   It will help having Rashard Mendenhall in the backfield finally, as the
Steelers 2.6 yards per carry this season will attest. However, Mendenhall probably won't get more than 15 carries, which at best might give him 60 yards. Ben Roethlisberger is more likely to be passing on early downs, using Antonio Brown and Heath Miller to sustain drives. The last two times these teams met it was a 15-6 defensive battle. This game will be similar, with a big turnover and a quick strike making the difference. I see the Steelers forcing Vick into another mistake, and turning it into a decisive touchdown. Second and third receivers have been the Eagles nemesis, with Domenik Hixon, Michael Floyd and Jacoby Jones all finding the end zone. Emmanuel Sanders will get his turn this week for the Steelers. While the Eagles have a lot of numbers working in their favor on this one, the Steelers have been very strong at home, and for the first time are fully healthy.

PITTSBURGH 20, EAGLES 16


DENVER @ NEW ENGLAND
Probably the most interesting matchup of the week, Tom Brady and Peyton Manning renew their rivalry, this time with Manning draped in the orange and blue of the Denver Broncos. Peyton Manning is 6-10 all time against New England, 4-6 against Brady. He brings a much improved offense to face New England's 20^th ranked defense. I've never quite understood how a team ranked seventh against the run and 13^th against the pass ends up 20^th overall, but that's New England's plight. The Patriots sport the top rated offense, but that had plenty to do with the 52 points they dropped on Buffalo, including six straight touchdown scoring drives. The Patriots and Broncos won't be wanton for passing yards, as both coaches will be willing to let their quarterbacks decide the outcome of this one.   Broncos receiver Demaryius Thomas, if he can stop fumbling the ball when he changes hands, will be the Patriots focus. He's second overall in yards after the catch in the NFL, making him the most likely weapon Belichick's team will aim to remove from the equation. They were successful in doing so with Larry Fitzgerald and Stevie Johnson.  That leaves Eric Decker and Jacob Tamme, who should have 6-7 receptions each. Joel Dreessen has scored in two straight games and seems to be someone Manning aims for in the red zone. He'll get another chance Sunday, as of the eight passing touchdowns the Pats have allowed, three have come at the hands of opposing tight ends. Willis McGahee with be given 15 attempts to break through the Patriots ground defense, which is ceding just 3.4 yards per carry. I don't expect more than 60 yards and a touchdown plunge. Denver is holding opposing runners to the same tally, though fantasy owners now have to worry that New England rookie Brandon Bolden may cut into Stevan Ridley's totals. However, Brady will be throwing 35-40 times Sunday, making Wes Welker another solid start. Rob Gronkowski will play his role as always, and will get another couple of chances to find the end zone. I don't expect much from Brandon Lloyd, as Denver has allowed few big plays this year, and Lloyd is primarily New England's home run threat.   Kellen Winslow could become a larger part of the game plan, though TE Aaron Hernandez did practice and could dress for the game.  Even though the Pats have a history of frustrating Manning, and former Patriots lineman Dan Koppen will line up as Manning's Center for the first time, I see Denver surprising the inconsistent Patriots with a no-huddle of their own, while Denver's defense pressures Brady into a couple of turnovers.
BRONCOS 34, PATRIOTS 27


THE 4PM DOCKET

TENNESSEE @ MINNESOTA
The last time Minnesota and Tennessee matched up it was 2008. The Vikings had Gus Frerotte at the helm, the Titans had Kerry Collins. However, their running backs were the same, and both excelled, scoring two touchdowns each. This time around things could be very different. For one, the Titans are sporting the second worst defense in the league, ranked 27^th against the run and pass. Offensively, you might expect that reinserting veteran Matt Hasselbeck for injured rookie Jake Locker might instill more confidence for Offensive Coordinator Chris Palmer. But Hasselbeck's numbers against Minnesota aren't so reassuring. Hasselbeck is 1-4 for his career versus the Vikings with a line of 67-of-112 (59.8%) zero touchdowns and two interceptions. His road record for his career is 35-50 while completing less than 60 percent of his passes. Chris Johnson, who was a rookie the last time he met the Vikings, ran 17 times for 61 yards (a 3.59 YPC) and two scores. He also caught three passes for 14 yards. 

Meanwhile, Minnesota QB Christian Ponder hasn't exactly overwhelmed with brilliant statistics either this year. However, what he has done is avoid making big mistakes while completing 68 percent of his passes. He has played poised and stayed within the system set up for him. The return of Jerome Simpson can only help the Vikings' offense with its limited number of weapons, and if Simpson can keep himself out of jail, he has a chance to make an impact right away. Last week's victory over Detroit gave everyone a snapshot of Minnesota Viking football this year. Run the ball with Adrian Peterson, play solid defense and special teams, and have Ponder fill in the gaps. This game shouldn't be much different in terms of a road map. At home, Adrian Peterson should be a top five finisher this week, and he's good for at least one touchdown. Simpson led all receivers last week with four catches on five targets for 50 yards. Expect Bill Musgrave to get Simpson involved early so he can draw some of the coverage away from leading receiver and most potent weapon Percy Harvin. Kyle Rudolph has three touchdowns in four games for the Vikings and is tied for second with three reception inside the ten yard line. Of the ten passing touchdowns Tennessee's defense has allowed, six have been to tight ends, making Rudolph a strong play Sunday.

As for Hasselbeck and Johnson, I don't trust either of them to play consistently. Johnson will get his fair shot of carries, particularly after last week's strong showing. Yet Minnesota's rush defense is giving up just 85.3 yards per game, and just 3.3 per rush. At this point last week, Johnson was managing just 1.4 yards per carry. We knew that would get better, but now it's 3.2 per carry because of his 141 yards against Houston's top defense. Which Johnson is going to show up? Not last week's version if you want this writers' opinion. I'm not seeing more than 15-20 carries, and around 75 yards. Johnson may be used in the flat more against Minnesota's tough 4-3 in an effort to get him outside into space. Kendall Wright has seen his targets increase from six Week One to eight and then 11 by Week Three. He had eight last week to lead all Titans receivers, so while Nate Washington has been the big play guy (averaging 22.8 per catch), Wright is the PPR and go-to-guy on this offense. Kenny Britt has missed practice all week and is not likely to play, leaving Wright as the best of Tennessee's options. Big tight ends have given Minnesota trouble, so as long as his ankle doesn't slow him, Jared Cook is probably the best Tennessee player to rely on in terms of fantasy.

One final thought: Tennessee has also given up three returns for TDs, Minnesota has returned two for scores -- Advantage: Minnesota.

VIKINGS 24, TITANS 13
SEATTLE @ CAROLINA
The Seahawks face a second straight week of airplanes and baggage, a lovely side effect that comes from having a football team near hardly anyone else in the country. They say defense wins championships, and it's becoming clear that Seattle is standing by that mantra. Ranked 29^th in offense and 32^nd in passing yardage, there's no doubt that Russell Wilson is beginning to have some rookie struggles. His three interception performance last week though might not be so much a condemnation of him as a quarterback as it is of the whole passing offense. Wide receiver Doug Baldwin, last year's reception leader for the Seahawks, has seen his targets and opportunities dwindle, partly due to injury, and partly because it's wise never to give a reception away to an opposing defensive back as he did in St. Louis.  However, Wilson numbers aren't great.  He's managed just 6.4 yards per attempt on 17 of 25 passing due to the St. Louis pass rush. Carolina has 12 sacks on the year, tying them for eighth overall, meaning the Seattle offensive line will have its hands full again. The good news with Wilson is that he's elusive and can be even better out of the pocket. Carolina's allowing opponents to complete about 67 percent of their passes, so this could be a decent outing for Sidney Rice. Last week, the Seahawks CB Brandon Browner was repeatedly pick on, and Rice will be likely paired up against him.  Marshawn Lynch is still the focal point of the offense, and with Carolina yielding 135 yards per game, he'll add to his NFL leading tally in yards heartily this week. However, a key factor about Lynch is that he loses nearly a yard per carry when running on grass versus turf, so taper expectations.  It helps that starting Carolina MLB Jon Beason is doubtful for Sunday's game, so Lynch should get you some decent yardage, but he may not yield a 100-yard day. However, his use near the end zone is almost guaranteed.

Seattle has never faced Cam Newton, who is a much more powerful version of Wilson. Not only that, but Newton's arsenal of choices is a little more varied. While they are fantasy ownership nightmares, Jonathan Stewart and DeAngelo Williams offer a power/finesse combo that few other teams possess. Both are decent pass catchers out of the backfield, and both backs gained over five yards per carry last season. Seattle's allowed only 58 points, so Carolina Offensive Coordinator Rod Chudzinski is going to have to get creative, while finding a way to keep Seattle sack leader Chris Clemons in check. My feeling is Newton will be moving around a lot, scrambling for yards when necessary and making a lot of plays on the run. Greg Olsen has become his favorite target of late, leading the team in receptions and yards for two straight weeks. Steve Smith draws a tough matchup here, and though his yardage has declined since the first two weeks, the most disconcerting thing about Smith is that he hasn't scored yet. Odds are Newton will find him Sunday, as Seattle's passing touchdowns have gone to quicker, speedy receivers underneath the coverage. The Seahawks are going to be tired, Pete Caroll won't get a benefit call, and the Cam Newton won't fumble away the game-sealing drive.
 
PANTHERS 24, SEAHAWKS 13


CHICAGO @ JACKSONVILLE
At its heart, this matchup is going to come down to one simple thing: whether Jacksonville QB Blaine Gabbert can get enough protection from his beat up offensive line to allow him to stand firm in the pocket and deliver the football when necessary. Against a Bears team that made the Dallas Cowboys front five look like they were attempting to Sumo wrestle instead of sustain blocks, it appears less than likely. Now add the fact that Gabbert's home passer rating is 20 points less than when on the road and you've got a mess in the making. Maurice Jones-Drew isn't someone you can bench, mainly because whatever he doesn't get you by running, he can get you through receiving. He'll be given his just due this weekend in an attempt to keep the Bears offense on the bench, even with the Bears stuffing 16 percent of opposing rushing attempts. Honestly, I'm not so sure the Bears defense isn't better suited for scoring than their offense. Juston Blackmon's targets doubled from Week Three to Week Four, and he may be in for some looks here. I'm watching to see how they're using him and whether Gabbert can get him the ball to allow him to use the skills we're all waiting to see. The Bears offense isn't much prettier ranked 26th, except that they've put up 46 more points in the same number of games as the Jags. Jay Cutler is completing a rather pedestrian 57 percent of his passes and has a 5/6 TD:INT ratio. You'd look for optimism if you're the Jags in those kind of numbers until you realize your team has managed just two sacks all year long to along with two interceptions. Matt Forte is probable, and unless you see differently, you're starting him. Same goes for Brandon Marshall and Alshon Jeffery, though I feel Forte and Michael Bush should be able to carry a lot of the load for most of the day. The Bears defense makes even a better play. I'm still convinced Cutler will throw at least two passes he shouldn't and the Jags will get a few points off of ugly mistakes.

BEARS 31, JAGS 10


BUFFALO @ SAN FRANCISCO
For a moment there Sunday, the Bills looked like they might have taken that next step toward winning the AFC East. And then the real Bills defense showed up.  Fifty-two points later they were scraping their beaten bodies off the Ralph Wilson Stadium carpet. The Bills defense has now allowed 40 or more points in two games, something that should have San Francisco fans licking their chops.  My prediction that Fred Jackson would be a top five back by the end of the year is looking to have as much credence a Cleveland Browns Super Bowl appearance this year, but he'll still be given a chance to stay atop the depth chart. However, this game is going to require the Bills have their big-play weapon, C. J. Spiller, out there now as much as possible. San Francisco has allowed just one rushing touchdown all year, coupled with a dismal 3.2 yards per attempt for opposing rushers. That makes both of these guys high risk plays. If anything, you play Spiller in a PPR scoring league because you know he'll factor there. As for the passing game, Scott Chandler makes another solid play this week, as San Francisco has given up three of their five touchdowns to TEs. Chandler had two scores last week, and is now the fifth ranked tight end in ESPN standard scoring leagues. Ryan Fitzpatrick makes a decent bye week play here, as I don't expect the Bills to be able to move the much on the ground. Unlike Matt Cassel and the Chiefs, whom some might be apt to make a comparison to in terms of this game, Fitzpatrick averages 7.4 yards per attempt, and last week averaged over nine yards per toss last week versus New England. He's the eighth ranked QB right now in fantasy according to ESPN for standard leagues.   He'll have to throw, the result of which will be another game where Fitzpatrick makes over 30 throws, something he's done three out of the Bills' four games. He'll likely get you a touchdown or two, but is also likely to be picked off a few times. The 49ers are still a primarily a rush first team, running over 49 percent of the time. Frank Gore has 66 attempts, 15^th on the attempts list. However, he's 11^th in terms of rushing yards per game with 81.5. The Bills defense has been surprisingly incompetent. Yielding 137 yards per game on the ground and a 4.8 carry average, about the only person they're stopping in the running game is themselves from tackling anyone. Gore, as well as Kendall Hunter should have some value with garbage time yards after San Francisco puts the game out of reach. In terms of the 49ers passing attack, against Buffalo they can pick their poison. The Bills have surrendered nine passing touchdowns, and opposing quarterbacks have feasted on them. In two QB leagues you could do worse than Alex Smith here. He won't have a ton of attempts as it won't be necessary, but I see two touchdown passes for him: one to Vernon Davis, and one to Michael Crabtree, getting him his first of the year. I'd also play the 49er sdefense here, even with starter LB NaVrro Bowman and CB Carlos Rogers questionable. Fitzpatrick and the Bills are plenty mistake prone, and a pick-six isn't out of the question.

49ers 27, BILLS 14



SUNDAY NIGHT

SAN DIEGO @ NEW ORLEANS
The Chargers are 3-1 for the second straight year under Norv Turner. The team has become synonymous with the word underachieving, and of all years for the Chargers to find early success, this one seemed the least likely. They lost perennial 1,000 yard receiver Vincent Jackson and replaced him with Saints free agent Robert Meachem. They let go of yardage grinder Mike Tolbert and replaced him with Ronnie Brown and Jackie Battle. The defense cut anchor Luis Castillo, who couldn't get back on the field after multiple injuries wore him down. And they lost starting safety Steve Gregory and replaced him with Atari Bigby.   Ryan Mathews was lost in the pre-season to a broken collarbone and missed the first few games. Finally, Antonio Gates, their star tight end, is on the decline after years of nagging foot and leg injuries. No one expected the Chargers to compete in the West like they have. But compete they have, putting up 100 points in their first four games while playing aggressive defense. Many will look at the Chargers schedule, particularly now that we have a better idea of things, and say the real tests start now. After all, the only real competition the Chargers faced was the visiting Atlanta Falcons, who wiped the field with them. Their other three wins: Oakland, Kansas City and Tennessee are all on disappointing trajectories, leaving the Broncos as their only considerable threat to the AFC West title. This week they get a shockingly bad defensive team in the Saints, who at 0-4 may have already seen their playoff hopes fall by the wayside. Facing life without tackling maven David Hawthorne, as well as Jonathan Vilma and Jonathan Casillas has proven too much for the interim coaching staff to handle. While Drew Brees is still doing what he does best, which is rank among the elite NFL quarterbacks in terms of yards, passing touchdowns and passing attempts, none of it matters because New Orleans is giving up over 400 yards of offense to opponents per game. Runners like Jamaal Charles have put up over 200 yards on them. Receivers like Steve Smith and Pierre Garcon have tallied 100-yards receiving in a game. Opposing QBs have completed 68 percent of their passes against them. Fantasy wise, you're lining up your Chargers as if they were invited to a banquet. Robert Meachem, who has done little if not make the Saints look wise for letting him go, is likely to exact revenge for his first big game of the year. Malcom Floyd and Antonio Gates should also provide good yardage totals. However, the question is how much Norv Turner trusts his defense, because that in itself will determine if he's willing to go toe-to-toe with the Saints powerful offense, or if he'd rather use the clock, relying on his RBs Ryan Mathews, Jackie Battle and even Ronnie Brown.   I think it will be the latter, and the running attack of San Diego will be used as a lead in for some Philip Rivers play-action passes. The Chargers defense is currently ranked 12^th, but there has to be some uneasiness there. Even in the game where they lambasted the Chiefs, Kansas City mustered 349 yards of total offense. The Raiders and Falcons also managed over 300 yards each. Of their five interceptions, three came last week against the bungling Chiefs. San Diego's 17^th ranked pass defense will be tested by a New Orleans offense that throws over 70 percent of the time. They'll mix It up by using Pierre Thomas and occasionally Mark Ingram, though I again will look to a former player, Darren Sproles, to ignite his offense. He's the best fantasy play here short of Jimmy Graham, simply because the Saints need to hold onto the ball longer and keep their defense rested. This game has all the makings of a shootout, and the only people not benefiting from it will be the defenses. The Chargers had problems with the Falcons high flying passing attack. New Orleans at home will be too much for them as well.


SAINTS 42, CHARGERS 34
 
MONDAY NIGHT

HOUSTON @ NEW YORK JETS
In one of the few matchups this weekend wherein the last meeting between the two teams had many of the same cast members, the Texans find themselves having surpassed New York, who was the better team just two seasons ago.   Back in 2010, the Jets took a 23-7 lead before Houston came back and regained the lead 27-23 with just a little over a minute remaining. Instead of going for the dagger, Houston ran three straight running plays to Arian Foster, who failed to get a first down, and with 59 seconds left, Mark Sanchez took the Jets for the winning touchdown in just 43 seconds. This time things have really swung the other way. The Jets are without their temperamental and best wide out Santonio Holmes, not to mention Sanchez's favorite target last year, TE Dustin Keller, hasn't seen the field.  Linebacker Bart Scott said at the beginning of the season that he thought this was the best Jets defense yet. Now, sans star cornerback Darrelle Revis, doubts must be creeping in. Against this Houston offense, which can bury a team on the ground or in the air, the Jets 31st ranked rush defense (21^st defense overall) is going to have to slow Foster, Ben Tate and even Justin Forsett. Tate is possibly out with an injury making Forsett a good investment this week.  Check the injury report.  The Jets 4^th ranked pass defense has little hope of remaining in that slot, as Andre Johnson will now be the responsibility of Antonio Cromartie, leaving the rest of the Jets secondary to pick up Owen Daniels, Kevin Walter and what I suspect will be a sprinkling DeVier Posey, who was active for the first time last week. The Jets are going to have to keep the Houston offense off the field, and that means somehow getting Shonn Greene and Bilal Powell rushing yardage. Both WR Stephen Hill and TE Dustin Keller have been held out of practice with hamstring issues. Whether they'll go Monday will be clearer Saturday after practice. Former Raider receiver Chaz Schilens, once thought to have much promise, had seven targets Sunday and six receptions. He's worth keeping an eye on as the Jets need someone to step up big. To that end, the Jets signed ex-Jaguar Jason Hill to add receiver depth, and will likely have to play him Monday. I suspect Tim Tebow could have a much larger role in this week's offense seeing how misdirection might be the only thing to keep DE J. J. Watt from over-committing, and possession will be a crucial statistic if the Jets hope to win. Neither Greene or Powell make my fantasy lineup this week unless I'm stuck with them, and Mark Sanchez may see his last game at QB because it's unlikely the Jets can win this game in their current condition. Tebow-mania might be just around the corner.

TEXANS 27, JETS 13

NFL WEEK 5 - THURSDAY NIGHT T &R

ARIZONA @ ST. LOUIS

The Dolphins exposed it. The Rams simply ran right past it. Only a week after Arizona QB Kevin Kolb took eight sacks and multiple other hits against a tough Miami pass rush, the St. Louis Rams did them one better, mauling the Arizona offensive line while pulling Kolb to the carpet nine times, thoroughly stomping out Arizona's undefeated season. When Kolb did have time, which was rare, he had to be perfect and he wasn't. The biggest play that comes to mind was Kolb's first half miss to Andre Roberts who streaked right by his man coverage and was free for a touchdown. Kevin Kolb went 28-of-50, which should tell you plenty of things. First, the Arizona offensive line is in shambles because for Kolb to have to attempt 50 passes in any game says the Cardinals couldn't run. Ryan Williams spent most of the game rushing for negative yardage though he ended up with a line of 14 carries for 33 yards. Second, even with his occasional indecisiveness alongside his lack of time, Kolb's show his mettle.. He stood in the pocket time and again and got clobbered, and still didn't

No longer is Kolb's toughness in question

turn over the football.  Third, the Arizona line has more problems than simply the loss of Tackle Levi Brown. It looked like D'Anthony Batiste had never played tackle before at all, and Adam Snyder's name was constantly called on missed assignments. Lastly, and probably even more a factor than it should be, Thursday night NFL games are an issue.  Often they are going to supply fans with versions of their teams you wish you never saw. The St. Louis defense under the design of Gregg Williams and guidance of Jeff Fisher are improved, no doubt. Have they improved so much to compare them to the Doomsday Defense and Steel Curtain, the ghosts of which possessed them at every turn last night? No, not quite. Even after losing safety Quintin Mikell to what almost certainly was a concussion, the Rams defense simply prevented Kolb from throwing deep by never giving him more than a second or two to look downfield. The experts predicted the Rams upset, but I don't buy the reasoning that was given: that it was a divisional game and the Cardinals were on the road. That would hold water if the Cardinals hadn't played evenly with the Patriots at Gillette. This was a team the tore apart the Philadelphia Eagles. Sure, traveling is tough, but four full days between football games is more likely the culprit in this case. The Cardinals line still has implications of being the broken track that derails a promising Arizona season. It also could destroy the fantasy numbers of many owners who invested in Ryan Williams, Andre Roberts and Larry Fitzgerald. One thing is for certain, after last night's showing, Chris 'Beanie' Wells looks to be less responsible for his atrocious numbers than he was before. The Cardinals now have 10 full days until their next kickoff when they host the Buffalo Bills in the late game of October 14. That game will be more telling.

NFL WEEK 5 - THURSDAY NIGHT MATCHUP

ARIZONA @ ST. LOUIS
What once might have been a total stinker for Thursday night prime time action finds two teams headed in positive directions after the first quarter of the NFL season. The Rams are 2-2, and under Jeff Fisher have found some discipline and direction. The Cardinals are 4-0, winning with good defense and a rejuvenated Kevin Kolb, whose QB rating of 97.6 ranks him fifth in the NFC, better than Aaron Rodgers, Eli Manning and Drew Brees for the moment. The Cardinals have won ten of the last 11 meetings against St. Louis dating back to 2006. They swept last year's season series, including a 23-20 victory in St. Louis. Two key match-ups will be the focus of this game. The first one is Arizona's top wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald going up against Rams CB Cortland Finnegan.

Cortland Finnegan has give Jeff Fisher reason
to smile.

Finnegan is having a Pro Bowl caliber start to 2012 since he rejoined Fisher. He already has three interceptions this year, to go along with six passes defensed and 26 tackles. So far the 5'10" corner has faced the likes of Calvin Johnson, Brandon Marshall and Sidney Rice, and none have scored. He'll have to keep Fitzgerald from affecting the outcome of this one. The second important matchup pits the St. Louis offensive line against the opportunistic pass rush of the Cardinals. It was Arizona's Daryl Washington coming on a center blitz that dislodged the ball from Miami QB Ryan Tannehill and turned the tide of last Sunday's meeting. It was the seventh such fumble this defense has caused and the sixth they've recovered.  The Rams left tackle position is compromised due to knee injuries to starter Roger Saffold and his backup Wayne Hunter, both questionable for Thursday's contest.  This means QB Sam Bradford could face blind side pressure all day long, as Arizona has 16 sacks on the year, the second best tally in the NFL.  Seattle had success against the Rams on the ground, so it's likely Ken Whisenhunt will once again try to get RB Ryan Williams going early to alleviate pressure on Kevin Kolb.  The Arizona line has only been able to assist their runners to just 2.7 yards per carry average, but against St. Louis, should do a little better and find the end zone. Steven Jackson and Daryl Richardson might fare a little better with their yards per carry, but the Cardinals have given up one touchdown on the ground this year, so don't expect any big points from them.  Though Cortland Finnegan kept Calvin Johnson out of the end zone, he couldn't stop the 6'5" receiver from a 100-yard day.  He will have his hands full ceding almost half a foot to Fitzgerald, who will put up at least 75 yards and a score.  Arizona's pass defense dropped from ninth to 21^st after Miami's Brian Hartline ate them for over 250 yards receiving. Thus, even with Bradford's mediocre weapons, if he can hang in under pressure he can find open targets. Danny Amendola will have another 6-7 grabs for 70 yards or so. Brandon Gibson could finally play a key role for the Rams with a deep ball touchdown as the Cardinals have given up three plays greater than 40 yards. However, I'd rather have his counterpart from the Cardinals, Andre Roberts, who should continue his strong season matched up Thursday against Janoris Jenkins. I also like Rams TE Lance Kendricks is to get his first touchdown, as Arizona has given up two of their three passing TDs across the short middle of the field, but that doesn't mean I'd start him over a set of more consistent hands. In the end, the Cardinals should be able to generate enough of a pass rush to disturb Bradford and his limited arsenal. St. Louis' only real hope is to run the ball well, control the tempo and put up points. Considering the Arizona defense only allows opponents to score on drives a league low 44% of the time, I don't see it happening.

CARDINALS 19, RAMS 13

NFL WEEK 4 – T & R

Icing the kicker... wait a minute.  Didn't I write about that a week ago Andy Reid?  You're one lucky coach I tell you.  Do I need to explain to you the uncouth tendencies of fans in Philadelphia?  It can be summed up in the phrase, Tigers eat their young. 



CAROLINA @ ATLANTA
Cam Newton led all Carolina rushers with nine attempts for 86 yards and a touchdown. Unfortunately for Newton, his final rush was a costly one, as he fumbled away the chance for Carolina to ice the game, and the Falcons turned that mistake into game-winning gold. Michael Turner had 56 yards by the end of the first half and finished with 103. However, the biggest surprise from Turner was how he scored, on a middle screen that went for 60 yards. Atlanta receiver Roddy White starred this week with eight catches for 169 yards and two scores, while Julio Jones tallied just one catch for 30 yards on eight targets. Therein lies the rub with owning players on a team contains so much fantasy wealth. There just isn't always enough to go around. The Panthers did much like I predicted, except that DeAngelo Williams was able to take his 13 yard scamper to the house. He split carries with Stewart, something I didn't think would necessarily happen. The most encouraging thing about this game, especially for fantasy owners, was Newton. Besides the late fumble, he played a nearly flawless game. He averaged over nine yards per pass, rushed for a score and threw two more. Even with Brandon LaFell falling off the face of the earth, and Louis Murphy contributing one catch, Carolina was able to keep up with the best team in the NFC. No doubt some people will be wondering what to make of Keoloha Pilares and his 36 yard touchdown. Don't make much of it. He had one target for the game, and now has three for the season. So look, but don't touch.


MINNESOTA @ DETROIT
Percy Harvin opened this one with a 105-yard kick return for a touchdown and Marcus Sherels followed suit with a 77-yard punt return for a touchdown. That makes for Detroit's fifth and sixth returns for a touchdown in just four games, meaning Detroit's Special Teams Coach Stan Kwan better update his resume. If you played the Minnesota defense/special teams you were rewarded heartily this week as In ESPN standard scoring leagues they were the third best defense on the board, just behind Houston and San Francisco.  Jerome Simpson led all Minnesota receivers with 50 yards, while most of the rushing load fell to RB Adrian Peterson.  For Detroit, Matthew Stafford continues his woes for fantasy owners.  Though he provided over 300 yards through the air, he completed zero touchdown passes. He rushed for a short score, and that's a slight bonus, but that's not what you were anticipating from him. Calvin Johnson got a ton of looks but again Minnesota kept him from hitting pay dirt. Nate Burleson added just three less yards than Megatron, and had the same number of catches with five.  This game ended Stafford's streak of 20 straight regular season games with at least one passing touchdown, which dates back to September 2010.


NEW ENGLAND @ BUFFALO
Welcome to fantasy relevance Brandon Bolden. The undrafted free agent out of Mississippi, whose signing with the Patriots can't even be found on ESPN.com's transaction board for New England, ended up being the Patriots leading rusher, with 137 yards and a score. Before today he had run the ball just seven times. Stevan Ridley tacked on over 100-yards and two scores, and the Patriots added two 100-yard receivers, being the first team to accomplish the feat of having two 100-yard rushers and two 100-yard receivers since the Packers managed it in 2008. Two things can be pretty much be gleaned from this game: first, Bolden will be the number two back behind Ridley, though keep in mind a Bill Belichick back hasn't tallied 300 carries except once, and at best Bolden will see the underside of the count backing up Ridley; two, Shane Vereen owners can safely assume his injury problems have put him in the doghouse and he's not likely to make any impact this year unless one of these guys goes down.  From the middle of the third quarter until the 4:02 mark of the fourth, New England scored six straight touchdowns, and only after the fifth did Buffalo answer back. While New England fumbled away the ball early on, Ryan Fitzpatrick came back with four interceptions of his own, costing his team any chance of hanging on after halftime. Both Fred Jackson and C. J. Spiller were active, which is a good thing. Bad news is Jackson still hasn't gotten going yet, gaining just 2.2 yards per carry Sunday. Spiller was a little better, and had a touchdown nullified on a penalty.


SAN DIEGO @ KANSAS CITY
So here's a game that had the makings of being a tightly fought divisional battle.  Instead San Diego came in and beat the tail off of the Chiefs. Matt Cassel may have only been sacked twice, but he was rushed or hassled on nearly every drop back. Moreover, if the Chiefs weren't throwing the ball right at the San Diego defensive backs, they were tipping or fumbling it to them. Cassel ended up with three interceptions, only one of which was his doing, and in addition to three other lost fumbles (two by Jamaal Charles, and one by Shaun Draughn), the Chiefs couldn't come back from the 24 added points it cost them.  Charles found the end zone twice; with 92 yards rushing and a score, as well as 23 receiving yards and a touchdown. San Diego's running back Jackie Battle got the start and got you two touchdowns, one rushing and one receiving as well.   However, the former Chief managed just 2.6 yards per carry, gaining 39 yards on 15 carries. He'll continue to get some work and possibly some goal line duties, much to the chagrin of Ryan Mathews owners, but Mathews will be the lead. Perhaps the most disappointing aspect for the Chiefs now one quarter of the way through the season has been how TE Tony Moeaki has been used, or in this case, not used. Before hurting himself last season, Moeaki finished his rookie campaign of 2010 with 47 receptions, 556 receiving yards and three touchdowns. This year he has just six receptions and 58 yards. Perhaps Moeaki's torn ACL hasn't recovered as well as the Chiefs would have hoped. Or maybe Brian DaBoll is an old-school coordinator who doesn't like to involve the tight end.   Regardless, based on the pressure Cassel received today, if that's any indication of what his protection will be like going forward, you can expect Moeaki at home to block more often, and his fantasy numbers to be disappointing.


SEATTLE @ ST. LOUIS
Marshawn Lynch mustered the only offense for Seattle. Danny Amendola scored the only touchdown for the Rams. Unfortunately for the Seahawks, Russell Wilson was picked off three times, which turned out to be two, too many. I say picked off because it wasn't so much what he did but what his receivers didn't do, as in catch the ball. Doug Baldwin had a reception taken right from him. Anthony McCoy fell down. Probably the most important thing to note about the game besides the fact that these two defenses are getting tougher to move the ball against, is the Seahawks rookie RB Robert Turbin had has best output of the season, with six rushes for 45 yards. He also added two receptions for 13 yards. Note to players -- this is why you don't throw away handcuffs so quickly. When I saw Turbin become available in one my leagues due to one owners impatience, I grabbed him. It's very clear should Lynch get hurt, or even need rest, Turbin is going to be worked more and more into the offense.


SAN FRANCISCO @ NEW YORK JETS
I admit I really didn't see the Jets putting up a doughnut against the 49ers at home in the Meadowlands. To add insult to injury, or maybe injury to insult, Jets WR Santonio Holmes was carted off the field after a non contact foot injury. That might have been bad enough, except that when it happened, Holmes had caught the football. Upon hitting the turf, Holmes simply tossed the ball up in the air, and it was promptly grabbed by San Francisco CB Carlos Rogers, who raced untouched for a touchdown. That simply put a nail in an otherwise already half-closed coffin. The Jets need TE Dustin Keller back more than you or I need a winning lottery ticket, and I just had a child for crying out loud.   Instead of the Jets running Tim Tebow all over the 49ers, the 49ers unleashed their second-year QB Colin Kaepernick, who ran for 60 yards, and threw an unadvised pass into triple coverage (though it did hit Randy Moss right in the hands) that almost resulted in a touchdown. Kaepernick becomes a new wrinkle in Greg Roman's offense, and could take some carries away from Frank Gore as the year rolls on simply because the 49ers realize Gore needs to be healthy for them to go deep into the playoffs.


TENNESSEE @ HOUSTON
Is anyone really surprised about the outcome of this one? The only surprise came in that Houston's rushing defense was ranked fifth overall, yielding 67.7 yards per game and 3.8 per carry.  So how did  Tennessee RB Chris Johnson deliver 141 rushing yards on 25 carries?  This makes it nearly impossible for fantasy owners to dismiss him. A lot of players will be tempted to sell now as he's worth more today than he might be all season long. But if you look past Minnesota in Week Five, you'll see three strong possible games against Pittsburgh and Buffalo, with two divisional games against Indianapolis and Jacksonville looming. If you own him, I'd honestly try to sell high to get someone more consistent, and I would play up how he came on last season to salvage his year with over 1,000 yards. However, it would be nice to see how Johnson does against Minnesota, whose rushing defense is ranked eighth.  If he bombs again, his value will sink.  So field some offers, just don't be a sucker.  Don't take a combination of Brandon Bolden and Joel Dreesen or some other absurd offer you'll get.  One other note, Kenny Britt was inactive Sunday with his ankle problem. While Matt Hasselbeck could be in as QB for awhile which might certainly lift some of the Titans wide receivers values, Britt has yet to get healthy.

MIAMI @ ARIZONA
Here's a sentence you haven't heard in awhile: Those Dolphins sure can throw, can't they? Miami QB Ryan Tannehill threw for over 400 yards and tossed his second touchdown pass, all the while turning receiver Brian Hartline into undoubtedly the offensive player of the week with 253 receiving yards and a score. Miami slot man Davone Bess added 123 of his own. Keep in mind this was on the road against Arizona's ninth rated pass defense as of Sunday. The only problem for Tannehill was that his second interception came in overtime, and set Arizona's offense up at the Miami 47.  For Arizona, Andre Roberts made the difference in this came, grabbing two Kevin Kolb passes for touchdowns and netting 118 yards of his own. At present Kevin Kolb is doing just enough to win, though Miami sacked him eight times and forced two interceptions, one of which was blatantly bad in the red zone. You have to remember though that Kolb is only in his second season as a starter. He's still learning, and though that red zone pick made all of us scratch our heads, Kolb is

Brian Hartline hastwo 100-yard games this season.

4-0 this year, and not necessarily against shoddy competition. Fantasy wise, he's improving, increasing his TD throws each week. I see him growing into a pretty decent quarterback as his confidence grows. So monitor him to see if you get another week or two of consistency. If you notice this it's not always a bad strategy, depending on your league's scoring system, to consider selling your first string stud QB (a Tom Brady or Philip Rivers for instance this year, both of whom has had inconsistency) for the parts your team absolutely needs to make a playoff run (say, you have little RB depth or no studs at wide receiver). You can make a deal to get two starters for someone like that while filling the void with someone like Kolb who is on a team that has to throw to win and has one of the elite receivers in the game. Rarely can you win a fantasy league by doing nothing, just saying.
 

OAKLAND @ DENVER
About the only thing I didn't foresee in this game was Oakland RB Darren McFadden not providing at least one big play. Demaryius Thomas had the kind of day I said he would, except that for some reason shifting the ball from his right to left arm forced him to fumble away his TD opportunity. He still ended up with 103 yards receiving on just five catches. Jacob Tamme got you five catches but it was Joel Dreessen who caught the touchdown.  Third string runner and return man Taiwan Jones, who I still have hopes to contribute to the Raiders inconsistent running game, was kept without a rush again.  My take on that is if he wasn't used in an important division matchup than perhaps his ribs aren't fully healed or Oakland really wants to see what they have in Mike Goodson. Either way, Jones is worth monitoring but that's it at this point.


WASHINGTON @ TAMPA BAY
Kicker Billy Cundiff can't get last year out of his foot. At least, it would appear that he just misses field goals that are within his range. He missed three field goals on the day, with the 57-yard attempt forgivable.   From 21-6 at halftime, the Buccaneers held the Redskins to just three points the rest of the game and that three points didn't come until the Redskins had fallen behind 22-21. The Buccaneers pressured and hit Robert Griffin III repeatedly. Don't be surprised to see teams use this game tape to seek out a way to contain Griffin in the future. It is worth noting that RB LeGarrette Blount scored his first touchdown of the season, and that Doug Martin received eight carries to Blount's six.  TE Dallas Clark received only four targets and none in the red zone. It continues to shock me that Mike Sullivan's offense has scored just 82 points, is ranked 30^st in total offensive yards per game, and they're using the veteran tight end very sporadically.   On the other side of the line Fred Davis led all Redskins receivers with four receptions and 70 yards, but he still doesn't have at touchdown this year.


CINCINNATI @ JACKSONVILLE
There are folks that think Bengals QB Andy Dalton is bound for a regression. I'm not one of those.  His weapons are better this year than last, and Jay Gruden is showing more often than not that he believes in him. A. J. Green is in the middle of his breakout year, but he isn't alone. Andrew Hawkins is proving his speed and shiftiness can turn average plays into big ones. He is the fourth best receiver in the league in the yards after catch (YAC) category with 203. It took four games but Jacksonville rookie WR Justin Blackmon finally led his team in receptions and targets, though he still only averaged eight yards per catch. Unfortunately, Blaine Gabbert is still struggling to get his throws on target down field, and this is limiting what Jacksonville's offense does.  Gabbert was sacked twice in the first two drives and six times on the day. Growing pains are to be expected, but with the learning curve of a franchise quarterback these days being raised from gradual to instantaneous, the Jags and their fans are likely to give up on him before I do. I have that luxury. And when I say I haven't given up on him, make no mistake, I'm not recommending him for even a bench spot in fantasy.  On a higher note, Marcedes Lewis owners got their second touchdown of the year. That's two more than he caught all last year.


NEW ORLEANS @ GREEN BAY
Marques Colston caught nine passes for 153 yards and a score, reminding you why you invested in him in the first place. The oft-injured tight end turned professional wide receiver averaged a whopping 17 yards per catch against the Packers top rated pass defense. It was Colston's first receiving touchdown of the year. The other touchdown was grabbed by….Joe Morgan? Who? The old baseball player? Who the heck is Joe Morgan? Well, let me introduce you. Morgan went undrafted at out Walsh University.   He ran a 4.44 time in the 40 yard dash and has soft hands. He has two grabs this year – one for five yards, the other for 80.  In the Saints system, where they seem to feed everyone at some point, he's probably not going to steal too many looks from Colston, Jimmy Graham and Lance Moore, but plays like that won't get him benched either.  The other thing that comes to light in this game is that the Saints couldn't run on Green Bay, a team that had yielded 135 yards per game. Often times it's about matchups in the trenches, but it seems that the Saints lines are having problems on both sides of the ball, something that is not easily overcome. For Green Bay,

James Jones is the only consistent scorer for Packers
offense...right now.



James Jones is quickly becoming more than just a WR3 in the Packers offense. For the third game in four, Jones had four or more receptions and fifty plus yards. He's scored in three of four games, and remember this was the guy Aaron Rodgers lobbied the Green Bay management that he had to have on his offense. He's not necessarily Rodgers' first target on many plays, but he certainly has the QB's trust. The Packers offense is struggling right now to find itself. The only one who isn't is James Jones.


SUNDAY NIGHT

NEW YORK GIANTS @ PHILADELPHIA
For the first time this season the Eagles didn't turn the ball over and it meant a victory. LeSean McCoy continued to run well versus the G-men, gaining 123 yards on 23 carries. Michael Vick added 49 rushing yards in addition to his 241 passing yards and a touchdown. Courtesy of ESPN Stat and Information, only four teams have started a season 3-1 with a worse point differential than the Eagles minus 17. Perhaps even more worrisome should be the fact the Eagles couldn't finish drives. They were one out of four in the red zone, and on the final drive that put them ahead, Vick was sacked on a crucial third down from the two yard line.  Giants receiver Ramses Barden, a hero just last week, may have put himself right back into goat-dom, as he committed a costly offensive pass interference penalty that moved New York out of Lawrence Tynes field goal range. It should be noted that Martellus Bennett, who has been a mark of consistency weekly in the Giant's offense, was held for the first time to just one grab on just three targets. He had scored a touchdown in every game before Sunday night. David Wilson was again given a chance to impact on offense with an early shovel pass. While it wasn't a very good one from Eli Manning, Wilson dropped it. His sleeper status for this year is beginning to look as likely to awaken as Rip Van Winkle.


MONDAY NIGHT

CHICAGO @ DALLAS
A friend of mine was very keen on Chicago winning this game. All I kept thinking and saying was, 'how are they going to score?' It turns out two defensive touchdowns count for as much as two offensive touchdowns. Yes, for some reason it never dawned on me that the Dallas offense would do its best imitation of the Kansas City Chiefs and turn the ball over five times. The Dallas line is clearly in shambles, as the Bears got grizzly on the Cowboys, frustrated DeMarco Murray to the tune of 11 carries and 24 yards, and confused Tony Romo enough to have him make several bad throws. Jason Witten, under-utilized to this point perhaps because of his lingering spleen injury, led Dallas with 13 grabs on 14 targets for 113 yards and a touchdown. Dez Bryant had his first 100-yard game but also dropped several passes, including a deep over-the-shoulder throw that went right through his hands. Give Jay Cutler some credit, he still throws off balance way too often, but he put some pretty touch passes into spaces at key times. Kellen Davis may not have led the team in receptions or yards, but he was clutch and good enough to be targeted all for all three of his reception on third down. Each resulted in a first down, keeping drives alive. Matt Forte played, and you hope not too early. He managed four yards per carry and gave you one reception that resulted in a loss. Keep an eye on the injury report this week to see how he's doing as high ankle sprains can recur and he has just six days rest until his next meeting.



THE PATRIOTS WAY

Each and every year we all ask how do the Patriots do it?  For as long as Bill Belichick's been coaching in New England, he and Patriots' management seems to find a veritable star in a player the rest of the NFL dismissed.

In 1998, Troy Brown was drafted in the eighth round out of Marshall by the New England Patriots.  For seven years he floundered among different coaches and systems.  Enter Bill Belichick in 2000, and Brown had career highs in receptions (83), yards (944) and returned his first kick for a touchdown.  He'd break those totals the following year with his only 1,000 yard season as a receiver.

Just when you think you've accounted for everyone on the Pats
offense, this guy shows up.

In 2001, New England acquired Bills castoff Antowain Smith, a back that had never gained more than 3.7 yards per carry for his career.  He had a 1,000 yard season for the Bills in 1998, but fell out of favor with management.  He gained four yards per carry in his first season under Belichick, managed his second 1,000 yard season, added 19 receptions and scored 13 times, helping to lead the Patriots to their first Super Bowl appearance.  He rushed 18 times for 92 yards in the Super Bowl, and the Patriots defeated the St. Louis Rams 20-13 for their first world championship.

In 2004, the Patriots traded for RB Corey Dillon.  Relegated to second position by Bengals third year up-and-comer Rudi Johnson, Dillon started eleven of 13 games with the Bengals in 2003 and managed just 541 yards on 138 carries.  His reputation sullied by past run-ins with the law, including spousal abuse and drunk driving, Dillon was truculent with both the media and the Bengals.  The Patriots saw his numbers, and grabbed him.  Though under Bill Belichick the Patriots were hardly known for pounding the ball on the ground, Dillon became their starter in 2004.  Before Dillon, the most a Patriots running back had garnered in terms of attempts under Belichick was 287.  Dillion shattered that with 345 attempts in 2004 and broke the New England Patriots all-time rushing yards high in a single season with 1635, a mark previous held by Curtis Martin.  The Patriots went 14-2 and won their third Super Bowl.

Three short years later, the Patriots snagged a hardly known receiver named Wes Welker, who had thrived in the Dolphins system as a punt return specialist, but was coming off a 67-catch season.  They traded a second round and seventh round selection to Miami for the diminutive receiver.  Yet in 2007, Welker led the Patriots with 112 receptions for his first 1,000 yard receiving season while scoring eight touchdowns.  It was also 2007, that the Patriots picked up a talented but troubled receiver who had worn out his welcome in Minnesota named Randy Moss.   Moss provided 98 receptions, over 1,400 yards and added 23 touchdowns.  The Patriots put up a perfect 16-0 season, and won two playoff games before being shocked in the Super Bowl against the New York Giants.

Linebacker Mike Vrabel never started a single game for the Pittsburgh Steelers.  However, by the time the New England Patriots were done with him, he had led the team twice in sacks, once in 2003 when they won their second championship, and again in 2007.

The list goes on, and every year it seems the Patriots astound the critics, shock the scouts and find talent where no one else can.  Bill Belichick's system has been labeled The Patriot Way.  The truth of the matter is there is no Patriot Way.  The Patriot Way is simply scouting talent and adapting the system to the talents of the players you acquire.  No one can argue that the team that highlighted Troy Brown and Antowain Smith looked anything like the team with Randy Moss and Wes Welker, which in turn, looked nothing like the team scoring a bevy of touchdowns with Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez.  So why is it so shocking?  Perhaps it's because Belichick is so quietly impudent.  He's stand-offish, and doesn't feel the need to be press friendly.  He's like the kid who was picked last for kickball finally exacting revenge, yet has no desire to celebrate it.  He just wants to do it repeatedly, over and over to prove he was as overlooked as some of his players.  Perhaps it's because in an era of coaching egos that say it's my way or the highway, Belichick adapts his road map so that his players fit it.  The team comes before even the coach.

In 2012, his newest discovery may be Brandon Bolden, an undrafted free agent from Ole Miss, who just plowed over the Bills defense for 137 yards in his first ever game with more than two rushing attempts.  Whether or not Bolden continues that kind of play is irrelevant.  The Patriots have given defensive coordinators another player to fear in their system, another guy with little game tape on who opponents will have to figure out.  Yet nobody has been able to figure out Bill Belichick.  And if Belichick has any say on the matter, The Patriot Way will continue to stun those who look to pigeon-hole and label teams as a certain type of franchise.  The Patriot Way is one such label, except it's pretty clear from the success that continues to come New England's way, few understand it.