Post by Cincinnati Bengals (Chris) on Oct 10, 2019 2:41:38 GMT -5
1. Philadelphia 0 (8-1)- Second in points again this week, Philly is trucking along, blowing out an overmatched Atlanta to the tune of 40+ points. Jeremy Hill rampaged in his opportunity as lead back, and every defensive player save one scored in double digits. That’ll do pig. Two more victories, or one head-to-head over Dallas, and PHI will win the NFC East. One more win clinches a playoff spot.
2. Arizona 0 (8-1)- Perhaps lucky to win this week (having a come-from-behind effort in which Larry Donnell, ARI’s last-remaining player ridiculously outscored GB’s lone remaining guy, Donte Moncrief), ARI still holds on to #2 on body of work. Any Dalton is not going to have many more weeks like that, nor will this defense only score 38 again. Also, Golden Tate’s return to the lineup equals the team we’ve seen rip other teams to shreds all year. ARI is just one game away from clinching a playoff spot.
3. Seattle +3 (7-2)- Seattle once again led the league in points this week, the lowest-scoring week of the season (I believe. Correct me if I’m wrong). The 152 points was more than enough to hold off the more impressive than usual Bears by over 40 points. The addition of Manning, who had one of his worst games in Denver this week, makes SEA a true monster. 70+ points from each unit is enough to keep SEA squarely in the NFC West hunt. The only worry down the stretch is RB, but if Cecil can piece it together, SEA will be a formidable opponent the remaining weeks and in the playoffs. They climb 3 places this week.
4. New England 0 (8-1)- By virtue of two-consecutive below average weeks for the Patriots, they are jumped by Seattle, despite sticking a Cleveland team without a tight end or a kicker, with a 30-point loss. The point totals in the beginning of the season were impressive, but a combination of a weak strength of schedule (only 3 winning teams in total appear on the Pats’ docket), timing of byes/poor performances by opposing players against NE and the recent trades New England has made suggest that they are the league’s most-overrated team. They’re just not the same NE we saw earlier in the year. That said, they can lock up an AFC East title with a head-to-head win with Miami.
5. Dallas 0 (7-2)- Tom Brady continues to be a revelation, and Jimmy Graham, George Iloka and Antoine Bethea chipped in with 15 PPG or more. Despite missing a DL and an inactive 0 from Doug Martin, the Cowboys racked up 119 points. Going against the Bucs, that was plenty, but one game off the pace in the NFC East, the ‘Boys will have to do much more to unseat #1 Philly in their head-to-head. DAL looks good for a wild card, however, even without the East title, currently tied with Seattle in those standings at the moment. However, despite the win, DAL stays at #5 this week.
6. Pittsburgh +1 (7-2)- The Steelers have established themselves as a tough out, even when LeVeon Bell, Keenan Allen, Larry Fitzgerald and Dez Byrant don’t produce as expected. That’s not even addressing the defensive issues Pittsburgh faced this week. However, even with all of that, PIT routed previously 1-loss Miami this week, and can lock up the division this week with a win over CIN. PIT climbs one spot this week.
7. Jacksonville +1 (7-2)- Jacksonville is back in the win column despite playing without a QB this week and two pretty appalling offensive performances from Knile Davis and Austin Seferian-Jenkins. The defense was solid with 64+ points and Caleb Sturgis put up 13 as well. The result was a close game against Oakland this week, but JAX prevailed and now wins the AFC South with two more victories, or a head-to-head win over TEN. The Jags climb one spot this week.
8. Miami -5 (7-2)- In back-to-back weeks, the AFC North (first CIN and now PIT) have taken the previously-undefeated Dolphins to the woodshed, and Week 9 for the ‘Fins was a true whipping, as without a QB, a K, and some poor performances all-around, Donny didn’t even top 70 points. DeMarco Murray will be better, and so likely will Williams and Olsen. The return of a QB and a K will be good news, but there is at least some concern, as MIA is now a game off the pace in the AFC East. A win over NE head-to-head likely would settle this though. The South Beach Porpoises fall 5 spots this week.
9. Denver 0 (6-3)- Michael Vick filled in admirably this week, with a 15+ point offering. Andre Ellington was his reliable self, topping the 20-point mark. Reggie Wayne also scored nearly 14 points to guide the offense to a 60-point night despite Andre Johnson’s worst game of the year. The defense, however, barely hit 41 points, and no player hit double digits. That’s a cause for concern with two big AFC West match ups looming, but it keeps Denver in the win column. The Broncos stay at 9 with the win.
10. New York Giants +1 (6-3)- The Giants made some indefensible moves and then apparently checked out of the league. That’s not the way that should have gone down. Despite that, a missing DL and two zeros or effective zeros, New York coasted to a 60-point win over one of the league’s worst teams. The 132+ points are fine, but no lineup setting and a poor default lineup (quarterback-wise) down the stretch, almost certainly means the Giants will be crashing out of the playoff race. But for this week, in all fairness, they climb up a ranking into the top-10, leaping CIN.
11. Cincinnati -1 (6-3)- For the first time this season, CIN really benefitted from a weak opponent in the hapless Jets. Due to a peculiar “active” tag given to Kam Chancellor, who didn’t play, Cincy left 14.1 points on the bench defensively, something that the Bengals could usually ill-afford given Nick Foles having a 7-point game before going down to injury, Gio Bernard missing due to injury and three wide receivers totaling 3 points. The scheduling break, however, was only temporary, as the Bengals must get several things sorted out, namely who will play quarterback for them for the remainder of the 2014 season, before a Week 10 matchup with Pittsburgh that could decide the AFC North. For now, the Bengals fall a spot for their dubious 92-point, season-low effort.
12. Detroit +1 (6-3)- The Lions are still struggling to regain their form, though 121+ points for nearly anyone else would not be a bad week. Cam Newton had another down game, though the offense, as a whole didn’t suffer, as both units scored nearly 60 points despite missing a DB on D. If Adrian Peterson comes back to the Vikings, however, it could spell big trouble for Ryan, who is leaning on Jerick McKinnon, the man most-likely to suffer from an AP return. For now, the Lions climb one spot and hold a one-game lead in the NFC North.
13. Washington +2 (5-4)- Washington has stepped up its game, and is currently still alive in the NFC East, but only just. One more win from Philly would end the ‘Skins chances of coming away with the division title, though they’d still be alive in the Wild Card. Roethlisberger was HUGE again, scoring 48, for a two week total of 105 points. Take that everyone else. Allen and Smith continued to impress offensively, and Tre Mason’s role continues to grow. Defensively, nobody hit 10, and the unit totaled only 43 points (despite being down a DB). That will need to be better, as well as Big Ben keeping an elite pace, but don’t count your chickens yet PHI and DAL. The Redskins move up 2 places this week.
14. Kansas City +2 (6-3)- No QB? No problem. The Chiefs still managed 136 points in a victory over the Texans and gave the once powerhouse team only their second win in their last five contests. Six players stepped up, eclipsing the 10-point mark, including Marshawn Lynch, who led the way with 27 points. With Matt Ryan, or a shell of the man once nicknamed “Matty Ice” can bounce back, KC could win the AFC West. Denver and San Diego won’t be easy outs (if Leif sets his lineup), but last year’s champion has to be the odds-on favorite. KC rises two spots this week.
15. Tennessee +2 (5-4)- Ryan Tannehill had his best career game this week, and led the Titans with 34+ points. Mohamed Sanu, Cliff Avril and Chris Johnson all contributed largely to the win over the previously AFC West-leading (tied) Chargers. The win kept TEN alive in the AFC South race, but if Jacksonville wins once, it’s over. This is the third-straight week the Titans have eclipsed 119 points, and the second in a row of 125. Kirk’s team is peaking at the right time. TEN is two places to the good this week.
16. Minnesota +2 (5-4)- Still finding it hard-sledding, the Vikes required a near 40-point night from Andrew Luck to send them clear against a less-than-full-strength San Francisco team. Brian Cushing’s return will be a great help, but it’s clear that there are holes in the Minnesota lineup not thought to be there at the beginning of the year. MIN is a game off the pace in the North, and Matt will try to put together his first winning record as well as adding his division crown in the next three weeks. This week, MIN climbs two spots.
17. Baltimore -3 (4-5)- Baltimore sorely could have used a win this week over a losing Buffalo team to stay in the race for a playoff spot. While they have not been mathematically eliminated, the Ravens are out of the North race with a single Steelers win or a Cincinnati win and/or head-to-head win over them. It’s really out of Goose’s hands. BAL slides three spots.
18. San Diego -6 (5-4)- Fart noises. Leif hasn’t been on the site in over a month and hasn’t set a lineup since before Ebola was a thing. He’s gone in my book. Also the Chargers lost big.
19. Green Bay 0 (5-4)- For the first time this season, Green Bay was unlucky, losing out on the Colts’ coaching staff’s boneheaded move by continuing to run Hakeem Nicks over Donte Moncrief. The 4-point loss to an uncharacteristically average ARI team was a missed opportunity, but the defense also bears some of the blame, with Bruce Irvin netting half of the total 40 points and four players registering only one tackle. They’re still very much in the NFC North race, but will need to produce more to beat DET and MIN, as winning the division is probably needed to lock up a playoff spot for sure. GB stays in 19th this week.
20. Cleveland 0 (4-5)- Minus a tight end and a kicker, the Browns stood very little chance against the 4th ranked Patriots. However, 5.5 points from the QB and RB positions really did them in, and two defensive zeros didn’t help either. With the loss, the Browns must go 3-for-3 in division, and hope the PIT stumbles in all 3 games to win the division. CLE still occupies #20 this week.
21. Buffalo +2 (3-6)- In the surprise result of the week, Buffalo stunned Baltimore in a come-from-behind 5-point win. Mark Ingram once again dazzled and Blake Bortles had perhaps his best career game. Major Wright and the newly-added Buster Skrine also topped 10 points. The result was a win from a team eliminated a week ago over a team that has now been all-but-eliminated in the AFC North race. The Bills rise two spots.
22. Houston -1 (3-6)- Still elite among the teams with sub-.500 records, Houston suffered mightily without a quarterback this week, scoring only 14 points on offense, though nearly 70 on defense despite an incomplete lineup. Erik also missed a kicker this week, making the 83-point effort much better than it looked, though the loss did eliminate the Texans from the AFC South race and make any playoff appearance very unlikely. With the loss, HOU drops only one place.
23. Oakland -1 (3-6)- Despite a good showing in Week 9, the Raiders fall to 3-6 and almost definitely out of the playoff race, as one of the 6-win AFC West teams must win in a head-to-head, given them 7 wins, an unreachable total for Oakland. OAK drops 1 spot to #23.
24. Chicago 0 (2-7)- Chicago gave it their best, actually amassing nearly 70 points on offense and getting 10 from the kicking game. However, the defense was putrid, failing to reach 30 points, and the opponent was Seattle, perhaps more telling than any of those factors. CHI is now officially out of the playoffs with the loss. They will finish in the bottom half of the NFC North unless they win out. For the back-to-back weekly point totals, they stay put.
25. Tampa Bay 0 (2-7)- Still the highest ranked team in the NFC South, the Bucs were bad in Week 9 due to a zero from Isaiah Crowell and Philip Rivers’ worst-career game (pretty sure). The 26 points from Julian Edelman and the almost 18 from Whitney Mercilus are likely one-time things, but with 4 players in the lineup on byes in Week 10 (one inactive already due to injury) and TB in no rush to make moves, it looks like ATL will win the game this coming week walking away. TB hasn’t been on in 3 weeks, and looks like a prime candidate for replacement in the off-season, so if you know him, probably contact him to let him know he’s pissing away his season. This week he stays put at 25.
26. St. Louis 0 (2-7)- Gone is the St. Louis of Weeks 6 and 7, and back is the Rams team that went 0-5 as the league’s worst team over the first 5 weeks. Joe Flacco scored 20 and Robert Quinn put up 14. No one else on the team came close to scoring 10, and that resulted in a huge blowout loss to a DET team that is nowhere near its peak right now. The Rams stay in 26th, but only because no one below them won.
27. San Francisco 0 (2-7)- Eliminated from the playoffs a week ago, SF paid no mind, nearly knocking another team from the playoff race altogether. With a full-strength lineup, the Niners might have done exactly that. But with two players absent on defense and only three players topping the 10-point mark in total, SF lost by 9 and will battle the Rams for third place out west. Lesson be learned though ARI and SEA, as MIN can tell you, SF is still capable of pulling the upset.
28. Atlanta +1 (1-8)- Jeremy Maclin is having a phenomenal year, regardless of QB. The 29-point game from him, in addition to 20 from Hillman, made up approximately half of Atlanta’s scoring. For all Tim’s effort, the QB streaming game has not ended well for him, as he’s now lost on Washington’s two backups making an impact (as of now) going forward. The defense was okay relative to where he’s at, and there’s still every chance he can make the playoffs. So drink to that. Heavily if you’re a 3 or 4-loss team who will end up missing due to the South’s ineptitude. ATL climbs a spot to 28, despite won-loss record, for how much they’ve outperformed Carolina this year.
29. Carolina -1 (2-7)- Grimes and Hopkins dominated, but no other player scored 10 points (though Antrell Rolle got close). Who knows what this team will look like with a real-life quarterback next year (possibly Mettenberger), but it’s hard to talk about the future when Carolina is still alive in the South, and has just as good a chance as any of being a playoff team. The sad thing is, 80-point efforts may be all it takes in the league’s most derptastic division. CAR falls one spot.
30. Indianapolis 0 (1-8)- J.R.’s Week 9 added insult to injury, as Geno Smith’s (inactive and benched) handcuff would’ve made the difference in the game. Odell Beckham Jr. had his best career game so far, but otherwise it was another bad week for the league’s third-worst team to-date. The Colts stay at 30.
31. New Orleans 0 (1-8)- Another 0-4 week for the NFC South, the fourth-consecutive such week, and another blowout New Orleans loss means that despite being 1-8, the Saints could still make the playoffs, as all four teams are still alive. At the risk of calling it entertaining, I will instead say that it will be interesting. How interesting? Well, it’s possible that a playoff team will come from a team that in Week 9 had 9 players score 2 points or fewer. You’re welcome.
32. New York Jets 0 (0-9)- The Jets dropped another one this week, receiving three zeros offensively (and only 4.9 total points not coming from their starting QB), three players under 1.2 points on defense and a 0 in the kicking game. The sum total was a 70-point game. Despite going up against a Cincinnati team giving its worst effort on the year, NYJ was unable to take advantage. While the Jets were long ago eliminated from the playoffs, perhaps they can steal a win from within the division over the last three weeks to keep from finishing in dead last for two-straight years.
2. Arizona 0 (8-1)- Perhaps lucky to win this week (having a come-from-behind effort in which Larry Donnell, ARI’s last-remaining player ridiculously outscored GB’s lone remaining guy, Donte Moncrief), ARI still holds on to #2 on body of work. Any Dalton is not going to have many more weeks like that, nor will this defense only score 38 again. Also, Golden Tate’s return to the lineup equals the team we’ve seen rip other teams to shreds all year. ARI is just one game away from clinching a playoff spot.
3. Seattle +3 (7-2)- Seattle once again led the league in points this week, the lowest-scoring week of the season (I believe. Correct me if I’m wrong). The 152 points was more than enough to hold off the more impressive than usual Bears by over 40 points. The addition of Manning, who had one of his worst games in Denver this week, makes SEA a true monster. 70+ points from each unit is enough to keep SEA squarely in the NFC West hunt. The only worry down the stretch is RB, but if Cecil can piece it together, SEA will be a formidable opponent the remaining weeks and in the playoffs. They climb 3 places this week.
4. New England 0 (8-1)- By virtue of two-consecutive below average weeks for the Patriots, they are jumped by Seattle, despite sticking a Cleveland team without a tight end or a kicker, with a 30-point loss. The point totals in the beginning of the season were impressive, but a combination of a weak strength of schedule (only 3 winning teams in total appear on the Pats’ docket), timing of byes/poor performances by opposing players against NE and the recent trades New England has made suggest that they are the league’s most-overrated team. They’re just not the same NE we saw earlier in the year. That said, they can lock up an AFC East title with a head-to-head win with Miami.
5. Dallas 0 (7-2)- Tom Brady continues to be a revelation, and Jimmy Graham, George Iloka and Antoine Bethea chipped in with 15 PPG or more. Despite missing a DL and an inactive 0 from Doug Martin, the Cowboys racked up 119 points. Going against the Bucs, that was plenty, but one game off the pace in the NFC East, the ‘Boys will have to do much more to unseat #1 Philly in their head-to-head. DAL looks good for a wild card, however, even without the East title, currently tied with Seattle in those standings at the moment. However, despite the win, DAL stays at #5 this week.
6. Pittsburgh +1 (7-2)- The Steelers have established themselves as a tough out, even when LeVeon Bell, Keenan Allen, Larry Fitzgerald and Dez Byrant don’t produce as expected. That’s not even addressing the defensive issues Pittsburgh faced this week. However, even with all of that, PIT routed previously 1-loss Miami this week, and can lock up the division this week with a win over CIN. PIT climbs one spot this week.
7. Jacksonville +1 (7-2)- Jacksonville is back in the win column despite playing without a QB this week and two pretty appalling offensive performances from Knile Davis and Austin Seferian-Jenkins. The defense was solid with 64+ points and Caleb Sturgis put up 13 as well. The result was a close game against Oakland this week, but JAX prevailed and now wins the AFC South with two more victories, or a head-to-head win over TEN. The Jags climb one spot this week.
8. Miami -5 (7-2)- In back-to-back weeks, the AFC North (first CIN and now PIT) have taken the previously-undefeated Dolphins to the woodshed, and Week 9 for the ‘Fins was a true whipping, as without a QB, a K, and some poor performances all-around, Donny didn’t even top 70 points. DeMarco Murray will be better, and so likely will Williams and Olsen. The return of a QB and a K will be good news, but there is at least some concern, as MIA is now a game off the pace in the AFC East. A win over NE head-to-head likely would settle this though. The South Beach Porpoises fall 5 spots this week.
9. Denver 0 (6-3)- Michael Vick filled in admirably this week, with a 15+ point offering. Andre Ellington was his reliable self, topping the 20-point mark. Reggie Wayne also scored nearly 14 points to guide the offense to a 60-point night despite Andre Johnson’s worst game of the year. The defense, however, barely hit 41 points, and no player hit double digits. That’s a cause for concern with two big AFC West match ups looming, but it keeps Denver in the win column. The Broncos stay at 9 with the win.
10. New York Giants +1 (6-3)- The Giants made some indefensible moves and then apparently checked out of the league. That’s not the way that should have gone down. Despite that, a missing DL and two zeros or effective zeros, New York coasted to a 60-point win over one of the league’s worst teams. The 132+ points are fine, but no lineup setting and a poor default lineup (quarterback-wise) down the stretch, almost certainly means the Giants will be crashing out of the playoff race. But for this week, in all fairness, they climb up a ranking into the top-10, leaping CIN.
11. Cincinnati -1 (6-3)- For the first time this season, CIN really benefitted from a weak opponent in the hapless Jets. Due to a peculiar “active” tag given to Kam Chancellor, who didn’t play, Cincy left 14.1 points on the bench defensively, something that the Bengals could usually ill-afford given Nick Foles having a 7-point game before going down to injury, Gio Bernard missing due to injury and three wide receivers totaling 3 points. The scheduling break, however, was only temporary, as the Bengals must get several things sorted out, namely who will play quarterback for them for the remainder of the 2014 season, before a Week 10 matchup with Pittsburgh that could decide the AFC North. For now, the Bengals fall a spot for their dubious 92-point, season-low effort.
12. Detroit +1 (6-3)- The Lions are still struggling to regain their form, though 121+ points for nearly anyone else would not be a bad week. Cam Newton had another down game, though the offense, as a whole didn’t suffer, as both units scored nearly 60 points despite missing a DB on D. If Adrian Peterson comes back to the Vikings, however, it could spell big trouble for Ryan, who is leaning on Jerick McKinnon, the man most-likely to suffer from an AP return. For now, the Lions climb one spot and hold a one-game lead in the NFC North.
13. Washington +2 (5-4)- Washington has stepped up its game, and is currently still alive in the NFC East, but only just. One more win from Philly would end the ‘Skins chances of coming away with the division title, though they’d still be alive in the Wild Card. Roethlisberger was HUGE again, scoring 48, for a two week total of 105 points. Take that everyone else. Allen and Smith continued to impress offensively, and Tre Mason’s role continues to grow. Defensively, nobody hit 10, and the unit totaled only 43 points (despite being down a DB). That will need to be better, as well as Big Ben keeping an elite pace, but don’t count your chickens yet PHI and DAL. The Redskins move up 2 places this week.
14. Kansas City +2 (6-3)- No QB? No problem. The Chiefs still managed 136 points in a victory over the Texans and gave the once powerhouse team only their second win in their last five contests. Six players stepped up, eclipsing the 10-point mark, including Marshawn Lynch, who led the way with 27 points. With Matt Ryan, or a shell of the man once nicknamed “Matty Ice” can bounce back, KC could win the AFC West. Denver and San Diego won’t be easy outs (if Leif sets his lineup), but last year’s champion has to be the odds-on favorite. KC rises two spots this week.
15. Tennessee +2 (5-4)- Ryan Tannehill had his best career game this week, and led the Titans with 34+ points. Mohamed Sanu, Cliff Avril and Chris Johnson all contributed largely to the win over the previously AFC West-leading (tied) Chargers. The win kept TEN alive in the AFC South race, but if Jacksonville wins once, it’s over. This is the third-straight week the Titans have eclipsed 119 points, and the second in a row of 125. Kirk’s team is peaking at the right time. TEN is two places to the good this week.
16. Minnesota +2 (5-4)- Still finding it hard-sledding, the Vikes required a near 40-point night from Andrew Luck to send them clear against a less-than-full-strength San Francisco team. Brian Cushing’s return will be a great help, but it’s clear that there are holes in the Minnesota lineup not thought to be there at the beginning of the year. MIN is a game off the pace in the North, and Matt will try to put together his first winning record as well as adding his division crown in the next three weeks. This week, MIN climbs two spots.
17. Baltimore -3 (4-5)- Baltimore sorely could have used a win this week over a losing Buffalo team to stay in the race for a playoff spot. While they have not been mathematically eliminated, the Ravens are out of the North race with a single Steelers win or a Cincinnati win and/or head-to-head win over them. It’s really out of Goose’s hands. BAL slides three spots.
18. San Diego -6 (5-4)- Fart noises. Leif hasn’t been on the site in over a month and hasn’t set a lineup since before Ebola was a thing. He’s gone in my book. Also the Chargers lost big.
19. Green Bay 0 (5-4)- For the first time this season, Green Bay was unlucky, losing out on the Colts’ coaching staff’s boneheaded move by continuing to run Hakeem Nicks over Donte Moncrief. The 4-point loss to an uncharacteristically average ARI team was a missed opportunity, but the defense also bears some of the blame, with Bruce Irvin netting half of the total 40 points and four players registering only one tackle. They’re still very much in the NFC North race, but will need to produce more to beat DET and MIN, as winning the division is probably needed to lock up a playoff spot for sure. GB stays in 19th this week.
20. Cleveland 0 (4-5)- Minus a tight end and a kicker, the Browns stood very little chance against the 4th ranked Patriots. However, 5.5 points from the QB and RB positions really did them in, and two defensive zeros didn’t help either. With the loss, the Browns must go 3-for-3 in division, and hope the PIT stumbles in all 3 games to win the division. CLE still occupies #20 this week.
21. Buffalo +2 (3-6)- In the surprise result of the week, Buffalo stunned Baltimore in a come-from-behind 5-point win. Mark Ingram once again dazzled and Blake Bortles had perhaps his best career game. Major Wright and the newly-added Buster Skrine also topped 10 points. The result was a win from a team eliminated a week ago over a team that has now been all-but-eliminated in the AFC North race. The Bills rise two spots.
22. Houston -1 (3-6)- Still elite among the teams with sub-.500 records, Houston suffered mightily without a quarterback this week, scoring only 14 points on offense, though nearly 70 on defense despite an incomplete lineup. Erik also missed a kicker this week, making the 83-point effort much better than it looked, though the loss did eliminate the Texans from the AFC South race and make any playoff appearance very unlikely. With the loss, HOU drops only one place.
23. Oakland -1 (3-6)- Despite a good showing in Week 9, the Raiders fall to 3-6 and almost definitely out of the playoff race, as one of the 6-win AFC West teams must win in a head-to-head, given them 7 wins, an unreachable total for Oakland. OAK drops 1 spot to #23.
24. Chicago 0 (2-7)- Chicago gave it their best, actually amassing nearly 70 points on offense and getting 10 from the kicking game. However, the defense was putrid, failing to reach 30 points, and the opponent was Seattle, perhaps more telling than any of those factors. CHI is now officially out of the playoffs with the loss. They will finish in the bottom half of the NFC North unless they win out. For the back-to-back weekly point totals, they stay put.
25. Tampa Bay 0 (2-7)- Still the highest ranked team in the NFC South, the Bucs were bad in Week 9 due to a zero from Isaiah Crowell and Philip Rivers’ worst-career game (pretty sure). The 26 points from Julian Edelman and the almost 18 from Whitney Mercilus are likely one-time things, but with 4 players in the lineup on byes in Week 10 (one inactive already due to injury) and TB in no rush to make moves, it looks like ATL will win the game this coming week walking away. TB hasn’t been on in 3 weeks, and looks like a prime candidate for replacement in the off-season, so if you know him, probably contact him to let him know he’s pissing away his season. This week he stays put at 25.
26. St. Louis 0 (2-7)- Gone is the St. Louis of Weeks 6 and 7, and back is the Rams team that went 0-5 as the league’s worst team over the first 5 weeks. Joe Flacco scored 20 and Robert Quinn put up 14. No one else on the team came close to scoring 10, and that resulted in a huge blowout loss to a DET team that is nowhere near its peak right now. The Rams stay in 26th, but only because no one below them won.
27. San Francisco 0 (2-7)- Eliminated from the playoffs a week ago, SF paid no mind, nearly knocking another team from the playoff race altogether. With a full-strength lineup, the Niners might have done exactly that. But with two players absent on defense and only three players topping the 10-point mark in total, SF lost by 9 and will battle the Rams for third place out west. Lesson be learned though ARI and SEA, as MIN can tell you, SF is still capable of pulling the upset.
28. Atlanta +1 (1-8)- Jeremy Maclin is having a phenomenal year, regardless of QB. The 29-point game from him, in addition to 20 from Hillman, made up approximately half of Atlanta’s scoring. For all Tim’s effort, the QB streaming game has not ended well for him, as he’s now lost on Washington’s two backups making an impact (as of now) going forward. The defense was okay relative to where he’s at, and there’s still every chance he can make the playoffs. So drink to that. Heavily if you’re a 3 or 4-loss team who will end up missing due to the South’s ineptitude. ATL climbs a spot to 28, despite won-loss record, for how much they’ve outperformed Carolina this year.
29. Carolina -1 (2-7)- Grimes and Hopkins dominated, but no other player scored 10 points (though Antrell Rolle got close). Who knows what this team will look like with a real-life quarterback next year (possibly Mettenberger), but it’s hard to talk about the future when Carolina is still alive in the South, and has just as good a chance as any of being a playoff team. The sad thing is, 80-point efforts may be all it takes in the league’s most derptastic division. CAR falls one spot.
30. Indianapolis 0 (1-8)- J.R.’s Week 9 added insult to injury, as Geno Smith’s (inactive and benched) handcuff would’ve made the difference in the game. Odell Beckham Jr. had his best career game so far, but otherwise it was another bad week for the league’s third-worst team to-date. The Colts stay at 30.
31. New Orleans 0 (1-8)- Another 0-4 week for the NFC South, the fourth-consecutive such week, and another blowout New Orleans loss means that despite being 1-8, the Saints could still make the playoffs, as all four teams are still alive. At the risk of calling it entertaining, I will instead say that it will be interesting. How interesting? Well, it’s possible that a playoff team will come from a team that in Week 9 had 9 players score 2 points or fewer. You’re welcome.
32. New York Jets 0 (0-9)- The Jets dropped another one this week, receiving three zeros offensively (and only 4.9 total points not coming from their starting QB), three players under 1.2 points on defense and a 0 in the kicking game. The sum total was a 70-point game. Despite going up against a Cincinnati team giving its worst effort on the year, NYJ was unable to take advantage. While the Jets were long ago eliminated from the playoffs, perhaps they can steal a win from within the division over the last three weeks to keep from finishing in dead last for two-straight years.