On the other end of the spectrum, the Eagles-Vikings game will decide many Fantasy Football Championship matches (including mine) and having to wait for the results can be agonizing. There is a high possibility owners of Vick, Maclin, McCoy, Jackson, and Peterson are in the championship and the score may be lopsided headed into Tuesday night. The other factor weighing on the minds of the owners is the reason why the game was postponed – a blizzard. Who knows what the conditions will be like on Tuesday and it may greatly affect the players.

Enjoy the treat! You never know when/if it will happen again, as far as I can remember this is the first time it has happened like this.

What are your thoughts on the postponement?

[Photo Credit: 6magazineonline.com]

Overtime Galore

The Detroit Lions may have been 2-5 headed into their game against the New York Jets, but don’t let the record fool you – the Lions are not a horrible football team. The Jets found this out on Sunday. The Jets needed overtime to beat the Lions. It was an interesting game to watch, specifically after the Lions’ second touchdown. The Lions’ kicker, Jason Hanson, had injured himself earlier in the game so the Lions were forced to attempt the PAT with the back-up, who happens to be Defensive Tackle, Ndamukong Suh. Suh hit the right upright, had he hit that kick, the Lions win this one in regulation instead of losing 23-20 in overtime.

The Arizona Cardinals aren’t very good since Kurt Warner retired. This week they were very good for about 3.5 quarters. The Minnesota Vikings were trailing by 14 points in the fourth quarter, but were able to tie the game and take it to overtime. In overtime, the Vikings ended up winning the game on a field goal, 27-24. The Vikings would not have won if it were not for Brett Favre’s career high 426 passing yards. That’s right, his career high came at the age of 41.

The last overtime match-up was a thriller between the Oakland Raiders and Kansas City Chiefs. The Raiders’ rookie Jacoby Ford literally ripped a pass from two defensive backs to set-up the game tying field goal. The Raiders won the game, 23-20, in overtime bringing their record to 5-4.

No Contest

This week there were five games that were no contests, that is one team won by more than 14 points.

The largest margin of victory this week was the Packers 45-7 thumping of the Cowboys. Wade Phillips was fired as a result of this debacle. I have literally run out of words to describe how bad the Cowboys have played this season.

The Giants were able to handle the banged up Seahawks in Seattle, 41-7. It really was never a contest, the Giants led 35-0 at halftime.

The Saints had no problem with the Panthers the second time around. In the first meeting the Saints were barely able to beat the Panthers 16-14. This time, the Saints crushed the Panthers, 34-3. Matt Moore went down with an injury that could threaten the remainder of his season, sorry Steve Smith owners.

The next no contest didn’t have the result many expected. The score in the Patriots-Browns game was 34-14, only the Browns were the team to score 34. The Browns were led by Peyton Hillis, who seemed unstoppable amassing 184 yards rushing on 26 carries. The Browns also had a nice game-plan against the Patriots, including an incredible “fumblerooski” for a TD.

The Ravens returned from their BYE week refreshed and took care of business against the Dolphins, 26-10.

The Rest of the Action

The Bills suffered another loss by three points. The Bears beat the Bills, 22-19. This was the third week in a row that the Bills lost by a field goal.

The Chargers have started their “charge.” They were able to beat a struggling Texans team, 29-23. Phillip Rivers seems unstoppable this season and he is on pace to crush Dan Marino’s single season passing record.

The Falcons held on against the division rival Bucs, 27-21. Roddy White was forced to leave the game with an injury, which could be problematic for the Falcons in the future.

Michael Vick returned to the Eagles, as did DeSean Jackson, and they picked up where they left off. Jackson had over 100 yards receiving and Vick was very effective both passing and running the ball. The Eagles just managed to beat the Colts, 26-24. Vick is undefeated as the starter this season.

On Monday Night Football, the Steelers opened fast by jumping on the Bengals early. They had a 20 point lead heading into the fourth quarter, but what seems like the norm, they allowed the Bengals back into the game. They managed to win 27-21 thanks to a 4th down defensive stand inside the red zone with under one minute to play in the game.

That does it for the Week 9 action, remember to check back next week to find out what you may have missed in Week 10.

Which game was most surprising to you? Comment Below!

[Photo Credit: Doug Pensinger/Getty Images via BleacherReport.com]

Statement Games:

The Jets beat the Patriots 28-14. The Jets were able to muster some offense in this highly anticipated game. After a horrible performance last Monday against the Ravens, many people were wondering what was wrong with the Jets’ offense. Sanchez didn’t play well and the feature back (Shonn Greene) couldn’t hold onto the football. Well after watching this game against the Patriots, maybe the offensive struggles of the Jets in Week 1 was a testament to how good the Ravens defense is. Sanchez played tremendous throwing for 220 yards and a career high 3 TDs.

The Bengals rebounded from the beating the Patriots gave them in week 1 by edging the Ravens 15-10. The Bengals really stepped up on defense in this game and completely made Joe Flacco a non-factor. Flacco was horrible in this game completing only 17 of 36 passes with 4 INTs. The Ravens defense played another solid game by holding the Bengals to only field goals. The Ravens new high powered offense has yet to show up this season (only 20 points combined), but maybe that is because they have played two of the top defenses in the league. Still, it has to be disheartening to Ravens fans.

Michael Vick made a statement this week against the Lions during the Eagles 35-32 victory. Vick proved that he is back in form and ready to be a starting QB in this league again. He completed 21 of 34 passes for 284 yards and 2 TDs with no INTs. Coach Andy Reid might not have watched Vick last week or this week, because he has already named Kevin Kolb as the starter for next week’s game against the Jaguars. If Kolb struggles, we have a QB controversy and Eagles’ fans will let their cries be heard.

The Texans also made a statement in Week 2. They fought back from a 17 point 3rd quarter deficit to beat the Redskins 30 – 27 in overtime. This week it was the passing attack that led the way for the Texans. Matt Schaub threw for 497 yards and 3 TDs in the victory. On a positive note for the Redskins, Donovan McNabb looked much better this week. He threw for 426 yards, which made it the first time since 1994 that both teams had a QB that threw for more than 400 yards.

The Chargers rebounded strongly from their poor performance last Monday by crushing the Jaguars, 38-13. The Chargers must like the warm sunny weather better than monsoons, and I don’t blame them.

The Bills made a statement against the Packers this week. Except, it is not the statement that they wanted to make. The Bills got crushed by the Packers 34-7 and really showed that they do in fact have the best chance of going 0-16 this season.

The Colts made a statement in the 2nd ever Manning Bowl. The Colts dominated the Giants, 38-14. First rule of the NFL- never doubt a team led by Peyton Manning.

Say It Ain’t So:

The Minnesota Vikings couldn’t muster any offense for the second straight week. This time it resulted in a loss to the Miami Dolphins. Brett Favre has really not looked sharp at all this season and he is proving everyone that said there was no way he’d repeat last season’s number right. Favre threw 3 INTs and lost a fumble in the loss. The absence of Sidney Rice really seems to be affecting the Vikings, and I bet they are praying to land Vincent Jackson. On a positive note, Adrian Peterson had a great game.

The Dallas Cowboys lost their home opener against the Chicago Bears. The Cowboys have talent, but they just don’t seem to be clicking yet. The biggest concern is the Dallas running game, they haven’t been able to get that going at all this season. On the other-side, Jay Cutler seems to be clicking very well with new offensive coordinator. It doesn’t hurt when you have receivers making catches like this:

Both the Cowboys and Vikings were popular Super Bowl picks during the off-season, and now after starting 0-2 things don’t look so good. Since 1978, history has indicated that there is an 11 percent chance of making the playoffs after starting 0-2. But, that doesn’t say the Vikings and Cowboys can’t win the Super Bowl. Remember the Giants in 2008? They started 0-2 and then went on to be the perfect Patriots in Super Bowl XLII.

Surprise, Surprise:

The Chiefs are 2-0 after beating the Browns, 16-14. The Chiefs are obviously much improved and they do have a lot of young talent, but I’m not convinced that they will have a great season. Of the 37 points they have scored this season, 21 have come on defense and special teams. They still need some work on the offensive side of the ball.

The Bucs are also 2-0 after beating the Panthers, 20-7. The most impressive part of this win was the fact that it was in Carolina. The Panthers are now in some real trouble. They are 0-2 and it looks like the Jimmy Clausen era will be starting next week. Matt Moore was the starter, but was benched in the 4th quarter due to poor performance.

The Steelers have started 2-0 despite missing Ben Roethlisberger due to suspension. The offense hasn’t done much, but the defense has really stepped up big time for the Steelers, forcing the Titans into 7 turnovers. The Steelers will now also be without Dennis Dixon who suffered a knee injury and looks to be sidelined 3-5 weeks. They recently re-signed Byron Leftwich, who they cut on Saturday.

The 49ers have surprised many for two reasons this week. First, the early NFC West favorite has started the season 0-2 after losing to the Saints 25-22. Second, the 49ers surprised many people by playing a thrilling game against the Saints. It didn’t start well for the 49ers, but they stepped up big time after a poor first quarter. Alex Smith looked really good, particularly down the stretch. He executed a perfect 2 minute drill to march the Niners down the field to score the game tying TD and two-point conversion. The problem was that the drive was too perfect, leaving Brees enough time to drive down the field for the game winning field goal.

The Rest:

The Falcons rolled over the Cards, 41-7. The Raiders squeaked by the Rams, 16-14. The Broncos roughed up the Seahawks, 31-14.

That will do it for the Week 2 Recap, be sure to tune back in next week for a recap of week 3.

[Randy Moss Photo Credit: Sportsfan4.com]
[Adrian Peterson Photo Credit: SportsNewsAuthority.com]

The AFC Playoff Picture would look like this:

1. San Diego Chargers
2. Indianapolis Colts
3. Baltimore Ravens
4. New England Patriots
5. New York Jets
6. Cincinnati Bengals

Wild Card Weekend:
Ravens over Bengals
Patriots over Jets

Divisional Round:
Patriots over Colts
Chargers over Ravens

Conference Title:
Chargers over Patriots

The NFC Playoff Picture would look like this:

1. New Orleans Saints
2. Green Bay Packers
3. Dallas Cowboys
4. San Francisco 49ers
5. Minnesota Vikings
6. Philadelphia Eagles

Wild Card Weekend:
Cowboys over Eagles
Vikings over 49ers

Divisional Round:
Packers over Cowboys
Saints over Vikings

Conference Title:
Packers over Saints

Super Bowl XLV – Feb. 6th 2011 @ Cowboys Stadium
Packers over Chargers

Photo Credit: blogs.dallasobserver.com

2009 Standings:
Minnesota Vikings – 12-4 *Playoffs
Green Bay Packers – 11-5 *Playoffs
Chicago Bears – 7-9
Detroit Lions – 2-14

2010 Preseason:
Detroit Lions – 3-1
Minnesota Vikings – 3-1
Green Bay Packers – 2-2
Chicago Bears – 0-4

2010 Regular Season Predictions:
Green Bay Packers – 13-3
Minnesota Vikings – 11-5
Chicago Bears – 8-8
Detroit Lions – 3-13

Team Breakdowns:

Green Bay Packers:
The Green Bay Packers might have the best offense in the entire NFL (yes, I know about the Saints and Colts). The Packers main problem last season was the offensive line, Aaron Rodgers took way too many sacks early in the season, but there was noticeable improvement by the end of the season. All of the offensive line will be returning this season and I think they will continue to improve, coupled with the fact that Rodgers seems to have a quicker release, the Packers will score points in bunches. Not only do the Packers have a great offense, they had one of the best defenses in the league last season. With Charles Woodson, A.J. Hawk and Nick Collins all returning, the leaders and foundation are still there. I look for the Packers to be in the NFC title game this season.

Minnesota Vikings:
The Minnesota Vikings once again had to deal with Training Camp and workouts without Brett Favre, only for him to return for the Preseason. I do feel bad for Tarvaris Jackson, but Favre is the better QB. With that being said, I don’t think that Favre will replicate his 2009 season. Last year he had the best statistical season of his storied career (a whooping 107.2 Passer Rating), and that will be hard to repeat. I expect the INTs to increase slightly this year and the overall numbers won’t be as good especially with his main target (Sidney Rice) out for the first six weeks on the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list. Percy Harvin, the stellar rookie, also had migraine issues during the preseason and that may limit him in the season. Adrian Peterson will still dominate, but he does have documented fumbling problems that may cost them a close game. The defense will still be a tremendous strength with Jared Allen and Pat Williams returning.

Chicago Bears:
The Bears are an interesting team, they have potential to be better than my predicted 8-8, but they also can be much worse. Jay Cutler will remain the Quarterback and will still have issues with interceptions. The Bears new offensive coordinator, Mike Martz, will not shy away from the pass and this could be very good or very bad for the Bears. They have outside weapons with Devin Hester and Devin Aromashodu that can spread the field and Cutler without question has the arm strength to play that style. Matt Forte has looked much better in the offseason than he did during his sophomore year. If he returns to rookie form, the Bears will have a pretty good running game. The defensive side of the ball will be a strength for the Bears. Brian Urlacher will rejoin the team after missing 15 games with an injury last season. Lance Briggs, Charles Tillman and Daniel Manning are also very good defenders.

Detroit Lions:
The Detroit Lions will have a slightly better season than they did last season, which was a huge improvement from the infamous 0-16 season in 2008. The Lions played well in the preseason, but as they know personally, that doesn’t mean anything in the regular season (they were 4-0 in the preseason the year they went 0-16). Matthew Stafford will continue to grow as a quarterback and Calvin Johnson will continue to show that he is a top 5 wide receiver in the NFL. The Lions have a pair of rookies to watch out for this season. The first is Jahvid Best (30th overall pick). He has shown some tremendous signs in the preseason and he will certainly improve the Lions offense and he can help to open up the passing game. The second is Ndamukong Suh (2nd overall pick). Suh was a dominant force in college and should help to straighten out the poor Lions’ defense over time. I don’t think he will have a huge impact this season, but the future is definitely brighter than it has been in the past in Detroit. If the Lions defense surprises this season, they have potential to do better than my 3 win prediction, but with a tough schedule I’ll stick with my prediction.

Photo Credit: iSportacus.com

Now at age 33, McNabb is going to be entering the decline phase of his career. Having played an entire 16 game season only once in the past 6 years, the indicators are there. The Eagles clearly have an abundance at the QB position – McNabb, Kevin Kolb, and Michael Vick. They think that Kolb is the future of the team (although I question that) and they just picked up Vick’s option (he still has some game left) so it doesn’t look like they are moving anytime soon.

Do I think that the Eagles should look to get rid of McNabb this season? On a football field level – no, despite him being on the decline, he is still better than most QBs in the NFL. On a football management level – yes, every single season there is talks of McNabb leaving. He never gets the respect he deserves in Philadelphia and it is more of a distraction that a benefit of having him on the team.

As possible destinations for McNabb, the Minnesota Vikings keep arising as the leading destination. I must say that people have to understand this will not and should not happen. Favre is going to comeback for one more season with the Vikings, and everyone in Minnesota is going to prefer Favre to McNabb. Despite being 40 years old, Farve had a better season than McNabb last year, not to mention it might have been the best season of his hall of fame career (it was the only time he has ever finished a season with a passer rating greater than 100 [107.2]).

In the end nothing is going to happen this off-season because the Eagles are going to ask for too much, the Vikings are going to be more than happy with Favre, McNabb will not be Favre’s back-up, and the Eagles like to be in the spotlight.

Brett Favre’s last pass as a Green Bay Packer was an interception in overtime against the Giants that ended up costing the Packers the game.

Many people speculated that play was one of the reasons Favre eventually came out of retirement. Who wants to have their legacy remembered with your last pass being an interception that cost your team a chance at to get to and win the Superbowl? Not many would say I’m fine with that.

Favre went on to emotionally retire after that game, and then decide he wants back – only the Packers had already moved on. This lead to a nasty situation in Green Bay, which ended in a trade to the Jets. Favre had a great start with the Jets, but was terribly ineffective down the stretch. Favre retired again, but once again didn’t want to go out like that. He decided he wanted to play again for the Vikings. The Jets released him and he was able to join the Vikings in a long drawn out process.

He got his wish to take charge of the Vikings. He beat the Packers twice for some revenge and delivered the Vikings to the NFC Championship. In the championship game he did it again, no it was not Brett Favre magic, it was a Superbowl costing INT.

Will this be Favre’s last pass ever?

Personally, I don’t think so. He still has shown he has some game (you can argue this was his best statistical season ever), and who wants to go out the way he did?

Would love to hear your thoughts, post them below or send me a tweet @MikesPickz

Will the Saints’ high powered offense face the Jets’ #1 ranked defense? Will the Saints’ get the high powered Colts’ offense, in what will surely be a shoot-out?

Or will Brett Favre and the Vikings get to play the Jets in a game that will be full of storylines. Favre retires from the Jets, signs with the Vikings and now plays the Jets in the Superbowl? Or do the Vikings get the Colts in a battle of two of the greatest QBs over the past 10 years?

What do you think the Superbowl will look like this season, and do you think it can top last year’s thriller?