In today’s first game, Houston will attempt to reach the AFC Championship Game against New England…but they’ll have to beat Ray Lewis, Ray Rice, and the mighty Ravens in their home stadium where the defense typically balls so hard.

Here is all the basic info you need to know, what MSF’s writers have said about the game this week, and a poll so you can take your pick.

Houston Texans at Baltimore Ravens

• Texans-Ravens Date, Time, and TV: Sunday, January 15th at 1:00 ET on CBS
• Texans-Ravens Announcers: Greg Gumbel and Dan Dierdorf
• Texans-Ravens Point Spread: Ravens -9
• Texans-Ravens Over-Under: 35.5

Steve’s Texans-Ravens Prediction

Click to view Steve’s complete Texans-Ravens Preview, posted earlier this morning.

If the Ravens win this game, it will be won by their defense. They have the third ranked defense in the NFL, right behind the Texans who are second. Their main focus will be to limit the production of Arian Foster. They held him to 49 yards on 15 carries last game, but that was with Schaub at quarterback. Now that Yates is back there, the Texans will want to run the ball even more.

Pressuring Yates is the second key for the Ravens’ defense. He is inexperienced, even though he looked very composed last week. The difference is that this game will be in Baltimore, where the Ravens are 8-0 this season. They may have trouble if they have to go on the road next week, if they win, but it is tough to doubt them at home.

• Ravens-Texans Prediction: Ravens 24 | Texans 23

Jerod’s Texans-Ravens Spread Pick

I am tempted to pick the Texans, because they run the ball so well and have a solid defense, but I just can’t do it.

T.J. Yates was fine managing the game against Cincinnati, but facing the Ravens’ defense in Baltimore is a whole different ballgame. The Ravens are rested, and while their defense isn’t what it once was, they can still get after the QB when motivated, at home, in a big game. Just ask San Francisco, which dealt with it on Thanksgiving night.

I think that’s the Ravens’ D we see on Sunday, and it won’t bode well for Yates. Offensively, Joe Flacco and Ray Rice will do enough to make this a relatively smooth victory.

• Texans-Ravens free pick: Ravens -9

Giants-Packers Poll

Who do you think will win?

Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll.

And don’t be shy. Defend your pick below in the comment section.

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The Houston Texans, who are now undefeated in the playoffs as a franchise, are heading into Baltimore to take on the Ravens. They already faced each other this season, in a game which the Ravens won by a score of 29-14. It seems like a lopsided win, but five field goals by Billy Cundiff turned out to be the difference, in an otherwise hard-fought game.

Houston Texans

The T.J. Yates-led Texans won in impressive fashion last week, with a 31-10 win over the Bengals. Yates went 11-20 with 159 yards and a perfect touchdown pass to Andre Johnson in the third quarter.  Arian Foster added 153 yards on the ground for two touchdowns, one of which was a 42-yard run down the sideline to seal the win.

The offense was great, but the defense was even better. They forced three Andy Dalton interceptions, with the most notable being intercepted by J.J. Watt. At the end of the first half, Dalton was trying to get the Bengals in position to get some points before the break. He dropped back to pass, and threw the ball right into the hands of Watt who returned it for 29 yards and a touchdown. This was a turning point in the game, as the touchdown made it 17-10, and the Texans never looked back.

The key for the Texans defense against the Ravens will be to shut down the run early. Ray Rice ran for 101 yards in the first meeting, which exceeds the average amount allowed by the Texans’ 2nd-ranked rush defense by five yards. Shutting it down early will force Joe Flacco to throw the ball, and Houston will have a better chance of forcing mistakes. Flacco had one interception in the first meeting, and if the Texans keep up the pressure they showed last week, he could throw several more.

The Texans will take a healthy offense into Baltimore, with Andre Johnson and Arian Foster being at full strength. They were injured throughout the year, and Johnson missed the first meeting between the teams. Their presence takes a ton of pressure off of Yates, who will be pressured by the Ravens defense all game.

Baltimore Ravens

The Ravens have their first home playoff game with Joe Flacco as quarterback, which will only help his production. He has already won his playoff opener in the past three seasons, and he wants to be recognized as one of the better quarterbacks in the league. Until he reaches the Super Bowl, that will not happen.

If the Ravens win this game, it will be won by their defense. They have the third ranked defense in the NFL, right behind the Texans who are second. Their main focus will be to limit the production of Arian Foster. They held him to 49 yards on 15 carries last game, but that was with Schaub at quarterback. Now that Yates is back there, the Texans will want to run the ball even more.

Pressuring Yates is the second key for the Ravens’ defense. He is inexperienced, even though he looked very composed last week. The difference is that this game will be in Baltimore, where the Ravens are 8-0 this season. They may have trouble if they have to go on the road next week, if they win, but it is tough to doubt them at home.

Ravens-Texans Prediction: Ravens 24 | Texans 23

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Houston Texans at Baltimore Ravens

• Texans-Ravens Date, Time, and TV: Sunday, January 15th at 1:00 ET on CBS
• Texans-Ravens Announcers: Greg Gumbel and Dan Dierdorf
• Texans-Ravens Point Spread: Ravens -9
• Texans-Ravens Over-Under: 35.5

The Divisional Round often produces the most compelling and memorable moments of the NFL Playoffs. Favorites carrying the weight of the world, or underdogs with nothing to lose and not getting enough respect even after being just one of eight teams out of 32 left.

Jerod offered his spread picks for each game earlier in the week. Now here are my predictions for each game.

NEW ORLEANS (14-3) AT SAN FRANCISCO (13-3)

• 4:30 PM ET, SATURDAY

The seemingly unstoppable Saints have become everyone’s trending darlings within the past month, and the favorites of many to win the next two weeks on the road and advance to Super Bowl 46.

Not so fast.

At home, in the Superdome, the Saints are indeed unstoppable. But how many games has New Orleans won in its franchise history. Try zero, thought it’s not like the Saints had not gotten many chances in the playoffs until the past few years.

The Saints will be as far away from their comfort zone as possible on Saturday against a 49ers team that allowed only 87 points at home all season. The city of New Orleans has always been regarded as an eerie and spooky place, but that holds nothing compared to a late afternoon at Candlestick. Wind, a few transformers blowing, the stadium going dark, or maybe the 50+ year old facility seemingly shaking.

Or maybe the Saints just get freaked out by the city of San Francisco itself, which Ari Kaufman refers to as ‘opulent, ostentatious, arrogant, and sheltered.’ What!!?? I like my BART system. My man Ari has become a Howard Cosell for a new generation.

New Orleans had to deal with this last year and saw their season end against a Seattle team they should had been far superior than. Not to mention they somehow lost to both lowly Tampa Bay and St. Louis on the road this year. This time the road task is much tougher; it’s the best defense of the league that has to be solved.

I do dock the Niners for lack of playoff experience (nine years, but seems even longer) and Frank Gore has to have a much better game than he did during the second half of the season. The O-line has to also stop the Saints’ blitz and keep Alex Smith upright, which was a challenge during a meltdown at Baltimore.

But I’m going to go with the home dog here…

PICK EM PAL!!! Saints-49ers Prediction: San Francisco 27 | New Orleans 24

DENVER (9-8) AT NEW ENGLAND (13-3)

• 8:00 PM ET, SATURDAY

The numerologists had a field day after last Sunday. Tim Tebow 316 yards, 31.6 yards per completion, a 31.6 TV rating during the fourth quarter. Big Ben picked on third and 16. It was a great day for those on the Tebow bandwagon.

But one is only as good as his last game, and Tebow right now remains a double-edged sword – and we’ve already seen Broncos v. Pats, and that was at Mile High. And as far as the Patriots are concerned, I love their road to the Super Bowl, especially since they don’t have to worry about the already-imploded New York Jets.

Maybe you have heard the tale of the man who puts $80 dollars on the #8 horse in the eighth race, then sees the horse finish eighth. Denver’s run comes crashing to a halt and the debate on whether Tebow can take it to the next level can rage until training camp in July.

PICK EM PAL!!!  Patriots-Broncos Prediction: New England 31 | Denver 6

HOUSTON (11-6) AT BALTIMORE (12-4)

• 1:00 PM ET, SUNDAY

The Houston Texans are still a team that most NFL followers are NOT familiar with.  Except for a late-season game on the NFL Network in which they lost, Greg Gumbel/Dan Dierdorf is about as good as it gets for this team getting run.

As was mentioned during the telecast of last week’s Wild Card game, the Texans have been built via the draft, especially this past year. J.J. Watt first round, Brooks Reid second round, and taking a QB named T.J. Yates in Round 5, which turned out in come in real handy. Pro Bowler Brian Cushing was a product of the 2009 draft. Even after losing Mario Williams and Matt Schaub during the season and WR Andre Johnson hobbled, the Texans have remained relevant.

Meanwhile I’m not sold on the Ravens, who I consider as the AFC version of the Atlanta Falcons. QB Joe Flacco is good, like Matt Ryan is ‘good’, but can he be OMG great?? And the team as a whole had too many games that had me guessing whether this is really an elite team and a title contender.

True, this is one of the last kicks of the can for Ray Lewis and Ed Reed, but there is always one result in the postseason that no one figures on and shocks everyone, I’m going to peg this game as one of those. As Bum Phillips said in the day, Houston will be ‘knocking on that door’ again after Arian Foster and Ben Tate grounds-and-pounds the Texans to the AFC Championship Game.

PICK EM PAL!! Texans-Ravens Prediction: Houston 23 | Baltimore 17

NY GIANTS (10-7) AT GREEN BAY (15-1)

• 4:30 PM, SUNDAY

We can talk X’s and O’s all day, but sometimes an off-the-field event ends up throwing all analysis off-kilter. Unfortunately that is the case this week, as Packers Offensive Coordinator Joe Philbin is on an extended leave of absence following the tragic and sudden passing of his son. Needless to say, this has been a surreal week in the Packers organization leading up to a playoff game, with the situation rocking the franchise to its core. Even classy Giants HC Tom Coughlin reached out to offer his condolences to the Packers organization.

How this effects the Packers on the field Sunday is anyone’s guess, but no doubt this is a major distraction in a football sense.

Philbin is not expected to be with the team on Sunday, meaning HC Mike McCarthy has to put a contingency plan in place in regards to the offensive game plan. On the field, there are not a lot of players on either side that werearound four years ago when the Giants shocked Green Bay en route to an eventual NFL title.

What the Giants do have, however, is the very same Ahmad Bradshaw/Brandon Jacobs smash-mouth element, plus the receiving weapons that can put the shaky Packers secondary on it’s heels much like they did in the regular season meeting at the Meadowlands.

Yes, there are much more important things than football, but should the Packers lose don’t expect the team to use the events of this week as an excuse. In the end, I do expect Green Bay to pull one out for their grieving coach and get him back in the coaching booth next Sunday.

PICK EM PAL!!!  Packers-Giants Prediction: Green Bay 33, | NY Giants 27 (OT)

Cincinnati Bengals at Houston Texans

• Bengals-Texans Date, Time, and TV: Saturday, January 7th at 4:30 on NBC
• Bengals-Texans Announcers: Tom Hammond, Mike Mayock, and Alex Flanagan
• Bengals-Texans Point Spread: Texans -4 (up from -3 earlier in the week)
• Bengals-Texans Over-Under: 39
• Bengals-Texans Spread Pick: I know that the trendy pick here will be Cincinnati because they have the hot young studs in AJ Green and Andy Dalton while the Texans are a mess at QB and have dealt with injuries all year. I’m still picking the Texans though, mainly because they are at home. Houston fans have been waiting for this moment ever since pro football came back to the city. While I don’t think NFL fans can will a team to victory like fans can in college basketball, if there is any place in the NFL that could do it, it would be partisans in Reliant Stadium on Saturday afternoon. Houston still has an effective ground game, plus Andre Johnson back to keep defenses honest. The return of Wade Phillips will also help the defense, as it did in Week 17. And Cincinnati, as exciting as they are with their young talent, still has a lot of young talent in key positions. Their time will come, I think; it just won’t be this day. Bengals-Texans free pick: Texans -4 (No change in my pick, as Andy Dalton’s bout with the flu this week has me even more worried about how he will play.)
  
• MSF: Bengals-Texans Preview and Prediction

Detroit Lions at New Orleans Saints

• Lions-Saints Date, Time, and TV: Saturday, January 7th at 8:00 on NBC
• Lions-Saints Announcers: Al Michaels, Cris Collinsworth, Michele Tafoya
• Lions-Saints Point Spread: Saints -10.5 (same as earlier in the week)
• Lions-Saints Over-Under: 58.5
• Lions-Saints Spread Pick: TAKE THE OVER!!! That’s my pick. Though, I have to say, now that everyone is commenting on how attractive the over is, I’m starting to think this might be one of those games that defies expectation and becomes lower scoring than we think. … Ah hell, what am I saying, not a chance. Drew Brees and Matthew Stafford are going to be directing a spectacular fireworks show on Saturday, and it will make this the most entertaining game of the weekend. I just don’t think it will be particularly close. Atlanta always plays the Saints tough, yet New Orleans throttled them two weeks ago on MNF. Last week, the Saints throttled a Carolina team that had been playing much better football of late. If Detroit couldn’t be the Packers with Matt Flynn at QB and no Greg Jennings, what makes us think they can compete in New Orleans against Drew Brees and a healthy complement of weapons? Regardless though, congrats to the Lions for making it this far. Even with a loss Saturday, this season is an unequivocal victory for Detroit. Lions-Saints free pick: Saints -10.5

We should have a Saints-Lions preview up later on in the day.

Now let’s break down the playoff scenarios for the AFC based on what happens in Week 17. There is still a lot to be decided.

AFC Playoff Scenarios

Houston Texans

The NFC playoff scenarios started out with an easy one – the Cowboys-Giants winner is the #4 seed, the loser goes home – and the AFC playoff scenarios start out with an even simpler one:

The Houston Texans are the #3 seed in the AFC playoffs, regardless of what happens in Week 17.

While Houston could finished in a three-way 11-5 tie with Baltimore and Pittsburgh, here is a quick explanation for why they could not vault over either for the #2 seed, via HoustonTexans.com:

If the Texans, Ravens and Steelers all finish 11-5, the Steelers would be eliminated from a tiebreaker because the Ravens beat them twice and would be AFC North champions. The Ravens would win a head-to-head tiebreaker with the Texans because they beat them in Week 6.

New England Patriots

The Patriots have clinched the AFC East as well as a first round bye. In Week 17, they have home field advantage on the line.

If the Pats can beat Buffalo at home, they will be the #1 seed in the AFC. If they lose to Buffalo, the Patriots will still nab the #1 seed if Pittsburgh and Baltimore lose.

If New England loses and either or both of Baltimore/Pittsburgh win, they would have identical 12-4 records. New England loses the tie-breaker with both the Steelers and Ravens.

Baltimore Ravens

The Ravens have clinched at least a wild card spot, along with Pittsburgh. With both teams sitting at 11-4, the AFC North (and more) remains up in the air.

If Baltimore beats Cincinnati, the Ravens clinch the AFC North and a first round bye because they beat Pittsburgh twice and thus own the tie-breaker. The Ravens also clinch the AFC North if they lose to Cincy and Pittsburgh loses to Cleveland. However, if Baltimore loses to Cincy and Pittsburgh beats Cleveland, then the Ravens get the wild card.

As mentioned above, the Ravens also can clinch home field advantage throughout the AFC playoffs if they win and New England loses to Buffalo.

Pittsburgh Steelers

If Pittsburgh beats Cleveland and Baltimore loses to Cincinnati, the Steelers are AFC North champions and will host a first round playoff game. Should the Steelers lose, or if they win and Baltimore wins, the Steelers are the wild card.

If the Steelers win and both Baltimore and New England lose, the Steelers become the #1 seed in the AFC playoffs and will have home field advantage throughout as well as a first round bye.

Denver Broncos

The Broncos clinch the AFC West title and the #4 seed by beating Kansas City in Week 17. If the Raiders lose to the Chargers, then the Broncos win the AFC West regardless of if they win or lose against Kansas City.

In the unlikely even that Denver and Kansas City tie, Denver still goes to the playoffs if Oakland loses or ties.

And now let’s run down the many, many, many possibilities for what could happen with the #6 seed in the AFC:

AFC Playoff Scenarios for #6 Seed

Cincinnati Bengals

The Bengals have, theoretically, the best chance at securing the #6 seed because they have a “win and in” scenario (though it does come against Baltimore). If Cincinnati beats Baltimore, or ties, they are in as the #6 seed.

Cincinnati can still make the playoffs with a loss if one of the following scenarios play out:

• The Jets lose or tie and Oakland loses or ties
• The Jets lose or tie and Denver loses or ties

Oakland Raiders

If Oakland wins and Denver wins, Oakland cannot win the AFC West and host a first round playoff game. However, the Raiders could still earn the #6 seed if they win and the following happens:

• Cincinnati loses and Tennessee loses or ties
• Cincinnati loses and the Jets win

New York Jets

Yes, the Jets can still make the playoffs. They need a lot of help to do it though.

First, New York needs to beat Miami in Miami. That will be no easy task. If New York loses, they are out no matter what.

If they win, the Jets will make the playoffs if one of the following two scenarios play out:

• Cincinnati loses, Tennessee loses or ties, and Oakland loses or ties
• Cincinnati loses, Tennessee loses or ties, and Denver loses or ties

Tennessee Titans

The Titans also still have a shot at the playoffs, but a lot has to happen. Of course, they have to beat Houston. If they do, they will make the playoffs if one of the following scenarios play out:

• Cincinnati loses and the Jets win and Oakland loses or ties
• Cincinnati loses and the Jets win and Denver loses or ties
• Cincinnati loses and the Jets lose or tie and Oakland wins and Denver wins

Whew, that’s a lot of help the Titans need…

AFC Playoff Predictions

With so many possibilities, what will actually happen?

Here are my predictions for the pivotal Week 17 games:

• New England beats Buffalo
• Miami beats New York
• Baltimore beats Cincinnati
• Pittsburgh beats Cleveland
• Tennessee beats Houston
• Denver beats Kansas City
• San Diego beats Oakland

This would create the following first playoff matchups:

• Byes: #1 New England (13-3), #2 Baltimore (12-4)
• #3 Houston (10-6) v #6 Cincinnati Bengals (9-7)
• #4 Denver (9-7) v #5 Pittsburgh (12-4)

What do you think will happen? Comment below.

We have been rather effusive in our praise of Tim Tebow on this site over the past month and a half, a fact of which I’m proud – mostly because I think we’ve kept Tebowmania in something resembling proper perspective. For every “TEBOW WON!” article, there has also been an article focusing on the personal attributes that make him so compelling or a generally down-the-center piece focusing on the Tebow phenomenon itself.

In this article, I don’t even really want to talk too much about Tebow (even though I will…that’s just how it goes). Rather, I want to offer up a few plaudits to quarterbacks whose important contributions to the NFL landscape are getting predictably lost in the Tebow Maelstrom.

T.John Skates…this post is for you.

Comparing The Numbers

T.John* Skates is how I will refer to the combination of T.J. Yates and John Skelton, the current signal-callers for the Houston Texas and Arizona Cardinals, respectively. Neither has received 1/1000th the hype or airtime as Tebow, for reasons too numerous to count, but both are playing key roles on teams winning important December games.

Here are the raw numbers over their last 8 games for Tebow and “Skates”:

^ – Skates’ record includes a few games where they didn’t start; 4th Quarter Ws includes games tied at beginning of 4th quarter

Kind of remarkable huh? Who knew, amidst all of the Tebow hype, that T.John Skates was essentially doing the same thing.

Okay, enough with the gimmicky name. The time has come to give Yates and Skelton their proper due. And while the title of this post, and lead-in pictures, are a clear parody of the infamous “What if Michael Vick were white?” article by ESPN, this question seems to me to be far more legitimate.

What if John Skelton and T.J. Yates were Tim Tebow? Well, of course, they’d be getting plenty more pub than they are.

But then again, neither guy is a former Heisman-winning college football hero who polarizes America despite being about as wholesome as wholesome gets. So I’m not saying they deserve the same level of attention that Tebow gets. They don’t. Tebow has “earned” it while these two guys are barely relevant to die-hard fantasy football players, let alone household names.

Still, it seems like they deserve a little taste of the spotlight, especially in light of this past weekend.

T.J. Yates

Yates, who is filling in for the Matts Schaub and Leinart, quarterbacked the winning drive in the 4th quarter of the game that clinched the first playoff spot in Texans’ history.

And he wasn’t just a “game manager” who rode the coattails of Arian Foster and Ben Tate to victory.

Without Andre Johnson, Yates threw for 300 yards against a pretty good Cincinnati defense. His quarterback rating is a serviceable is 82.3, and the Texans are now 3-0 in games in which he has played.

Image credit: Thomas B. Shea/Getty Images via Bleacher Report

Needless to say, the silly whispers for Brett Favre had ended.

John Skelton

Skelton, who was so bad last year that Arizona desperately overpaid unproven Kevin Kolb in the offseason, has stepped in for the oft-injured and oft-ineffective Kolb this year to help engineer the Cardinals’ surprising turnaround from NFC West laughinstock to NFC playoff contender.

Skelton is the anti-Tebow – he has a rocket arm and the mobility of a lamp post, and he turns it over way too much – but there is one thing about him that is decidedly Tebowesque: The Cardinals are 4-1 in games he has thrown a pass in this year.

Sure, Patrick Peterson’s amazing punt return ability has helped the Cardinals to overcome Skelton’s 7 INTs, and sure, Larry Fitzgerald could probably make me look decent as a QB; but if we’re going to give Tebow credit for “just winning” then shouldn’t Skelton get a little bit of the same?

Image credit: Art Foxall via UPI.com

Credit Where Credit Is Due

Let me make one thing clear: this is not a Tebow versus Skelton/Yates article; and I’m not trying to crusade against the media coverage of Tebow. Is the incessant Tebow Mania a bit much? Sure, some of it. But it’s a compelling storyline and a lot of people, even non-sports fans, are captivated by it. Seeing as how the subject of said coverage is a guy as upstanding as Tebow, I say keep bringing it on — so long as we remember to give credit to the entire Broncos team for wins, not just Tebow…as Tebow himself does.

No, this is just a quick article to remind everyone that there are other QBs coming out of nowhere this year to lead teams to seemingly improbable wins and playoff runs. Tebow is getting it done, and getting a lot of deserved credit; T.J. Yates and John Skelton are getting it done too, just without quite as much credit, at least nationally, though they deserve it.

So here’s to you T.J. Yates and John Skelton. You may not be Tim Tebow, cultural icon, but you don’t need to be. Just keep doing your best impression of Tim Tebow, football player: make a few good plays each game (especially late, in crunch time), make sure you don’t make too many bad ones, and put the outstanding players around you in a position to win games.

What if John Skelton and T.J. Yates were Tim Tebow? Shoot, in many ways they pretty much have been.

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* – I guarantee that any Indiana basketball fans who say that first name out loud will immediately smile. If you’re not an IU fan, just trust me.

Aaron Rodgers led a last-minute drive to give the Packers a win over the Giants, extending Green Bay’s winning streak to 18. Drew Brees became the first quarterback in league history to throw for more than 4,000 yards in 12 games. Tim Tebow led the Broncos to their fifth straight win and proved that he is more than just a pair of legs, throwing for 202 yards and 2 touchdowns.

Chris Johnson put to rest any doubt that he had emerged from an early-season, hold0ut-induced funk by rushing for 153 yards and 2 scores. Marshawn Lynch had similar numbers in the Seahawks’ Thursday-night thrashing of the Eagles. And the Patriots’ Rob Gronkowski caught 3 touchdown passes, tying the record for most touchdown receptions in a season by a tight end with 13.

First-year coach Jim Harbaugh and the San Francisco 49ers clinched the NFC West and earned their first Playoff bid in nearly a decade. During the Niners’ shutout of St. Louis running back Frank Gore became the leading rusher in franchise history.

These are the players you’ll see on the highlight shows and read about in the week-in-review columns. These are the players who sell jerseys and star in commercials for insurance companies. But, as is always the case in football, no team is successful apart from the contributions of several players whose exemplary work we often overlook.

Here are but a few of the unsung heroes from Week 13 in the NFL:

Colin McCarthy, Tennessee Titans linebacker

Rookie Colin McCarthy began the season backing up starting middle linebacker Barrett Ruud. When Ruud went down with a groin injury early last month, McCarthy took over one of the most important positions on the field. The fourth-round pick from Miami has been the Titan’s leading tackler in each of the 4 games he started.

Sunday against Buffalo was no different. McCarthy led Tennessee with 9 tackles. He also deflected a pass and recovered 2 fumbles.

Late in the first quarter, trailing by 3, Buffalo decided to go for it on 4th and 3 from the Tennessee 34. McCarthy stuffed Bills quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick at the line of scrimmage, forced a fumble, and recovered the fumble at the Titans’ 43. The play denied the Bills a chance to tie or take the lead and gave the Titans great field position for their subsequent drive, a drive that resulted in a Chris Johnson touchdown.

With the win McCarthy and the Titans improved to 7-5 and remain in the mix for an AFC Playoff spot.

Mario Haggan, Denver Broncos linebacker

Going into Sunday’s game against Minnesota, the ever-improving Broncos defense had held each of its last 3 opponents to 13 or fewer points. This week, with hot-shot rookie Von Miller sidelined with a thumb injury, the Denver D struggled, allowing 489 yards and 30 points. (The defense wasn’t responsible for the safety the Broncos surrendered on their opening drive.)

Despite Denver’s defensive woes, the defense was responsible for the Broncos’ only first-half touchdown. In the first quarter, with Denver struggling to move the ball, linebacker Mario Haggan, starting in place of the injured Miller, intercepted Vikings quarterback Christian Ponder and ran 16 yards into the end zone. The score gave the Broncos an early lead and kept them within a touchdown going into the second half.

Haggan, normally a special teams player, finished the game with 12 tackles, including 3 for a loss. His Broncos (who hold the tiebreaker against the Raiders) took over first place in the AFC West.

Mario Haggan couldn't be happier to be an Unsung Hero. (Denver Post file photo)

Lagedu Naanee, Carolina Panthers wide receiver

Boise State fans can’t be happy that the Sugar Bowl passed over their Broncos in favor of 2 teams ranked outside the top 10. But they can take solace in knowing that one of their own is one of this week’s Unsung Heroes.

Legedu Naanee, a fifth year receiver out of Boise State, caught only two balls in Sunday’s win over Tampa Bay. One of those catches was the only touchdown that the Panthers scored through the air.

But Legadu Naanee—that’s LEG-uh-doo nah-NAY—did more than just catch the ball. Late in the first quarter, Naanee completed a pass to his quarterback, Cam Newton, that was good for 27 yards. The play put the Panthers on the Tampa Bay 2-yard line and set up an easy touchdown that would give Carolina a 14-0 lead.

Tavaris Jackson, Seattle Seahawks quarterback

When the Saints acquired Drew Brees in 2006, they hit a home run. When the Seahawks acquired sixth-year quarterback Travaris Jackson this summer, they appeared to have hit a grounder to second. Or an infield fly. Or maybe a foul ball. (I’m not sure where this analogy is taking me.) For his career, Jackson has thrown 34 touchdowns and 34 interceptions and has a passer rating of 76.4. He certainly wasn’t an improvement over outgoing free agent Matt Hasselbeck; and he certainly wasn’t the sort of player one would expect to take a reigning division champion (albeit a 7-9 division champion) to the next level.

So far this year, he has 10 TDs, 12 INTs, and a 76.1 rating. If nothing else, he’s consistent.

But during Seattle’s Thursday night route of Philadelphia, Jackson was superb. He was 13-16 for 190 yards, an average of 11.9 yards-per-attempt. More importantly, Jackson completed a big third-down pass on each of the Seahawks’ first two scoring drives. Early in the first, on third-and-5, Jackson hit Benjamin Obumanu up the middle for 26 yards. That pass set up a Marshawn Lynch touchdown on the following play.

A few minutes later, on third-and-7 at the Seattle 39, Jackson hit Doug Baldwin for 21 yards. On the next play, Lynch once again took the ball into the end zone.

Dan Orlovsky, Indianapolis Colts quarterback

This is my third Unsung Heroes column of the 2011 season. Up to this point, all of the heroes I’ve highlighted have been affiliated with winning teams. But I’m going to make an exception for Colts quarterback Dan Orlovsky. Orlovsky took over the starting job from Curtis Painter this week and made his first start since 2008 when he started 7 games for the Lions.

The Colts have been dreadful this year. They are 0-12 and have been outscored by a total of 184 points. They lost 17-3 at home to Jacksonville in Week 10. They’re ranked 19th in passing defense and 26th or lower in everything else.

You get the picture.

Going into Sunday’s game at New England, Indianapolis was a 3-touchdown underdog. But the Colts, thanks in large part to Orlovsky, managed to make things interesting.

After an Adam Vinatieri field goal tied the game at 3 early in the second quarter, the Patriots went on a run, scoring the next 28 points. Entering the fourth quarter, the Pats led 31-3. Orlovsky, a seventh-year journeyman from UConn who has fewer passing yards in his career than Travaris Jackson has this season, came alive in the final period, throwing for 240 of his 353 yards and 2 touchdowns. In all Indianapolis scored three fourth quarter touchdowns, trimming the lead to 31-24. (The Colts failed to recover an onside kick that would have given them 36 seconds to attempt a game-tying drive.)

Sure, lots of quarterbacks can pick apart a prevent defense, but the Colts haven’t come within 7 points of an opponent in nearly 2 months. (They lost 28-24 at home to Kansas City on October 9.) The fact that they were a few fluky plays away from beating one of the AFC’s best teams on the road is remarkable. And Orlovsky deserves a lot of credit.

Colts fans, this is your quarterback. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)

Kansas City Chiefs linebackers

It was a good week for linebackers. Chiefs linebackers Derrick Johnson, Justin Houston, and Jovan Belcher were part of a defensive unit that held Chicago to only 3 points, the Bears’ lowest output of the season. (You don’t really appreciate Jay Cutler until he’s not there.)

The trio combined for 22 tackles (including 6 for a loss), 4 sacks, and a forced fumble. The Bears went 3-and-out 5 times. Each of those fruitless drives featured a big play by a Chiefs linebacker.

Houston Texans secondary

When Houston Texans quarterback Matt Schaub suffered a season-ending foot fracture three weeks ago, the Texans hopes of making their first playoff appearance in franchise history appeared to be in danger. But the Texans are 2-0 without Schaub and are in excellent shape to clinch a division title and a Playoff bid later this month.

Rookie quarterback T.J. Yates, starting in Schaub’s absence, has posted modest numbers but avoided turnovers. Arian Foster and Ben Tate continue to be one of the league’s best running back tandems. And the Houston defense is arguably the NFL’s best.

Sunday the Texans held Atlanta to 10 points. The Houston secondary made things specially difficult for quarterback Matt Ryan and the Falcons offense. Ryan completed only 20 of 46 passes (that’s 43.5 percent).

Texans corners Jason Allen and Kareem Jackson each intercepted Ryan in the first quarter. Safety Glover Quin deflected 2 passes and led Houston with 6 tackles, including one for a loss. Safeties Quintin Demps and Troy Nolan added 4 tackles apiece.

Baltimore Ravens offensive line

No one outside of the Browns organization was surprised to see Baltimore beat Cleveland by 2 touchdowns. But the Ravens offensive line—tackles Bryant McKinnie and Michael Oher, guards Ben Grubbs and Marshal Yanda, and center Matt Birk—nonetheless deserves praise for its remarkable performance.

The Ravens on Sunday ran for 290 yards behind this talented quintet. Ray Rice went for 204; Ricky Williams added 76. Quarterback Joe Flacco struggled, but protection wasn’t a problem: He was only hit twice and sacked once. Only 3 of the Ravens’ 78 plays resulted in negative yards.

Green Bay Packers fans and owners

Once upon a time the NFL had teams in Dayton, Ohio, Evansville, Indiana, and Duluth Minnesota. As the game grew, the NFL franchises in these mid-sized Rust Belt cities folded or moved to one of the nation’s emerging population centers. But one managed to stick around.

Green Bay, Wisconsin, a city whose metropolitan area is less than half the size of Wichita’s, has managed to keep its football team for 92 years. In that time the Packers have become one of the most storied teams, with one of the most passionate fan bases, in all of sports. The team’s unique ownership situation is the main (and perhaps only) reason the Pack has stayed in Green Bay all these years. Unlike most pro sports franchises, which have a single owner or ownership group, the Packers are a publicly owned nonprofit corporation. 112,158 stockholders own 4,750,937 shares of Green Bay Packers stock.

This week the team announced the sale of 250,000 shares of Packers stock at $250 each. The sale, which is only the franchise’s second stock sale since 1950, begins tomorrow and continues until February 29 of next year. The sale will finance renovations to Lambeau Field.

While stock owners get voting rights in the company, Packers stocks cannot appreciate in value and never pay dividends. Still Packers fans always seem to come through, doing whatever is necessary to make sure the team from the little city on Lake Michigan is among the league’s best.

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Anyway, here’s what we learned this weekend:

1. November keeps getting worse.

Last week I wrote that “We will remember November 2011 as one of the worst months in sports history.” Within hours of that post going live, I learned that two runners—21-year-old Jeffrey Lee and 40-year-old G. Chris Gleason—died during last Sunday’s Philadelphia Marathon. Later that morning news broke that Seattle Mariners and Tacoma Rainiers outfielder Greg Halman had been fatally stabbed in the Netherlands.

Things didn’t get any better this weekend.

Last Saturday Florida A&M drum major Robert Champion died following the Rattlers’ game against Bethune-Cookman. Shortly thereafter rumors circulated tying Champion’s death to hazing. On Wednesday Florida A&M president James Ammons fired band director Julian White, citing “alleged misconduct and/or incompetence involving confirmed reports and allegations of hazing.”

Yesterday morning ESPN’s Outside the Lines played an audiotape of a 2002 conversation between Laura Fine, wife of Syracuse assistant head basketball coach Bernie Fine, and Bobby Davis, who has accused Coach Fine of sexually assaulting him when he was a minor. According to the recording, Mrs. Fine was aware that her husband was having sexual relations with underage boys.

A third person also came forward this weekend to accuse Fine of sexual assault. While the third accuser is not related to either of the first two (who are step-brothers), he himself faces sexual assault charges.

Following these new allegations, Syracuse chancellor Nancy Cantor fired Coach Fine (who already had been put on administrative leave). Head coach Jim Beheim said that he supported the school’s decision and that he had “never witnessed any of the activities that have been alleged.” He also backed off remarks he made last week calling Davis a “liar” and suggesting that Fine’s accusers were “using ESPN to get money.”

2. David Stern, Billy Hunter, Derek Fisher, and Adam Silver are giving me the only thing I want for Christmas . . . I think.

Friday, NBA owners and players reached an agreement to end the 149-day lockout and open the 2011-12 season on Christmas. Players will get 50 percent of revenues, give or take 1 percent (depending on whether revenues meet, exceed, or fall short of expectations). The league softened its proposed luxury tax rule (which players had deemed unacceptable) and reinstated sign-and-trade and extend-and-trade provisions.

I really don’t care about the details. I’m just glad the NBA will be back. And while I’ve already missed watching Ernie, Kenny, and Charles on Tuesday nights, I can survive a few more weeks without the NBA as long as I know there will be pro basketball on Christmas.

The proposed 66-game season is certainly an improvement over the 50-games we got during the lockout-shortened 1998-99 season. It may even be an improvement over the standard 82-game season (though I would never suggest that the NBA permanently adopt a 66-game schedule).

Free agency will begin on December 9, 16 days before the season starts. Suddenly this year’s otherwise lackluster class of free agents got much more interesting.

Then again, the agreement between players and owners is still “tentative.” Simple majorities of players and owners must ratify the agreement. For this to happen, players will have to drop the antitrust suits they filed against the league and reform the union. Then the sides will have to reach agreements on minor issues such as drug testing, age minimums, and rookie salaries. All of these things will almost certainly happen.

But my Christmas dreams won’t be fully realized until all the papers are signed.

"Billy?" "Yeah, Dave?" "Let's end this thing. Let's do it for Josh." "You're right. We should end this for Josh."

3. 2011 Tim Tebow = x * (2006 Vince Young)

I’m not yet sure what x equals.

In October 2006 rookie Vince Young took over as the Tennessee Titans’ starting quarterback. His play was erratic. His stats were mediocre-to-bad. He had an unconventional throwing motion and often had to rely on his feet. The Titans had to change their offense to cater to Young’s strengths and cover his weaknesses.

But when Young took over as quarterback, the Titans started winning games. He led a team that began the season 0-5 to within a game of the Playoffs. And while 2006 Vince Young was anathema to fantasy owners, he led several game-winning drives in the 4th quarter and overtime.

He did the same thing in 2009. And again last Sunday against the Giants.

Each week, when I put together this list of things we learned over the weekend, I consider including a “2011 Tim Tebow = 2006 Vince Young” item. But I decided Sunday that my equation was not accurate. 2011 Tim Tebow doesn’t equal 2006 Vince Young; he is a caricature of 2006 Vince Young. He is 2006 Vince Young multiplied by a factor I have yet to identify.

2006 Vince Young sometimes made up for poor play with late-game heroics. 2011 Tim Tebow does that every single week.

2006 Vince Young attempted fewer passes than his peers and struggled with accuracy. 2011 Tim Tebow has attempted fewer passes than anyone who has started 6 or more games and has completed only 45.5 percent of them.

2006 Vince Young set a record for rookie quarterbacks by rushing for 552 yards. 2011 Tebow has already run for 455 in 9 games (including 2 early games in which he saw limited action).

2006 Vince Young took a once hopeless team to the brink of the Playoffs. Considering Denver’s remaining opponents (home games against Caleb Hanie’s Bears and Tyler Palko’s Chiefs and road games against the Vikings and Bills to offset a probable Week 15 loss to New England), I expect 2011 Tebow’s once hopeless Broncos to host a Playoff game.

The bad news for Tim Tebow: 2007 Vince Young wasn’t nearly as effective as 2006 Vince Young. Opposing coaches figured him out.

The good news for Tim Tebow: If Young had even half of Tebow’s attitude, he’d still be starting for the Titans. (I’m not sure that it’s possible to have half an attitude, but you know what I mean.)

4. The Texans will make the Playoffs, with or without a quarterback.

The Houston Texans are the only NFL team never to make the Playoffs. The Texans have finished over .500 only once in 9 seasons. (That was 2009. They were 9-7 and in a 4-way tie for the 2 AFC Wild Card spots. The tiebreakers favored the Jets and Ravens.)

At the moment the Texans are 8-3, 2 games ahead of Tennessee. The Texans also have a perfect record against the AFC South, including a 41-7 win over the Titans in Nashville, giving them the advantage should they need a tiebreaker. The problem is that Houston doesn’t have a quarterback. Starter Matt Schaub is out for the season with a fractured foot. Backup Matt Leinart fractured his collarbone during the first half of Sunday’s game against the Jaguars. Leinart will likely have surgery this week and is out indefinitely.

Third-stringer T.J. Yates, a rookie from North Carolina drafted in the 5th round who doesn’t even have a picture to accompany his ESPN.com player card, stepped in and played well enough not to give away the game. (Yates led only a single scoring drive; it resulted in a field goal late in the second quarter.) Yates will start again on Sunday, and the Texans plan to sign another quarterback this week. (Jeff Garcia, Brodie Croyle, Trent Edwards, and Jake Delhomme all have been mentioned as possibilities. I’m not sure any of these players is a significant upgrade over Yates, who at least has the advantages of being in shape and knowing the Texans’ offense.)

Who knows…Houston could end up playing a wide receiver at quarterback before the season is over. It worked for Kentucky.

But the Texans still have Adrian Foster, Ben Tate, and a top-5 defense. And they have that aforementioned 2-game lead over the Titans. The Titans could conceivably go 4-1 down the stretch. (They have games against a reeling Bills team, Jacksonville, Indianapolis, and quarterback-less Houston.) Even so, Houston would need only 2 wins to keep pace. They can get those at home against the Panthers in Week 15 and on the road against the Colts in Week 16.

5. The Packers will finish the regular season undefeated, unless they choose not to.

The Discount Double Check guy won't be disappointed any time soon.

I don’t care that the Packers are ranked 31st in pass defense and 25th in rushing. They’re going undefeated, unless Mike McCarthy decides to rest players after the Packers clinch home field throughout the Playoffs. Green Bay has games remaining against the Giants (away), Raiders (home), Chiefs (away), Bears (home), and Lions (home). None of those teams is bad, but none of them is going to beat the Packers.

The Lions on Thursday had the best chance of anyone to put a blemish on the Packers’ record. They were a division rival playing at home in a game with Playoff implications. But after halftime that game was never really in doubt.

The Giants, and their 3-game losing streak, will be playing on short rest when they host Green Bay next week. Caleb Hanie’s Bears aren’t going into Lambeau and upsetting the Packers. And I don’t expect either of the AFC West teams to put up much of a fight. Maybe the Lions, perhaps needing a win to secure a Wild Card spot, will surprise the Pack in a Week 17 revenge game. But don’t count on it.

6. Conference championship games might not be a good idea.

Thanks to Utah’s inexplicable home loss to Colorado and USC’s postseason ineligibility, 6-6 UCLA will be playing in the inaugural Pac-12 Championship Game. If the Bruins win, they will go to the Rose Bowl. If they lose, they will be ineligible for any bowl. Pac-12 teams play 9 conference games: 5 against teams in their division, 4 against teams in the other division. After a 9-game season, Oregon and Stanford are both 8-1. Yet 5-4 UCLA is one fluke win away from being the conference’s representative in one of college football’s premier bowl games.

Meanwhile in the SEC, even if Georgia were to beat #1 LSU in the conference championship game, LSU could remain #1 in the BCS. At worst the Tigers (because of their strength of schedule and a lack of undefeated teams from leagues stronger than Conference USA) would be #2. Depending on how Oklahoma State fares against Oklahoma, #2 Alabama could remain at #2, behind LSU, or rise to #1. We could end up with a situation where Georgia wins the SEC but LSU and Alabama play for a BCS National Championship. And Alabama could actually benefit from not having to play this weekend. The Tide doesn’t have to worry about picking up a second loss, losing key players to injury, etc.

At 7-1 Michigan State is a game better than any other team in the Big Ten, including Wisconsin, whom the Spartans beat on October 22. Yet, Michigan State has to face the Badgers a second time for the Big Ten title. The winner goes to the Rose Bowl. The loser could be passed over for a BCS Bowl spot in favor of Michigan, who didn’t qualify for the Big Ten Championship Game. (More on that later.)

Conference championship games aren’t going away. They make too much money for conferences and member schools. But they don’t make a lot of sense.

7. Michigan Wolverines fans shouldn’t plan on going to a BCS bowl game.

During Saturday’s broadcast of the Michigan-Ohio State game, broadcasters Dave Pasch and Chris Spielman (and not Urban Meyer) intimated that a BCS bowl bid was on the line for Michigan. Conventional wisdom says that, if the Wolverines—with their tradition and ginormous fan base that travels well—are eligible, a BCS bowl will take them as one of 4 at-large teams.

The question is: Will Michigan be eligible?

Ten teams play in BCS bowl games. Six are the winners of the automatic-qualifying conferences. One of the 4 remaining at-large spots will go to #4 Stanford. A team from a BCS conference that doesn’t win its conference but is ranked 3rd or 4th is guaranteed a BCS bid (provided that its conference hasn’t already earned 2 automatic bids). If Houston wins the Conference USA title next week, the Cougars will clinch another of the 4 spots. A third of the 4 slots will go to either LSU or Alabama, depending on whether LSU wins the SEC Championship game. If Georgia wins but LSU and Alabama remain as the #1 and #2 teams, the SEC will get 3 bids, including 2 at-large bids, and there will be no spots left for Michigan.

Michigan also has to finish in the top 14 of the BCS Standings to be eligible. Right now they’re #16. The Wolverines will probably jump the loser of the Big Ten title game; and they’ll probably jump Georgia if the Bulldogs lose to LSU. Otherwise, they’ll have to hope that Oklahoma State beats Oklahoma by a wide margin or that Kansas State loses to Iowa State.

Even then Michigan likely won’t rise above #14 in the BCS Standings. And who knows? Maybe the people at the Sugar Bowl will say, “How could we take #14 Michigan before #7 Boise State? That wouldn’t be fair!” (I’m just kidding. They’d never say that.)

8. Vanderbilt is bowl eligible.

For only the 2nd time since 1982 and only the 5th time ever, the Vanderbilt Commodores are going bowling. Sure, it helps that more than 63 percent of Division I-FBS teams get bowl invites, but after consecutive 2-10 seasons in Nashville, going 6-6 and nabbing a bowl bid is a big deal for Vandy and first-year coach James Franklin.

The Commodores reached the magical number 6 despite plenty of same-old-Vandy moments along the way. On their way into the end zone to clinch an upset of then #10 Arkansas on October 19, Vanderbilt fumbled the ball on the Arkansas 4-yard line; the Razorbacks returned the fumble 96 yards for a touchdown. Against Tennessee, Vandy quarterback Jordan Rodgers (Aaron’s little brother) threw an interception on the game’s final drive and another one in the first overtime. The first interception denied the Commodores a chance to attempt a game-winning field goal. Tennessee returned the second for a game-winning touchdown.

Vanderbilt came within a play of winning 4 of the 6 games they lost. And the future is bright for the Commodores. Next year they welcome the highest-rated recruiting class in school history, and 5-star quarterback prospect (and Indiana de-commit) Gunner Kiel reportedly made an unofficial visit last weekend and has an official visit scheduled this weekend.

9. Indiana is back.

Here I switch from football to basketball.

The Indiana football team, which failed to win a single game against an FBS opponent and could lose Gunner Kiel to Vanderbilt, is anything but back.

The Indiana basketball Hoosiers, however, got their biggest win of the young season Sunday, beating Butler 75-59 at Assembly Hall. (I could argue that Indiana’s victory against Evansville was a bigger deal, since it was on the road and since Evansville beat Butler. But Evansville hasn’t played in consecutive Final Fours.)

Indiana is 6-0 going into Wednesday’s game against NC State. And while the NCAA Selection Committee won’t care about IU’s wins over Chattanooga or Gardner-Webb, the Hoosiers have been impressive thus far in games against inferior competition. Indiana has won its 6 games by an average of 24 points; freshman Cody Zeller has exceeded lofty expectations, leading the Hoosiers in points and rebounds and shooting .725 from the field; and while depth could be a problem for Indiana, sophomore Will Sheehey is contributing 13 points per game off the bench.

If you want real Indiana Basketball analysis, check out Jerod and Andy’s IU Postgame Show, The Assembly Call.

And in case you missed it on Sunday:

10. So is Rick Majerus.

During the 1980s and 1990s, Rick Majerus, who learned under Al McGuire at Marquette, was one of the great coaches in college basketball. His 1988-89 Ball State Cardinals went 29-3 and nearly upset eventual champion UNLV in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Nine years later, he led Utah to the NCAA Championship Game. The Utes surrendered a double-digit lead and lost to Kentucky 78-69.

In 2004 Majerus retired due to health concerns. He returned to college basketball in 2007 as the coach of the St. Louis Billikens, but he has yet to earn an NCAA Tournament bid at SLU. His 2009 team went to the CBI final, but last year’s squad went 12-19.

Last night the Billikens beat Oklahoma 83-63 to win the 76 Classic. St. Louis is 6-0 with four double-digit wins against teams from major conferences (Oklahoma, Villanova, Boston College, and Washington). The Atlantic 10 is as good as it has ever been, but don’t be surprised to see St. Louis next to a single-digit number on your NCAA Tournament bracket.

Rick Majerus, with a Billiken (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

11. Expect a Horizon League team to make a deep run in March.

I’m not one to doubt Brad Stevens, but from what I’ve seen so far from Butler I can’t see the Bulldogs making a third consecutive run to the Final Four. But I expect another Horizon League team to be alive deep into the NCAA Tournament.

I’m talking, of course, about the Green Bay Lady Phoenix.

Following wins this weekend over Illinois and #25 Georgia Tech, the Phoenix are 5-0, #23 in the AP Poll, and #18 in the coaches’ poll. Seniors Julie Wojta (the team’s leading scorer) and Hannah Quilling (the team leader in assists) have advanced to the NCAA Tournament in each of their three seasons in Green Bay. As freshmen, they lost in the first round. As sophomores, they lost in the second round. Last year, they made it to the Sweet 16.

So when you print out your Women’s NCAA Tournament bracket in a few months, pencil in the Green Bay Phoenix for the Elite Eight.

Keep an eye on Francis Creek, Wisconsin's own Julie Wojta and the Green Bay Phoenix. (Photo from GreenBayPhoenix.com)

12. You need to see The Muppets if you haven’t already.

The Muppets didn’t quite live up to my expectations, but my expectations were impossibly high. It is a great movie, true to the spirit of the Muppets, and there are gags, musical numbers, and celebrity cameos for moviegoers of every demographic. Jason Segel and Amy Adams give great performances, as do Fozzie, Beaker, and Rowlf.

Most importantly, my kids haven’t stopped talking about it.

See it if you haven’t already.

Even though some fantasy owners don’t like their guys playing so early, it could actually work in your favor if you are down a pretty big margin after the Thursday games have ended and taking a big risk is necessary.

No byes again this week, so getting a lucky matchup with your opposition missing Aaron Rodgers and Matt Forte are over.

Please, enjoy your holiday and this week’s Stock Report.  (And find a replacement for Fred Jackson fast.)

Fantasy Football Thanksgiving Week Stocks Up

Michael Vick

If he plays, expect big numbers.  This should be a good game all around and both Brady and Vick seem to do well under the bright lights.  His running numbers may dip a little bit so he doesn’t risk taking a big hit to his ribs but the overall production should be good.

Josh Freeman

Like I tell my friends all the time.  “No risk, no reward.”  Sounds pretty simple but for this week’s matchup against the Titans, there is no other appropriate term.  There are three types of people in this world: pessimists, optimists and realists.  I like to keep it real at all times but if you are on the fence this week, optimism should reign supreme.

Chris Ogbonnaya

The matchup doesn’t scream anything extremely positive, but the Browns do force feed their running backs the ball week to week.  For an offense that lacks playmakers, for the last couple of weeks he has been the only model of concistency.

Ryan Grant

For a player who has yet to score 10 points this season it is hard to give him a good stock report, but the circumstances are stacked in his favor this week.  If you want a bold prediction, it would be that the Lions beat the undefeated Packers on Thanksgiving; but for fantasy purposes, Ryan Grant will come out on top.

Brandon Lloyd

This year has been up and down for Lloyd. He made the move to St. Louis from Denver, and his rapport with Sam Bradford has been getting noticeably better. If anyone has dropped him to the bench, it may be time to get Lloyd back to his deserved starting spot.

Denarrius Moore

Not many Raiders are healthy, but they keep finding ways to win.  Moore is questionable, but outside of Michael Bush he looks like one of the team’s biggest playmakers.  The Bears defense is formidable, but sometimes they struggle against the pass.  If Carson Palmer can use his veteran savvy to navigate through the cover 2, Moore will have a nice game.

Owen Daniels

Time and time again it has been said that a backup quarterback’s best friend is a good running game and a pass catching tight end.  Daniels is going to have to step up this week to help Matt Leinart play well.  He has the ability to score points, so keep an eye on Daniels.

Houston Texans D/ST

For all the talk about how bad the Texans defense has been the past few years, this year they have been racking up the points on the fantasy boards.  Enter Blaine Gabbert; now put an end to any doubts you have had about this defense before.

Fantasy Football Thanksgiving Week Stocks Down

Ben Roethlisberger

The Kansas City defense got to Tom Brady early and often on Monday night.  When you think about it, the Steelers offensive line isn’t much better than that of New England’s, which could force Pittsburgh to run the ball.  Mike Wallace will still get his, but all around Big Ben probably will not be having a big day.

Andy Dalton

Seriously, I shouldn’t have even included Dalton on the Stock Report because you should already know a few obvious things.  No A.J. Green to go against the best passing defense in the NFL doesn’t scream start me.  So sit him.

Frank Gore

The Ravens, especially the defense, are tired of hearing about how good the 49ers are and how they are the only team who can stand up against the Packers in the NFC.  First thing that is going to happen is the elimination of the run game, so get Frank Gore to the bench.

Darren Sproles

The Giants do a decent job of taking away the opposing offense’s main threat.  New Orleans has the offense to hang with just about anyone, but this New York defense can and has shut down some of the best teams at times.  If they want to win, Darren Sproles will be blanketed on offense and on special teams.

Dwayne Bowe

Once a top 5 fantasy wide receiver, Bowe now finds himself in the mid 20’s.  Don’t be surprised if that number continues to fall with Tyler Palko as the man under center.  Then again who knows, the AFC west is unpredictable and Palko could turn into Tom Brady (or Kyle Orton!), which would push Bowe back up the charts. But for this week, the stock is down.

Steve Johnson

As Ryan Fitzpatrick has continued to fall off with each progressing week, it is obvious as to why his number one wide receiver has been struggling as well.  The Bills now sit at 5-5 and Johnson has a date on Revis Island.  He isn’t incapable of holding his own against the Jets, but the odds do not favor the matchup.

Jake Ballard

We all saw that drop he had on Sunday night, and while that shouldn’t make Eli Manning completely forget about his tight end, it sure did diminish his targets.  Owners can get “gassed up” from time to time when an unknown player has a big night, as Ballard did against the Patriots, but you should stay down to earth with your projections for the Giants tight end.

Denver D/ST

Who cares that Phillip Rivers has been handing out turnovers like candy this year?  If he can throw for 300+ yards, that number won’t mean much.  There is a reason the Chargers have a top 10 offense, and even though the – nice phrase here -  “mess ups” happen, this team can score.

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If you’re looking for more Thanksgiving Week fantasy analysis, we’ve got your start/sit analysis right here and here.

John Fox is a coach who looks for a more traditional style quarterback, and that leads me to believe that he did not have much to do with the waiving of Orton. Orton is a quarterback that I feel is better than most quarterbacks starting in the NFL as of today, and many teams could use him as an upgrade from what they currently have.

Here are some of the teams that may have an interest in claiming him.

Ron Chenoy/US Presswire via SI.com

5. Miami Dolphins

Now isn’t this just the Dolphins luck. The guy that they so eagerly tried to get during the offseason, offering the Broncos draft pick after draft pick, is sitting on waivers for them to take.

The Dolphins have played considerably well the past few weeks, winning three games in a row with Matt Moore under center. I don’t think that Miami feels as if Moore is the QB of the future, but they might as well ride out his hot streak. Also, with them being at the bottom of the league in wins, look for them to try and take a franchise QB through the draft.

Final verdict: Unless the Dolphins feel as if they can contend next year with Orton as their QB, don’t look for them to break the bank to try and acquire Orton.

4. Kansas City Chiefs

The Kansas City Chiefs have been bitten by the injury bug pretty bad this season. They lost huge contributors such as Jamaal Charles, Tony Moeki, Eric Berry, and now QB Matt Cassel.

Most fans say that Orton would be an improvement over Tyler Palko but the Chiefs have other holes to fill as well. The Chiefs also have rookie QB Ricki Stanzi waiting in the wings for his first NFL start, and now would be a perfect time to use him.

Granted, the Chiefs are only two games out of 1st place, but they also have huge pieces coming back next year that could help propel them to contention in 2012 barring any major injuries.

Final verdict: Kansas City signing Orton is a possibility, but there are teams out there that are more desperate for a QB than the Chiefs.

3. Washington Redskins

Rex Grossman and John Beck have both played decently in their respective games at QB thus far. They both have very similar numbers, but Grossman has outplayed Beck even though Mike Shanahan benched Grossman against the Eagles.

Still, the Redskins need a solid #1 QB. They also have many holes on both sides of the ball, and taking Orton probably won’t give the Redskins a good shot at the playoffs this year. The NFC East is still a close race, but unless the Giants collapse at the end of the year (which has happened in the past) the Redskins won’t be making any noise. The Redskins could also eschew Orton draft a quarterback such as Robert Griffin III or Matt Barkley, but that all depends on where they end up at the end of the season and if those guys go pro.

Final verdict: The Redksins need a solid starting QB and I wouldn’t be surprised if they were in the running to claim Kyle Orton off of waivers…whether they should or not.

2. Houston Texans

The Houston Texans have never made the playoffs since they came into the league, and this season will most likely break that trend. They have a playoff spot almost wrapped up because they’re in a weak division, and with Peyton Manning out this ahould be the year they make it to the playoffs.

Matt Schaub is done for the year, but the Texans still have a great running game and a solid defense that keep them in the conversation of being a deep playoff team.

Final verdict: The Texans are starting Matt Leinart this week, and depending on how that plays out, I think they will make a serious effort to claim Orton.

1. Chicago Bears

The Chicago Bears are the best team for Kyle Orton in my opinion.

Orton has played for the Bears before and he would fit right in. The Bears have a solid defense and a solid running game, but with Jay Cutler going down until at least the end of the regular season, Orton could lead this team to a Wild Card spot in the playoffs.

This is just my thought, but Denver might want the Bears to take Orton because 3 of the Bears final 6 game are against AFC West opponents.

Final verdict: All in all, this move makes the most sense in my opinion and I wouldn’t be shocked if this is his landing spot.

Matt Schaub is out, possibly for the entire season, after injuring the Lisfranc joint in his right foot. If it requires surgery, he will definitely miss the rest of the season.

His backup, Matt Leinart, is now taking over the reigns of a team who is among the best in the AFC. They have the most complete team in their franchise’s history, and cannot afford to waste their great start.

Leinart has not seen much success in the NFL since his arrival in 2006. He was a Heisman Trophy and National Champion at USC, but he has not seen his success in college translate to success in the NFL.

He has only been his team’s main starter for one season, and it was in his rookie year in Arizona. He started 11 games and went 4-7 with 11 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. He took over for Kurt Warner that season, but would ultimately lose his job to Warner once Dennis Green was fired and Ken Whisenhunt took over in 2007.

Leinart was on the bench to watch Warner lead the Cardinals to the Super Bowl in 2008 and left Arizona following the 2010 preseason, after the team released him.

Heading into Houston, Leinart was expected to be nothing more than be Matt Schaub’s backup, but he has a far more important role now. He must lead the Texans into the playoffs and avoid a collapse that would see the Texans blow their two game lead in the division.

He will have much more help than he did in Arizona, which will take the pressure off of him immensely. On offense, he has weapons in Arian Foster and Ben Tate, who can easily rush for 100 yards a game a piece. Leinart also will have Andre Johnson to throw to, as he is expected to return for the team’s next game in Jacksonville (follwing a bye week this Sunday).

On defense, the Texans have the second ranked pass defense along with the fifth ranked rush defense. They can also hold teams to few points, as the most points they have allowed in the last four games is 14.

The remaining schedule also favors Leinart and his chances of taking the Texans to the playoffs. After their bye this Sunday, they play Jacksonville, Atlanta, Cincinnati, Carolina, Indianapolis, and Tennessee. All of these games seem winnable, and the Texans have already beaten each team in their division this season, so there is no reason why they can’t beat them again, even with Leinart at the helm.

This stretch of games, and possibly the playoffs, will define Leinart’s career. If he comes out and plays awfully, and costs the Texans a playoff berth, he will have a very tough time finding a job in the future. If he plays good enough to get the team to the playoffs, he can possibly end up as another Matt Schaub or Matt Cassel, a player who was a backup and was then signed as a starter by another team.

Leinart will have an extra week to prepare for his new role and get accustomed to being the starter. It will be the defining moment of his career, and hopefully, for him and Texans fans alike, it will be a positive moment.

In my opinion though, the hardest thing is staying in the present.

What do I mean?

Well, not only do you have to keep track of all of your players -  every rookie, waiver wire guy, and breakout performer on both your regular teams and weekly fantasy football teams – but you also have to be able to forget about the past and the future.

Who cares if Fred Jackson was bad last week…how will he do THIS week?

I know LeGarrette Blount’s prognosis for the rest of the year looks bleak…but can he give me one more week of solid production?

Most importantly, you have to remember that nobody can be perfect; and no matter how much you know, sometimes the athletes just have bad days.  (Yes, Jerod…I’m talking to you.  I will take my Tim Tebow, Fred Jackson, and Julio Jones predictions with me on my way to a big time network.)

[Editor's note: FINE! GO! I presciently told some people to sit Vincent Jackson and DeMarco Murray with very solid reasoning last week...you think I'm worried about losing YOU and your successful picks? HA!]

In all seriousness though, making predictions is quite hard…especially when you know it’s impossible to hit every pick out of the park.  Fortunately, I was on the money last week, nailing almost 75% of my picks.

Once again, I have to thank Verizon for helping me get there.

As you know, Verizon has hooked me up with a pretty sweet deal.  As part of our agreement, they have given me a Droid Bionic, equipped with NFL Mobile.  No matter where I am, I have instant access (on unbelievable 4G LTE speeds) to every fantasy player on my team.

Once again, I can’t talk about this enough.  Every time a new piece of technology comes out, we all ask ourselves the same question: “Is this REALLY going to be worth it?”  Sometimes, the new creation is called the iPad…and it revolutionizes everything.  Other times, it’s the iPad 2…where a company basically changed a device’s color, put a sticker, and made you waste $600.  When I heard about 4G speeds, I didn’t think twice about it.  I figured it was all a scam, and a waste of money.  Boy was I wrong.  Every time I watch my wife pull out her old-school Blackberry, and simply try to pull up google, I laugh at her.  Then, I get annoyed.  In a world full of impatient people, 4G speeds have made me a happier person.

Anyways, Verizon has helped me to stay current, and even better they have offered the MSF readers something spectacular:

Let me just repeat that again to make sure you noticed:

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As always, we begin this week’s post with a quick recap of last week’s picks.  (And also, don’t forget: the Raiders and Chargers play this Thursday Night, so make sure you set your rosters now!)

Last Week’s Picks: 16 for 22 (73 %)

• Hits: Matt Ryan, Tim Tebow, Philip Rivers, Tony Romo, Joe Flacco, Ryan Fitzpatrick, Ben Roethlisberger, Michael Turner, Fred Jackson, Julio Jones, Antonio Brown, Steve Johnson, Nate Washington, NE Wide Receivers, Jake Ballard, and Scott Chandler
• Misses: LeGarrette Blount, Beanie Wells, Roy Helu, Plaxico Burress (by a half-yard), Dustin Keller, and Vernon Davis.

Once again, “Start Em” guys are QBs/TEs outside of the Top 12 and RBs/WRs outside of the Top 25. “Sit Em Guys” include QBs/TEs that are in the Top 12 and RBs/WRs that are in the Top 25.

Fantasy Football Start Em, Sit Em Picks for Week 10: Quarterback

Start Em QB: Ryan Fitzpatrick (@ Dallas)

Is Dallas’ defense better this year?  Yes.

Has it regressed in recent weeks?  Yes.

Is their passing defense still below average?  Yes.

Is Fitzpatrick coming off of a rough week and ready to showcase his Harvard pedigree?  Who knows.  I think he is.  And I think that he’s a must-start this week.

Ryan Fitzpatrick fantasy football Week 10 projection: 290 yards, 3 TDs.

Other start ‘em QBs for Week Ten:

• Mark Sanchez – Not that he’s good…but New England’s pass defense is BAD.
• Philip Rivers – Very favorable matchup against a reeling Oakland defense.  Hey, you would be reeling too if your coach just traded TWO #1 draft picks for Carson Palmer.
• Tony Romo – He’s been pretty good at home this year, and Buffalo’s pass defense is atrocious.

Sit Em QB: Jay Cutler (v Detroit)

I actually REALLY like Jay Cutler.

I think he’s a really good quarterback, and he’s incredibly underrated for reasons that are completely unrelated to his actual play on the field.  Unfortunately for him, his offensive line has been, let’s just say…below average this year.  And in Week Ten, he will be matched up against the Detroit defensive line that is coming off a bye.

Yikes.

Jay Cutler fantasy football Week 10 projection: 240 yards, 1 TD, 2 INTs.  8 sacks.

Other sit ‘em QBs for Week Ten:

• Andy Dalton – He’s good…but Pittsburgh’s pass defense is better.
• Eli Manning – As I’m sure Jerod will note, San Francisco MIGHT have the best defense in the league…Eli might not be ELI-TE this week.

Jerod’s thoughts:

I like Ryan Fitzpatrick this week, but I don’t want to take him out for Valentine’s Day dinner, get down on one knee, and give him a ring…as you seem to want to do. Fitzpatrick has actually thrown 3 TD passes in a game twice this year, but both came in the first two weeks of the season. The league has caught up to Buffalo since them. Fitzpatrick is a solid start at QB, but hold off the Washburnian marriage proposals.

I’m fine with sitting Cutler against Detroit. The Lions’ D-Line is at least 5X better and tougher than the Eagles’, so I can see this game going much, much differently.

As for Eli struggling against the 49ers, yes I think it will be tough for him. Still, I think Eli is a borderline top-10 QB this week because the way to beat San Fran is through the air – you do not run on them – and frankly, Eli deserves as much respect as any non-Aaron Rodgers QB in the league this year. So sit him at your peril.

Fantasy Football Start Em, Sit Em Picks for Week 10: Running Back

Start Em RB: DeAngelo Williams (v Tennessee)

Coming off a bye, Williams will be fresher than he’s been all year.  He’s also playing a Tennessee defense that is ranked 23rd in the league against the run.  With an increased emphasis on stopping Cam Newton, I expect the Panthers to respond by pounding it out on the ground just like old times.

I actually like Jonathan Stewart this week as well, but I expect DeAngelo Williams to have a big game.

DeAngelo Williams fantasy football Week 10 projection: 140 total yards, 1 TD

Other start ‘em RBs for Week Ten:

• All starters in the Kansas City/Denver game
• Michael Turner – Atlanta really likes to pound the ball on the ground against the Saints in order to try and control the clock.  Expect Turner to have a great game.

Sit Em RB: Jahvid Best (at Chicago)

He’s a little banged up, and he’s been slipping a lot lately.  The fact is, if not for a few lucky home run plays the last few games he played, Best has been a huge disappointment.  Plus, he only has 3 TOTAL TDs this season – even with Megatron’s unbelievable dominance and all.

I don’t trust Best against Chicago this week at all, even if he somehow plays.  Expect the Lions to throw it…a lot…and be successful.

Jahvid Best fantasy football Week 10 projection: 45 total yards

Other sit ‘em RBs for Week Ten:

• Knowshon Moreno – HE’S NOT GOOD!!!
• Patriots’ RBs – The Jets will make NE completely one-dimensional this week.

Jerod’s thoughts:

Loyal MSF fantasy readers, I cannot in good faith endorse DeAngelo Williams as a start in all but the most desperate of circumstances. Just know if you start him that DAW has had one – one – useful fantasy week all season (Week 5 v New Orleans…thanks to one big run). So trust Washburn at your own peril on this one.

As for Jahvid Best, well I can’t let this go without some lampooning, now can I? Jon, you realize you’re telling us all to sit a guy that is widely expected not to start anyway, right?

Best is dealing with yet another concussion, a problem he’s had since college. It’s sad, because he’s a talented player, but I don’t think he’ll ever be able to reach his potential because of injury.

Regardless, Best is a guy to consider dropping, not just sitting, so don’t give Washburn any bonus points next week if he correctly predicted a fantasy football invalid to be worthless.

And finally…sit Knowshon Moreno??? Really? Was that before or after Willis McGahee almost single-handedly spurred the Broncos to victory last week while Moreno had 8 total yards?

Come on Jon. You’re better than these picks; and I only feel comfortable honestly calling you out because I know our readers like you and respect you and will demand more from you.

Besides, honesty and candidness is the MSF way.

Fantasy Football Start em, Sit em Picks for Week 10: Wide Receiver

Start Em WR: Steve Breaston (Denver)

He’s quietly having a solid season, and Denver’s pass defense is very mediocre.

Look for Champ Bailey to cover Dwayne Bowe all day, and look for Breaston to run wild in the process.  This isn’t to say that Bailey will shut down Bowe; actually, I’m trying to point out that a mildly washed up Champ Bailey is Denver’s BEST defensive back, which is good news for KC WRs.

Steve Breaston fantasy football Week 10 projection: 5 receptions, 90 yards, 1 TD

Other start ‘em WRs for Week Ten:

• Josh Cribbs – He is having a randomly solid season as well…and he should put up some nice numbers against St. Louis.
• Pierre Garcon – This week might be Indy’s best chance for a W all season.  Look for “the waiter” to have a solid day against Jacksonville.

Sit Em WR: Deion Branch (@ NY Jets)

At this point, if you are still starting New England wide eeceivers not named Wes Welker, you are DEFINITELY not staying current.  However, just in case, don’t start Deion Branch.

Darrelle Revis does NOT do a great job of defending the slot, so he will probably be matched up with Branch all day.  I shouldn’t have to say anything else.

Deion Branch fantasy football Week 10 projection: No catches

Jerod’s thoughts:

I guess we don’t get any other potential sit ‘em WRs this week? Geez Jon; I know you’re distraught about the NBA lockout, but there is no reason to take it out on our loyal fantasy football readers.

Here you go folks…here are a few normally startable WRs that you may want to think twice about:

• AJ Green and the Bengals finally face a good defense, the Steelers. Be wary. The last elite defense Cincy faced was when San Fran shut Green down to the tune of 4 catches for 29 yards.
• You know I like Brandon Lloyd for the balance of the season, but I could see him struggling a bit this week in a low-scoring affair against Cleveland in which Joe Haden will surely be draped all over him.
• Mike Williams has six catches in each of his last three games for Tampa Bay, but he’s averaging less than 10 yards per catch over his last four. Last year’s TD machine isn’t producing TDs, and while I continue to profess patience with him, I’d be okay with you placing the burden of proof on him.

As for Jon’s picks, I think Breaston is a solid option at WR this week, and Deion Branch is a weekly wild card; but with Tom Brady and New England’s offense struggling, I too would sit Branch against the Jets and Revis.

Fantasy Football Start em, Sit em Picks for Week 10: Tight Ends

Start Em TE: Jake Ballard, New York Giants (@ San Francisco)

San Francisco’s defense is VERY good, especially at shutting down opposing running games. Ballard should get a lot of touches in Week Ten as Eli will probably have to throw but still be under pressure much more than he was this past week. Plus, he is gaining trust with Big Play Ballard by the week.

Jake Ballard fantasy football Week 10 projection: 5 receptions, 60 yards, 1 TD

Other start ‘em TEs for Week Ten:

• Brandon Pettigrew – Chicago has a rough time defending TEs.

Sit Em TE: Dallas Clark (Jacksonville)

May he Rest In Peace.

Dallas Clark fantasy football Week 10 projection: 1 reception, 10 yards, 0 TD

Jerod’s Thoughts:

Hmm…well since Dallas Clark reportedly has a “significant leg injury” I suppose that’s a pretty good Sit ‘Em pick, though I hope you won’t take credit for that as a “hit” next week.

As for Ballard, I continue to like him, so I endorse that start ‘em pick, and I think Brandon Pettigrew could have success against the Bears like Brent Celek did last week.

As for the potential misses in Week 10, I continue to look at Jermichael Finley with skepticism because he just isn’t that involved in the Packers’ offense. He wouldn’t be in my top 12 TEs for this week, and I think you’d be well within your right to place a “prove it” tag on him.

Fantasy Football Start em, Sit em Picks for Week 10: Defenses

[Editor's note: the rest of this post is written by Jerod.]

Start Em Defense: Miami Dolphins (v Washington)

The Dolphins have played better than their record, and their defense showed a lot in last week’s drubbing of the Chiefs. Kansas City isn’t a great team this year, but they can be explosive on offense. The Dolphins wouldn’t let them. This week they face a John Beck-led offense that could do nothing more than dump off to the running back last week against San Francisco.

Miami Dolphins fantasy Football Week 10 projection: 14 or fewer points, 3 or more sacks, 1 or more turnovers

Other Start em D/ST units for Week 10:

• I know that Philly’s D has let you down this year, but against John Skelton and the Cardinals it could be very worthwhile to start them this week.
• The Detroit Lions get to face the porous Bears’ O-Line. Please tell me you aren’t fooled by the Eagles going sackless against them Monday night; the Bears O-Line remains not very good.

Sit Em Defense: Cincinnati Bengals (v Pittsburgh)

I just have a bad feeling that the Steelers are going to exact revenge on Cincy for Sunday night’s loss to Baltimore. I think a major part of it is that I don’t totally trust the Bengals’ D yet. They are good, but are they great?

Big Ben, Mike Wallace, and Antonio Brown can take full advantage of a good-but-not-great D, and I have a feeling that is what will happen here.

Cincinnati Bengals fantasy football Week 10 projection: 21 or more points, 2 sacks, 1 turnover

• Houston’s D has been great this year, but I just have a feeling they will underperform your expectations against a desperate Tampa Bay team in Tampa.
• Stay away from the Saints’ and Falcons’ defenses in Week 10. I would not be surprised if 70+ points are scored in that game.

**********

There are your start em, sit em picks for Week 10 of the fantasy football season. You know the drill from here. Read ‘em, digest ‘em, and then ask about ‘em. The comment section awaits your lineup-specific questions below.

**********

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Without question, the story of the first half of the season (other than this) has been the ascent of the Detroit Lions.

They went 0-16 three years ago, then 2-14 in Jim Schwartz’s first year, then 6-10 last year; and now halfway through their 2011 slate Detroit, sitting at 6-2, is a bona fide contender in the NFC. And the Lions aren’t just an empty record either. They have the skill, attitude, reputation, and right now the health (knock on wood) to suggest that they aren’t going away.

So in honor of the Motor City Mufasas, and their roaring wreakers of wreckage Ndamukong Suh and Calvin Johnson, I give to you my Midseason NFL Power Rankings, with each team presented alongside a Motown classic that sums up the first half of its season.

The great Berry Gordy and Ndamukong Suh

1. Green Bay Packers (7-0) – “Higher Ground” by Stevie Wonder

After an uneven regular season in 2010, the Packers caught fire all the way to the Super Bowl. Along the way, Aaron Rodgers nudged his way into the Manning-Brady-Brees stratosphere of NFL quarterbacks.

Through seven games in 2011, the Packers haven’t missed a beat, and Rodgers has catapulted himself into the rarest of air: the undisputed #1 quarterback in football, and he’s on pace to complete the most efficient statistical season a quarterback has ever had.

As Stevie sings:

Lovers keep on lovin’
Believers keep on believin’
Sleepers just stop sleepin’

…

Gonna keep on tryin’
Till I reach my highest ground

Indeed, the Packers/Rodgers lovers and believers need to keep doing what they’re doing, and any remaining sleepers need to wake up to the reality that Rodgers is the best player in football.

If he hasn’t already reached the highest ground, it’s going to be amazing to see just how deadly the Packers’ offense is once he’s there.

2. San Francisco 49ers (6-1) – “Reach Out, I’ll Be There” by The Four Tops

Know this about the resurgent 49ers and their badass first year head coach Jim Harbaugh: at the end of the game, reach out and he’ll be the there…ready to shake your head after kicking your team’s butt. (Just try not to take it personally.)

And in case you needed any more reason why this is the perfect song choice for the 2011 take-no-prisoners 49ers, pay attention to the lyrics. Replace “girl” and “darling” with “Alex” (for Alex Smith), “I’ll” with “We’ll”, plus a few other subtle changes, and it might as well be a pregame Harbaugh speech to his much-maligned but improving QB.

Now if you feel that you can’t go on,
Because all of your hope is gone,
And your life is filled with much confusion,
Until happiness is just an illusion,
And your world around is crumbling down, Alex,
(Reach out) Come on Alex reach on out for me,
(Reach out) Reach out for me,
We’ll be there with a running game that will shelter you,
We’ll be there with a defense that will see you through,

See what I mean?

3. Pittsburgh Steelers (6-2) – “Ain’t Nothing Like the Real Thing” by Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell

I’m not sure what that was from Pittsburgh in Week 1, but it was most certainly not the real Steelers that we’ve come to know and appreciate.

Over the Steelers’ last four games though, we’ve started to see the real Steelers emerge again, just with a little more passing than running, and it’s been a good reminder that in the NFL there ain’t nothing like the real thing; and it doesn’t get much more real in professional football than the Steelers.

4. Detroit Lions (6-2) – “Just My Imagination” by The Temptations

For years, decades really, Lions fans have had to watch the success of other franchises and pretend it was their own. Losing season after losing season, all the Lions had was their imagination if they wanted to cheer for a winner.

Not anymore.

Now all Lions fans need to do is use their imaginations to conjure up a future in which Matthew Stafford plays 16 games, because if he does, this team is ready to make its long-awaited return to the postseason. And they won’t be an easy out.

5. Baltimore Ravens (5-2) – “I Second That Emotion” by Smokey Robinson and The Miracles

After the Ravens’ offense sputtered against the Jags, Terrell Suggs publicly questioned the offensive gameplan. Surprisingly, Ravens coach John Harbaugh seconded Suggs’ emotion, agreeing that Ray Rice and Anquan Boldin needed to get the ball more.

One week later Cam Cameron and Joe Flacco got the notion, and the Ravens are back to their winning ways after Rice scored three TDs and Boldin topped 100 yards receiving.

6. New England Patriots (5-2) – “It’s The Same Old Song” by The Four Tops

An offense built around their statuesque quarterback who throws 40+ times every game, without much of a running game to speak of? Check.

A defense that gives up tons of yards, hopes to be “bend but don’t break” as a best case scenario, and is undeniably poor in the secondary and at rushing the passer? Check.

Sound familiar? That’s pretty much what the Patriots have been for the last three seasons, and for the last three seasons they’ve underwhelmed fans and pundits alike once January has rolled around. I’m struggling to find any reason to think this season will end any differently.

7. New Orleans Saints (5-3) – “What’s Going On” by Marvin Gaye

I don’t really feel like New Orleans deserves to be ranked this high, especially after what we witnessed from them last week and in their recent loss to Tampa Bay. Sandwiched in between those two defeats, however, was a thorough ass-kicking of the Indianapolis Colts; and anytime you beat another NFL team 62-7 it means, well, something.

The Saints still have Drew Brees, they still have weapons galore on offense, and they still have Sean Payton calling the shots. This outfit won a Super Bowl not too long ago, and they deserve the benefit of the doubt…for now. But they need to figure out what’s going on before far too many mothers, brothers, and fathers in The Bayou are left crying from another debacle like that loss to the Rams.

8. New York Giants (5-2) – “Ball of Confusion” by The Temptations

Is any good team more of a ball of confusion from year to year, week to week, and even quarter to quarter than the New York Giants? No.

Yet despite the ups and downs, here are the Giants sitting atop the NFC East with Eli Manning playing the best football of his career. Go figure.

9. Houston Texas (5-3) – “It Takes Two” by Marvin Gaye and Kim Weston

The song choice for the Texans is obvious from the first two lines:

One can have a dream, baby
Two can make that dream so real

For a while now, the Texans and their fans have had dreams of going to the playoffs, but unfortunately they only had one side of the ball that functioned competently. Not anymore. Wade Phillips has taken a defense that was an embarrassment last year and made it respectable, even weathering the loss of Mario Williams.

It does indeed take two – an offense and a defense – to make playoff dreams real. Could this be the season it finally happens in Houston?

10. Buffalo Bills (5-2) – “Papa Was a Rolling Stone” by The Temptations

The “papa” of these young Bills is head coach Chan Gailey, and he has indeed been a rolling stone during his coaching career. Buffalo is the 19th different coaching job Gailey has had since 1974. I know how transient of a profession coaching can be, but that is a lot of moving around.

Regardless, he has these Bills on the right track, sitting atop the AFC East.

11. New York Jets (4-3) – “Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch” by The Four Tops

I’ll be the first to admit that I’m not sure the Jets have earned this high a spot in the rankings. They are on a two game winning streak, but beating the Dolphins and the apparently hapless Chargers isn’t all that impressive. Still, the Jets and their bombastic head coach cannot seem to help themselves: they always talk, they always struggle for parts of seasons, yet they always get it going when the weather gets cold. They’ve made two straight AFC Championship Games, so we can’t count them out yet.

(Note: there are also plenty of jokes that could be made in reference to Rex Ryan enjoying slices of sugar pie and handfuls of honey bunch, but I’ll refrain. Who do I look like…Joe Namath?)

12. Philadelphia Eagles (3-4) – “Uptight (Everything’s Alright)” by Steve Wonder

I know that fans in Cincinnati and all over the AFC West and NFC South are going to be apoplectic at the under-.500 Eagles being 12th above their favorite teams, but what can I say? This team is loaded with talent, and I think they’d beat all of the teams below them (including more than a few above them) if they played right now.

So, Philly fans, what are you so uptight about? As long as you’ve got Andy Reid, everything is all right. Until the playoffs at least…

13. Atlanta Falcons (4-3) – “Shotgun” by Jr. Walker and the All Stars

I predicted that the Falcons would miss the playoffs before the season started, and I’m not backing off that prediction at all, though I have been impressed by their last two victories.

During the offseason, the Falcons tried to remake their offense from a tank into a shotgun with the hyperathletic Julio Jones added to the team at a high cost. It appeared early on that Ryan and the Falcons were trying to justify the cost while forgetting about their bread and butter: Michael Turner.

Things have changed.

Turner is back leading the offense and the Falcons are winning. The question is how long can Turner withstand another season of pounding. We’ll see.

14. Cincinnati Bengals (5-2) – “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” by Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell

The Bengals had to deal with QB turmoil all offseason, limped into the regular season with rookies leading them at QB and WR, have had to deal with Cedric Benson’s continued legal troubles, and they lost corner Jonathan Joseph in the offseason. Also, certain Midwestern sports bloggers predicted the Bengals would finish with the worst record in the league. Yet all Marvin Lewis and the Bengals have shown is that there ain’t no football mountain high enough to keep this underrated team down this season.

At least so far.

Cincy’s wins are against Cleveland, Jacksonville, Buffalo, Seattle, and Indianapolis, and they still have four games coming up against Pittsburgh and Baltimore. This is why I’m not sold on the Bengals and have them at 14th. But if they can keep climbing mountains, this could be the most unlikely playoff team of 2011.

15. Kansas City Chiefs (4-3) – “Since I Lost My Baby” by The Temptations

The Chiefs have reeled off four straight wins since I ranked them #1 in my inaugural Suck 4 Luck Power Rankings, a winning streak that has moved them all the way into a first place tie in the AFC West. This has Chiefs fans seeing sun shining (yes, plenty of light), a new day dawning (so sunny and bright), and even birds signing and children playing.

But the reality is that without young stars Jamaal Charles, Eric Berry, and Tony Moeaki, all of whom the Chiefs lost early in the year to season-ending injuries, the Chiefs’ chances of going any further than they did last year – a first round playoff blowout – are slim to none.

16. San Diego Chargers (4-3) – “Hello” by Lionel Richie

It’s fitting that the Chargers are one spot behind the Chiefs, because they were one successful QB-center exchange away from beating them last night.

If I had time, I would create a YouTube video with the ball Rivers’ fumbled away singing this Lionel Richie ballad to him. It’s the kind of thing the Internet was invented for. Can’t you just see the ball rolling around on the ground plaintively singing these words to Rivers while the QB laments his “worst day ever“:

Hello!
Is it me you’re looking for?
’cause I wonder where you are
And I wonder what you do
Are you somewhere feeling lonely?
Or is someone loving you?

17. Oakland Raiders (4-3) – “Ain’t Too Proud To Beg” by The Temptations

The Raiders are a hard team to figure out right now since we have no idea a) what they will get from Carson Palmer and b) if their offensive workhorse Darren McFadden can stay healthy enough all year to keep the pressure off of Palmer.

But we do know one thing: the Raiders were not begging nor pleading for anyone’s sympathy once Jason Campbell went down. They slept on Mike Brown’s doorstep and even let everyone laugh, because they wanted Carson Palmer any way they could get him. Now they have him, and we’ll see if they can just keep winning, baby.

18. Dallas Cowboys (3-4) – “Let’s Get It On” by Marvin Gaye

Did the Cowboys even have a Week 8 game? They did? Really? Because the only time I saw a Cowboy show up last week is Tony Romo when he announced that he and his new wife are expecting.

So since I have nothing constructive to say about Dallas’ no show on Sunday night, let’s honor the soon-to-be parents. Take it away Marvin.

19. Chicago Bears (4-3) – “You Keep Me Hanging On” by The Supremes

I tend not to trust teams that have severe offensive line issues, which is why the Bears fall towards the back of the teams bunched at 3-4 wins.

I also wouldn’t trust the Bears if I were Matt Forte, who I think is much closer to Adrian Peterson than Chris Johnson in terms of being deserving of a new contract. Can anyone blame Forte for feeling like the Bears are just keeping him hanging on? I mean really Jerry Angelo. If you’re not going to #paytheman, set him free why don’t ya?

20. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-3) – “Brick House” by The Commodores

Tampa Bay was another supposedly up-and-coming team that I didn’t trust heading into the season. They’ve scratched together four wins, but they have looked pretty bad along the way at times.

So in honor of the bricks they’ve thrown up against San Francisco and the first half of the Chicago game in London, not to mention Josh Freeman’s 10 interceptions, here are The Commodores singing about bricks in a much different context.

21. Minnesota Vikings (2-6) – “All Night Long” by Lionel Richie

You know that Adrian Peterson is called “AD” because he can run all day long. Now that Minnesota has handed the reins of its offense over to rookie Christian Ponder, Peterson may have to run all day and all night long to help ease the rook’s transition.

Peterson is more than capable, and the Vikings – who have played better than their record – are more than capable of winning 4-5 of their remaining games if Ponder can just provide adequate play under center.

22. St. Louis Rams (1-6) – “You Can’t Hurry Love” by The Supremes

No, I’m not insane. I’m well aware that before last weekend’s trouncing of the Saints, the Rams hadn’t beaten anyone and hadn’t even really come close. Just consider me to be buying low on the Rams, and when they finish with 5-6 wins, remember that you heard it here first.

You can’t hurry a connection between a new offensive coordinator, an offensive line, and a young QB, but Sam Bradford and Josh McDaniels will get everyone on the same page. Having Brandon Lloyd will help, and having a leader like Steven Jackson to make sure no one mails it in will also keep these Rams on a forward trajectory all season.

23. Carolina Panthers (2-6) – “ABC” by The Jackson 5

Am I drinking the Cam Newton Kool-Aid after 8 games? You’re dadgum right I am, so much so that I came up with 20 teams who, hypothetically speaking of course, should trade their QB for right now for Newton.

I did not think Newton would have an easy transition to the NFL, but he’s made playing quarterback look as easy as A-B-C, 1-2-3. What he has not found so easy to do yet is win, but that will come. He needs more experience and a better team around him, but the Panthers are a team on the rise that no one will want to face in the second half of the season.

24. Tennessee Titans (4-3) – “Signed, Sealed, Delivered, I’m Yours” by Stevie Wonder

In case you were wondering, no, I’m not sold on the Titans.

A win over the Colts does not impress me, nor did the Titans’ previous two non-competitive games against Pittsburgh and Houston. This team was looking good when Kenny Britt was around and emerging as a top receiver, but they seem lost without him.

But hey, at least Chris Johnson is signed, sealed, delivered, and yours, right Tennessee? Or not…

25. Cleveland Browns (3-4) – “Money (That’s What I Want)” by Barrett Strong

In case you hadn’t heard, money is what Peyton Hillis wants. He is not, however, willing to play through strep throat or maintain community commitments in his quest to leverage one partial good season into, apparently, $10 million per yer.

I probably shouldn’t be so hard on the guy. If I were a running back for the Browns, against whom defenses can load up eight men in the box on every play, I might not be so motivated to play either.

26. Washington Redskins (3-4) – “Mercy, Mercy Me” by Marvin Gaye

When your only quarterback choices are Rex Grossman or John Beck, how can Redskins fans or even Mike Shanahan himself say anything other than mercy, mercy me?

The Redskins got off to a fast start this season, but things ain’t what they used to be. With such putrid play under center and so many injuries on offense, a turnaround doesn’t appear to be coming. Redskins fans will just have to keep wondering where did all the blue skies go?

27. Jacksonville Jaguars (2-6) – “Shop Around” by Smokey Robinson and The Miracles

So the Jaguars beat a disinterested Baltimore team in a defensive slopfest a few weeks back. So what?

This team is still going nowhere fast, and even the one positive Jags fans might have been able to take from this season – that the team had finally found a franchise QB – doesn’t seem to be coming to fruition. Based on what I’ve seen from Blaine Gabbert so far this year, I’d say to the Jags that they’d better shop around.

28. Seattle Seahawks (2-5) – “I Want You Back” by The Jackson 5

In Pete Carroll’s first season, the Seahawks made an improbable run to the second round of the NFC Playoffs thanks to playing the in the terrible NFC West. No one in the NFC West seemingly did much to improve themselves in the offseason (who saw the 49ers run coming?), so what does Seattle do to keep the forward momentum going? They get rid of Matt Hasselbeck to turn their most important position on the field over to Charvaris Jackhurst.

Think they might want Hasselbeck and his 89.2 QB rating back now?

29. Arizona Cardinals (1-6) – “What Becomes Of The Brokenhearted” by Jimmy Ruffin

In Super Bowl 43, the Arizona Cardinals indeed became the brokenhearted when Ben Roethlisberger’s pass connected with Santonio Holmes in the corner of the end zone. So what becomes of the brokenhearted in football, who had a good QB who’s now departed? Everything goes to hell and a handbasket, apparently.

After your borderline Hall of Fame quarterback retires and you suffer through an awful season with basically no QB, you know you’ve got to find some kind of peace of mind for your All-World wide receiver. So you overpay for a guy who hasn’t proven he can be a competent starter, he doesn’t get any better, and all the while your defense gets worse and worse.

So, again, what becomes of the brokenhearted? In the case of Cardinals fans, you just go back to how things were before.

30. Denver Broncos (2-5) – “Dancing In The Streets” by Martha and the Vandellas

No matter what happens at the end of the Tim Tebow experience, they’ll be dancing in Dennnnnnver…and there will still surely be opinions everywhere.

Either fans of Tim Tebow will be dancing because he’s proven his worth as a starting QB in the NFL, or the Johns Fox and Elway will be dancing because they can jettison Tebow and get a QB who fits their ideal.

But either way, dancing.

31. Miami Dolphins (0-7) – “Stop! In The Name Of Luck!” by The Supremes

Do you see what I did with the title there?

This is what every Dolphins fan is imploring their team to do every time they have a promising drive or a second half lead. So far, the Dolphins have proven to be epic failures in the 4th quarters of games, which may just be the best thing for the franchise’s future.

Though the players and coaches don’t want to hear it, nor should they, Dolfans and owner Stephen Ross would like the team to stop coming so damn close to winning, and they certainly would like the Colts to stop losing…all in the name of Luck.

32. Indianapolis Colts (0-8) – “Where Did Our Love Go?” by The Supremes

Yep, two straight songs by The Supremes to end it. And why not? At this point I’m not convinced that on the football field Diana Ross and The Supremes would do any worse that Curtis Painter and The Colts or Matt Moore and the Dolphins.

So many lyrics snippets from this song could very well be things that Colts players have uttered verbatim during one of their eight horrific losses this season, with the their plaintive utterances directed at either Peyton Manning or their fans, who abandon them more and more with each demoralizing loss.

Baby, baby
Baby don’t leave me
Ooh, please don’t leave me
All by myself

…

Now that I surrender
So helplessly

…

Where did our love go
And all your promisses
Of a love forever more

You get the idea.

But if all Colts fans have to endure in between decades of success with franchise QBs is one terrible season, I and many others will resent them more than we already do.

###

There are my rankings, and each team’s corresponding Motown classic.

As always, I encourage your agreement, disagreement, and constructive criticisms below, both for the rankings and the song choices.

And now, because it’s one of my all-time favorite Motown songs but I couldn’t find a great team to assign it too, I’ll send you off into the comment section with one more classic tune from the great Marvin Gaye.

This is a question I’ve been thinking about a lot over the past several weeks, as I continue to be more and more impressed (and surprised) by how well Cam Newton is transitioning to the NFL in his first season.

Cam Newton’s Impressive Start

Frankly, I did not think that Newton was going to become a good NFL quarterback. I certainly did not think it would happen this quickly. But this is why I blog about the NFL in my underpants while typing with Cheetos-stained fingers and other people get paid to scout and draft players*.

* – Of course, plenty of people who do not blog about the NFL in their underpants with Cheetos-stained fingers, and who get paid to scout players, agreed with my assessment about Newton. This just goes to show how inexact a science scouting quarterbacks can be. Except for this guy.

As good as he’s been,nobody is ready to put Cam Newton into Canton yet. It takes more than 8 statistically strong games to classify someone as an elite QB, especially when six of those games have resulted in losses.

In fact, we’re going to learn a lot about Newton over these final 8 weeks while the Panthers essentially “play out the string” and Newton is forced to endure the first losing season of his football career. Leading your team in spite of adversity is one of the most important attributes for a successful NFL QB. We’ll see if Newton has that ability. So far he’s given us no reason to doubt him.

Certainly there is no reason to doubt Newton’s physical skills. He is passing for nearly 300 yards per game (299.1), completing 60.6% of his passes, and has thrown 11 touchdown passes against 9 interceptions. Those are solid numbers for any quarterback, let alone a rookie, and they are made even more impressive when his superlative running stats added to the discussion: 5.1 yards per carry and 7 rushing touchdowns.

And the numbers don’t tell the whole story.

Whereas Tim Tebow’s numbers are not nearly as poor as you might think, and in fact compare favorably to several Hall of Famers’ stats through five starts, Tebow hasn’t looked at all like an NFL QB. Cam Newton, on the other hand, has. He’s played with poise throughout games, including late, and he’s shown that he can make all the throws. He also has shown the ability to hit guys for big plays down the field when they are a open, which is an absolute requisite skill for a quarterback in the NFL. When a QB has a chance to make a big play, it must be made more often than not; simple as that.

Newton has been far from perfect, and he has plenty of growing to do, but I don’t think anyone is anything but highly impressed with his first eight games as an NFL quarterback. Many may not have been as low on Newton as I was before the season, but I doubt anyone other than Cam himself expected this kind of success out of the gate.

And all of this leads me back to my original question: how many NFL teams would trade their QB right now for Cam Newton?

Hypothetically Speaking…

For our purposes, assume that everything is how it is (team records, contracts, rosters, coaches, etc) and that every NFL team is given the option of swapping its current QB right now for Newton. I admit that is 100% ridiculous because Carolina wouldn’t trade Cam Newton for anyone (except maybe Aaron Rodgers…), but humor me for the sake of discussion. The result of this hypothetical transaction would be Newton quarterbacking the team for the rest of this season, in place of their current QB, and then being their QB through the rest of his rookie contract.

There are a number of easy answers on both sides, teams that wouldn’t even think twice about saying yes or no:

• Automatic No: New England, Pittsburgh, Green Bay, New Orleans, New York Giants
• Automatic Yes: Miami, Cleveland, Tennessee, Jacksonville, Oakland, Kansas City, Denver, Washington, Seattle

I shouldn’t have to defend any of the automatic “no” choices. Each team has a Super Bowl-winning QB, and each team feels it is a contender this season. As tantalized as they may be by Newton, none of these teams would trade their guy for him. (And anyone who doesn’t think Eli deserves this kind of respect is, in my opinion, crazy.)

As for the automatic yeses, I can maybe-possibly see some saying that Tennessee and Jacksonville have “QBs of the future” in Jake Locker and Blaine Gabbert, but both teams would have rather had Newton in the draft and surely would rather have him now. These and the others are absolute no-brainers to me.

Now let’s go one-by-one through the remaining teams and figure out a) if they would trade their current QB for Cam Newton, and b) if they should trade their current QB for Cam Newton, because I bet the answers won’t often be the same. Of course these are all just my opinions based on how I see each team’s situation.

As always, I encourage disagreement, discussion, and even constructive criticism. That’s what comment sections are for. And there is a poll at the end of this post so we can crowdsource some kind of consensus for the non-obvious teams.

Here goes…

Buffalo Bills – Ryan Fitzpatrick (current record: 5-2)

The Bills just locked Fitzpatrick up to a long-term contract that will pay him $24 million and keep him as the signal caller in Buffalo for at least the next 2-3 years. Considering the deal Arizona signed Kevin Kolb to in the offseason, Fitzpatrick certainly deserves this contract. He has passed for 1,739 yards this year and twice as many touchdowns as interceptions, and he’s led Buffalo to first place in the AFC East. There is perhaps concern that Fitzpatrick is playing over his head, as his current completion rate is 8 points higher than his career average, and his QB rating is 20 points higher than his career average, but Fitzpatrick also could just be showing the normal progression that a good young NFL quarterback will make.

Personally, I’m not sold on Fitzpatrick as a top-tier option for the future who can compete against the likes of Brady, Roethlisberger, and Peyton Manning If He Plays Again (his new name). Fitzpatrick is a solid guy who can transition you from one franchise QB to the next, but I don’t think he is the type of QB who will make you a winner year in, year out. Cam Newton may be. But with the Bills sitting in first place in the AFC East, and the good feelings of the contract still fresh, I don’t think they’d make the move even though I would.

• Would they? No
• Should they? Yes

New York Jets – Mark Sanchez (4-3)

This is one of the more intriguing ones.

Even though Mark Sanchez has really done nothing to show that he can or will become a top-tier NFL quarterback (54.7% completions, 41 TD:39 INT for career), he has ridden the coattails of a great defense and an above-average running game to two straight AFC title games. His coach continues to profess confidence in him, and I think would rather win with “his guy” Sanchez, or die trying, than admit he was wrong and bring in another QB…at least right now.

Simply put: I think most objective people would make this trade in a heartbeat, and maybe the Jets front office would force it to happen; but I think Rex Ryan is so dug in with Sanchez that he’d do everything to veto it and give Sanchez another chance to finish the job this year. (I’ll be curious to hear from Jets fans on this one…)

• Would they? No
  
• Should they? Yes

Cincinnati Bengals – Andy Dalton (5-2)

Here is another one where short-term success might lead to myopic thinking.

The Bengals are, shockingly, sitting at 5-2 with their red-haired rookie QB and glue-handed rookie WR leading the offense. The Bengals’ defense has been great so far this season, but Dalton has been far from just a caretaker. He’s thrown 9 TDs and is completing 62.4% of his passes. Dalton’s sprint out of the gate has been nothing short of shocking.

But here is where I throw a little cold water on the fire: Cincinnati has beaten Cleveland, Buffalo, Jacksonville, Indianapolis, and Seattle. Buffalo is good, the other four teams are not. So do we really know how good Dalton is? I don’t think so. In his one start against a god defense this year, Week 3 versus San Francisco, he was putrid. We’ll know a lot more about Dalton after his four games against Baltimore and Pittsburgh.

Like many teams, Cincy would have jumped at the chance to draft Cam Newton, but their first place positioning in the AFC North, and the fans’ growing attachment to Dalton, plus their history of personnel ineptitude, lead me to believe that the Bengals would forgo the chance to get Newton to hang onto Dalton. It would be a mistake.

• Would they? No
  
• Should they? Yes

As you can see, I have little faith in Ryan Fitzpatrick, Mark Sanchez, or Andy Dalton, at least in relation to Cam Newton; but I also have little faith that any of their teams would trade them for Newton.

This next one though might be the most intriguing of all.

Baltimore Ravens – Joe Flacco (5-2)

Ever since Joe Flacco has taken over as QB in Baltimore, the Ravens’ offense has been as up-and-down as any offense in the NFL. Flacco has seven games in which he has tossed three or more touchdowns. He also 24 games in which he’s thrown zero touchdowns, including four playoff games (though he often gets credited with being a “winning” playoff QB). All the while, Baltimore has had a good-to-great defense and a solid running game.

Now in his fourth year, and with just one TD pass in his last four games, can the Ravens and team leaders like Ray Lewis and Terrell Suggs really still have that much confidence in Flacco? I know they call him “Joe Cool” because he never seems rattled, but that’s mostly because he barely looks like he has a pulse at times. Cam Newton also never gets rattled, but he plays with an energy and smile that are both infectious. Yes, I’m one of those who believes that how you “look” and what your body language says means something when you’re the QB. Whatever Flacco may have over Newton in experience is negated by his comatose on-field appearance.

All of this is to say that I would, in a heartbeat, trade Flacco for Newton if I was the Ravens. After the last four games, and with Lewis especially running out of time, I think the Ravens would too.

• Would they? Yes
  
• Should they? Yes

Indianapolis Colts – Peyton Manning (0-8)

Of course the Colts would trade Curtis Painter straight up for Cam Newton. Duh. But what’s the fun in that? The real juicy question would be, right this very moment, would the Colts trade Peyton Manning If He Plays Again for Newton? And the answer is that none of us have enough information to answer. It would all come down to Manning’s health.

If there is even an iota of a chance that he can come back and play at 80-85% of his previous effectiveness, Indy would hold onto Peyton. But if they doubt he ever plays again, even if he wants to and is working like the dickens to get back, wouldn’t Indy have to trade for Cam as opposed to waiting around to see if they suck enough for Luck?

Ultimately, I think the uncertainty would tip the scales in favor of keeping Manning, and that’s the right call. It feels like there is something unfinished about Manning’s tenure in Indianapolis, and though I logically know that neck injuries can end careers, I’d still be shocked if Manning never suits up for Indy again. So I can’t see Indy pulling the trigger on this move. And with the team possibly positioning itself to draft Andrew Luck anyway, there would be no reason to trade Manning before they know as much as possible about his potential comeback.

I anticipate a lot of debate and perhaps disagreement about this one. In fact, I’m already starting to disagree with myself. I better just move along.

• Would they? No
• Should they? No

Houston Texans – Matt Schaub (5-3)

I don’t think for a second that Houston would even entertain this thought, not with Schaub and Kubiak finally on the cusp of making it to the playoffs. As good/bland as Schaub may be, good/bland isn’t necessarily an awful thing for a QB to be on a team that has a great running game, an elite WR, and a strong defense. This is the first time Houston has had all three working in the same season, and Schaub is the right guy to lead them. I wouldn’t mess with what they have going right now, not with the AFC South up for grabs this year and into the future, and I don’t think they would either.

• Would they? No
  
• Should they? No

San Diego Chargers – Philip Rivers (4-2)

Coming into this season it would have seemed laughable for Philip Rivers to be on this list, and perhaps it still is, but Rivers has thrown 7 TDs against 9 INTs this year, and it’s not like he has a Super Bowl title or many playoff skins on the wall to grant him immunity from at least entering this discussion.

Still, I doubt there is a chance the Chargers would seriously consider it. Rivers has a strong regular season track record over multiple seasons, and he has undoubtedly been hurt by Antonio Gates’ absence early this season. Just like I don’t think teams should overreact to a fast early season start and overrate their players (as may be the case right now in Buffalo and Cincy), I don’t think teams should underrate their players because of a slow start.

The irony of ironies, of course, is that the slow-starting Chargers are off to a fast 4-2 start during the season when their QB has more or less stunk. Go figure.

• Would they? No
  
• Should they? No

Philadelphia Eagles – Michael Vick (3-4)

Another one that is fascinating to think about. The Eagles went all-in on this season and are just now starting to dig themselves out of their early season hole. As tempting as it might be to get Newton, who is similar to Vick but with 6-7 years less mileage, I can’t see Andy Reid doing it. Vick is the better choice for this season and the Eagles are in it to win it in 2011.

That said, I think Newton is showing the ability to do a lot of the things Vick couldn’t or wouldn’t do early in his career. I’d love to see what Reid could do with a guy like Newton, who is not quite the runner Vick is but who is light years ahead of where Vick was as a passer in his rookie season. Just because the Eagles picked this year as the year to go for it all doesn’t mean they should necessarily mortgage a chance to improve themselves for the long term. And is Vick really playing so well that Newton couldn’t come close to replicating him, thus keeping the Eagles in contention this year? I don’t think so.

• Would they? No
  
• Should they? Yes
  

Dallas Cowboys – Tony Romo (3-4)

Whatever my answer is here it is sure to stir up some controversy, just because that’s how any discussions about Tony Romo are sure to go.

I’ve always been a Romo supporter, thinking that his critics didn’t give him enough credit for being one of the top 10 QBs in the league. While I still think Romo is an above average QB, I’m not as sold on him anymore as a potential champion. Sure, with the right supporting cast he could win a Super Bowl – hell, Trent Dilfer won a Super Bowl – but I’m no longer sure that Romo can lead a franchise to a Super Bowl, and there is a big difference.

I don’t know if Cam Newton can lead a team to a Super Bowl either. It’s way to early to even consider such questions. But we did just see him lead his college team to a championship in the toughest conference in all of college football, all while rumors and innuendo and investigations were swirling around him constantly. Newton’s got it, whatever it is, and Tony Romo hasn’t proven that he does. So wouldn’t it be worth taking a chance on Newton if you’re convinced Romo probably can’t be the guy to lead a champion?

The answer to this one comes down to your belief in Romo. I no longer believe. Give me Cam. Unfortunately for Cowboys fans, Jerry Jones probably still believes in Romo. At the least, he believes in his own ego and won’t want to admit Romo can’t get it done. Hell, he wouldn’t even trade Martellus Bennett to Cincinnati for a second round pick. Why would he trade Romo for Newton?

• Would they? No
  
• Should they? Yes
  

Detroit Lions – Matthew Stafford (6-2)

I considered putting the Lions in the automatic no category, but Mr. Glass didn’t deserve to be considered on par with Brady, Ben, Aaron Rogers, and Drew Brees. He hasn’t played a full season yet, and he hasn’t been so transcendent when he has played that Detroit wouldn’t at least consider the move.

I don’t think they’d do it though. Even with Stafford making way more money than Cam, he is the guy they have built around, and I don’t think the Lions would shake up the franchise that drastically when it is finally experiencing a true ascension.

As for me, I’d do it. Cam is showing that he knows how to utilize a top-fight receiver, and he he does not carry the same injury-prone reputation of Stafford. Add in the cost savings of Newton’s contract over Stafford’s, and I’d much rather have the rookie over the third year guy, even for the rest of the this year and certainly beyond.

• Would they? No
  
• Should they? Yes
  

Chicago Bears – Jay Cutler (4-3)

See the entry above about Joe Flacco, replace his name with “Jay Cutler” and replace “Ray Lewis” with “Brian Urlacher”. There is no reason for me to repeat myself.

• Would they? Yes
  
• Should they? Yes

Minnesota Vikings – Christian Ponder (2-6)

Ponder and the Vikings beat Newton and the Panthers this past weekend, with Ponder having his second straight impressive start. And while Vikings fans are slowly talking themselves into the Ponder Era, the reality is that the Vikings would have traded St. Paul to draft Newton last year, and as polished as Ponder seems to be both on and off the field, he doesn’t have 1/10th the physical potential of Newton. Minnesota probably should have been an automatic.

• Would they? Yes
  
• Should they? Yes
  

Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Josh Freeman (4-3)

Freeman was the up-and-coming superstar young quarterback coming into this season, but he has fallen back down to earth a bit through the first half of the year. His interceptions are way up, and he just doesn’t seem as comfortable or confident as he was last year, when he and rookie Mike Williams were as explosive as just about any QB-WR combo in the league.

Still, despite his struggles, I think Tampa Bay is committed to Freeman as the future of its franchise, and I know that Raheem Morris (who coached Freeman in college) believes in his young QB. Freeman is another guy who surprised me by having a smoother transition to the NFL than I thought he would. He has all of the physical tools to bust out of his current slump and still become a top-10 QB. I’d hold tight, and I think Tampa Bay would too.

• Would they? No
  
• Should they? No
  

Atlanta Falcons – Matt Ryan (4-3)

Like the Lions with Stafford, I don’t think Atlanta would consider making this move for more than a few seconds, but Ryan is not quite the slam dunk franchise QB that some make him out to be. He has not risen to the occasion in the Falcons’ biggest games, and he does not possess the accuracy that the top flight quarterbacks all have. He does “look” the part, he’s tough, and he’s a strong leader, which is why Atlanta is surely satisfied with Ryan and not looking to move on, nor should they be. As many questions as I have about Ryan, he’s shown enough to make me think that, unlike Romo, he could lead a franchise to a Super Bowl. With the investment Atlanta has already made in him, they’d hold tight, and I agree.

• Would they? No
  
• Should they? No
  

San Francisco 49ers – Alex Smith (6-1)

Another very, very intriguing one simply because of how this season has started. This one falls right in line with the Bills and Bengals, two teams doing far better than anyone expected thanks to solid play from their QB. Smith has not been asked to win games for the 49ers this year, he’s just been asked not to lose them with a great defense and solid running game by his side. And he hasn’t.

Still, this is Alex Smith. He has not done anything spectacular this year that Cam Newton couldn’t have done, even as a rookie. The issue would be whether Newton would have made mistakes that Smith wouldn’t have made to sabotage the 49ers in a game or two. That I don’t know. But I do know that, again, this is Alex Smith. As solid as he’s been, and as much of an impact as Jim Harbaugh has made on him, the difference in talent and swagger between he and Newton is obvious.

To me, the 6-1 record of the 49ers, and their incredible four game lead this early in this season, would make the team more likely to do such a deal. They’d have some cushion if Newton struggled to adapt to his new surroundings; though one thing we have learned about Newton is that he rarely if ever struggles to adapt. It may be his greatest strength of all.

• Would they? Yes (Well…maybe…probably)
  
• Should they? Yes
  

St. Louis Rams – Sam Bradford (1-6)

Following right along with my thoughts on Stafford and Ryan, I don’t think there is much of a chance that St. Louis would pull the plug on the Bradford Era already, especially considering Bradford was the NFL’s Rookie of the Year last year and just needs protection and a few good targets to showcase his pinpoint accuracy. But like Stafford and Ryan, Bradford hasn’t earned Automatic No status. So the Rams might think about it, especially considering the money, but I think they’d stick with Bradford, and I wouldn’t blame them. I still think he’s going to be a star.

• Would they? No
  
• Should they? No
  

Arizona Cardinals – Kevin Kolb (1-6)

I thought long and hard about putting Arizona in Automatic Yes territory, but would they really cut the cord on Kolb so soon after giving him a long-term deal? Of course they should, but we know how egos sometimes get in the way of sound decision making, so I just wonder if they would.

Ultimately, I think so. Larry Fitzgerald has to be watching Cam Newton resuscitate Steve Smith’s career and get horribly jealous. That’s what Kolb was supposed to do for Fitzy, but obviously he hasn’t come close. Not that Arizona should be surprised by this mind you, because Kolb is basically just doing exactly what he did in Philadelphia. What, should he have turned down the money?

I don’t think it would take Arizona very long to say yes here.

• Would they? Yes
  
• Should they? Yes

###

So, how many teams would trade their current QB for Cam Newton right now?

Okay, let’s tally up the “would they” column, as decided by me:

• No: Buffalo, New York Jets, Cincinnati, Indianapolis, Houston, San Diego, Philadelphia, Dallas, Detroit, Tampa Bay, Atlanta, St. Louis
• Yes: Baltimore, Chicago, Minnesota, San Francisco, Arizona

Combined with the automatics from up above, that means I think 14 teams would trade their current starting quarterback straight up for Cam Newton. That seems very low to me; and of course it would seem low to me because I personally project a lot of disconnect between what teams should do and what they would do were this a real rather than hypothetical situation.

If I tally it up in terms of my “should they” answers, it would look much different:

• No: Indianapolis, Houston, San Diego, Tampa Bay, Atlanta, St. Louis
• Yes: Buffalo, New York Jets, Baltimore, Cincinnati, Philadelphia, Dallas, Chicago, Detroit, Minnesota, San Francisco, Arizona

Based on what I would do in each team’s case, I think 20 teams’ QB situations would be improved immediately with Cam Newton. Maybe for a few there would be a short-term step back, but it would be worth it for the projected long-term steps forward.

But what I am really interested in here is your opinion.

Below is a poll that lists all of the teams I think are not obvious. Vote for all of the ones who you think should (not necessarily would) trade their current QB straight up for Cam Newton in our hypothetical fantasy. Then take to the comment section to state your peace or to agree/disagree with any of my assessments.

Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll.

I invite your thoughts below.

Aaron Rodgers put together another near-perfect performance for the undefeated Packers.

Cowboys rookie DeMarco Murray ran for 253 yards in relief of injured starter Felix Jones (and fumble-prone backup Tashard Choice), breaking a single-game franchise record set by Emmitt Smith in 1993.

Cam Newton continued his impressive freshman campaign, going 18-23 for 256 yards, rushing for another 59 yards, and scoring one touchdown through the air and one on the ground.

And Tim Tebow raised as many questions as he answered Sunday, struggling for much of the Broncos’ overtime win over the Dolphins before scoring 2 touchdowns and a 2-point conversion in the final 3 minutes of regulation.

These are the players whose names you read in headlines and whose highlights you saw on SportsCenter. But football is an 11-on-11 game, and most of this weekend’s winners wouldn’t have been successful without the contributions of several players who didn’t hear their names mentioned in the post-game press conference.

Here are just a few of the unsung heroes from Week 7 in the NFL:

James Anderson, Carolina Panthers linebacker

Cam Newton continued his campaign for Offensive Rookie of the Year Sunday by leading the Panthers to a 33-20 win over Washington. Steve Smith returned to 2008 form, catching 7 balls for 143 yards. But the Panthers’ offensive stars got plenty of help from players on the other side of the ball, particularly lineback James Anderson.

Anderson led Carolina in tackles with 12, including 10 solo tackles and 2 tackles for a loss, one of which was a sack of Washington QB John Beck. Anderson also recovered a fumble late in the second quarter, setting up a 45-yard field goal that gave the Panthers a 9-6 lead going into halftime.

Houston Texans offensive line

Last week the Baltimore Ravens defense sacked Texas quarterback Matt Schaub four times; two weeks ago, the Raiders sacked him thrice. Sunday, thanks to Texans tackles Duane Brown and Eric Winston and guards Wade Smith and Mike Brisiel, the Titans defenders never touched him.

The Texans went to Nashville on Sunday a half-game behind Tennessee in the AFC South. They left Tennessee with a 41-7 win and a half-game lead. In addition to protecting Schaub, the Texans’ O-line did a nice job opening lanes for Houston’s backfield tandem of Arian Foster and Ben Tate. Foster rushed for 115 yards on Sunday, Tate for 104.

If you have Arian Foster on your fantasy team, send thank you notes to the Texans offensive line. (Wade Payne/Associated Press)

Phil Dawson, Cleveland Browns placekicker

It may be a stretch to call anyone involved in Sunday’s 6–3 snoozer between Cleveland and Seattle a “hero,” unsung or otherwise. But Browns kicker Phil Dawson did everything that was asked of him and accounted for all 6 of Cleveland’s points.

The Browns’ offense didn’t make Dawson’s job easy. His first field goal attempt was from 52 yards out; the second was a 53-yarder. Dawson hit them both. Dawson also did a nice job with kick-offs. The Seahawks didn’t return any of Dawson’s kicks beyond their own 21 yard line.

Oh, and Dawson played most of the game with a bruised thigh.

Josh Scobee, Jacksonville Jaguars placekicker
Derek Cox, Jacksonville Jaguars cornerback

On Sunday the Browns’ Phil Dawson made 2 50-yard field goals. Monday night, the Jaguars’ Josh Scobee made 3, tying an NFL record. Scobee hit from 54, 54, 22, and 51 yards to score all 12 of Jacksonville’s points in Monday’s win over the Ravens.

While the Jaguars offense spent the game counting by 3s, the defense held the Ravens scoreless for nearly 58 minutes. Cornerback Derek Cox was particularly effective in containing Baltimore receivers Anquan Boldin and Torrey Smith. Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco struggled to hit Boldin and Smith down field and threw for a pedestrian 137 yards on 38 attempts.

There are kickers. And then there's Josh Scobee. (Kim Klement/US Presswire)

James Starks, Green Bay Packers running back

Even casual football fans know Aaron Rodgers, Clay Matthews, and Greg Jennings, the stars of the reigning Super Bowl-champion Green Bay Packers. But not everyone knows the Packers’ leading rusher, James Starks, who made only three appearances last season.

Starks’ numbers in Sunday’s game against Minnesota—13 carries for 75 yards—were solid but not spectacular. He accounted for 100 fewer yards than the Vikings’ Adrian Peterson. But Starks picked up three key first downs on the Packers’ final possession that clinched the game for Green Bay.

After falling behind in the first half, the Packers scored 20 points in the third quarter and led 33–17 heading into the fourth. Then the Vikings went on a run of their own, scoring a field goal and a touchdown on consecutive drives to cut the lead to 6.

With 2:30 remaining Minnesota punted from their own 36. The Vikings had a full complement of timeouts (plus the two-minute warning) and were hoping to get the ball back with time enough to score a winning touchdown. James Starks made sure that never happened.

On the first play from the Green Bay 20, Starks ran for 13 yards and a first down. The Vikings used a timeout. Two plays later, Starks ran for 20 yards and another first down, forcing the Vikings to use their final timeout. Three plays later, on 3rd and 7, Starks ran for yet another first down, enabling the Packers to run out the clock.

Virgil Green, Denver Broncos tight end

Virgil Green is listed as a tight end, but he earns his money playing special teams. And were it not for Green’s special teams heroics, no one would be fawning over Tim Tebow’s fourth-quarter performance against Miami on Sunday.

Tebow threw a 5-yard touchdown pass to Demaryius Thomas with 2:44 left in the game to cut Miami’s lead to 15–7. On the ensuing onside kick, Broncos kicker Matt Prater bounced the ball into the hands of leaping Dolphins receiver Marlon Moore. But Moore couldn’t hold onto the ball as he came down, and Green was there to pounce on it.

Green emerged from the pile with the ball, setting up Denver’s game-tying touchdown drive.

Tim Tebow should buy Virgil Green a beer. Or at least an iced tea. (Wikipedia)

Kansas City Chiefs secondary

The Oakland Raiders made headlines last week when they traded a first-round 2012 draft pick and a conditional second-round 2013 draft pick for discontented Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer. Oakland picked up Palmer to replace injured starter Jason Campbell. The Raiders made headlines on Sunday when Palmer and temporary starter Kyle Boller combined for 6 interceptions and zero touchdowns against Kansas City.

While residents of the Black Hole should be concerned about—perhaps even frightened by—their team’s quarterback play, the Chiefs secondary deserves some credit for shutting down the Raiders’ passing game.

Early in the first quarter, Chiefs safety Kendrick Lewis intercepted an errant Boller pass and took into the end zone to put the Kansas City on the board. Corner Brandon Flowers picked off Boller in the first quarter and Palmer in the fourth. He returned the second pick for a touchdown. Cornerbacks Brandon Carr and Travis Daniels and safety Jon McGraw also recorded interceptions against the Raiders on Sunday.

NFL UK

76,981 people watched the Bears beat the Buccaneers Sunday at London’s Wembley Stadium. That’s a few thousand fewer than have attended past games at Wembley. But unlike previous London games, no one knew whether this game would happen until late July. If the lockout hadn’t ended by August 1, the Week 7 game between the Bears and Bucs would have been in Tampa. Owners and players reached an agreement on July 25, leaving the NFL UK (the league’s London office) scrambling to prepare for the league’s annual international showcase. Considering the quick turnaround, 76,981 is a respectable number (especially since only a handful of NFL stadiums seat as many people).

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