I don't want to toot my own horn, but this makes three straight wins over Dylan for me. The last two weeks I've won ugly though. Kind of like the 49ers have. I only say that because it seems to put some of you guys off when I say the 49ers won or will win ugly.
Dylan gets major props this week though. He got his picks in despite a pretty major power outage in Connecticut because of Hurricane Irene. He told me it was because of something called "noreaster," but I'm from California and have no idea what he is talking about. Either way, that's Ahmad Brooks toughness right there, at least in the blogging world.
This time it was the Saints and Chargers who messed up our picks, which I guess is a nice change of pace from the Eagles and Ravens. I finished the week 9-4 while Dylan posted a record of 8-5. That's what he gets for putting his faith in Curtis Painter.
Derek's Record Last Week: 9-4
Derek's Overall Record: 81-33
Dylan's Record Last Week: 8-5
Dylan's Overall Record: 23-15
Derek: The Bills have a pretty nice homefield advantage going on in Buffalo and Ryan Fitzpatrick has done a very nice job so far this year. Because of Mark Sanchez, I don't think the Jets will have enough offense to beat the Bills. Their running game hasn't been great either. The Bills have a pretty nice balanced offensive attack with Fred Jackson, who is threat in the running and passing game.
Winner: Bills
Dylan: Ryan Fitzpatrick has been playing pretty well for the Bills this season, helping to turn his team into a contender. But the Jets secondary, led by Darrelle Revis, has been a strength at times. This game could be close but I think the Bills are blue collar while the Jets are more Hollywood.
Winner: Bills
Seattle Seahawks @ Dallas Cowboys
Derek: Besides the Tarvaris Jackson to Sidney White combination, the Seahawks don't have much going for them on offense. Marshawn Lynch hasn't had many holes to run through and is averaging just 3.6 yards per carry.Their pass protection has been suspect at best this season, which means DeMarcus Ware could have a field day. Seattle is solid against the run, but is more susceptible to the pass, which plays to the Cowboys strengths.
Winner: Cowboys
Dallas needs a win, pure and simple. I think they take their frustrations out on the Seattle Seahawks. DeMarcus Ware has been on fire already this season and Seattle has problems with protection. The defensive performs alone for Dallas will help them win the game. As long as Tony Romo just doesn’t blow it.
Winner: Cowboys
Atlanta Falcons @ Indianapolis Colts
Derek: The only time the Colts are mentioned is to discuss the Andrew Luck or Peyton Manning debate. That says a lot about the performance of this team.
Winner: Falcons
Dylan: Indianapolis is a mess without Peyton Manning and Atlanta needs to collect wins wherever they can in the competitive NFC South division. I expect the Colts to remain winless after this week with the entire Falcons team having great fantasy days. Should be pretty one-sided in Indy.
Winner: Falcons
Miami Dolphins @ Kansas City Chiefs
Derek: The Chiefs are rolling. Before beating the Chargers they didn't have any quality wins, but with the help of Phillip Rivers pulling a Tony Romo, they finally beat a quality opponent. The emergence of Jonathan Baldwin gives them three legitimate threats at wide receiver with Dwyane Bowe and Steve Breaston. The Chiefs will make it five straight wins against the hapless Dolphins, who aren't even worth talking about at this point.
Winner: Chiefs
Dylan: The beard stays. Kansas City is on a winning streak and hosting the winless Miami Dolphins. The Dolphins can’t seem to do anything right and the organization is already thinking about next year. The Chiefs are likely to get help from Miami to get a lead in the AFC West where they are currently tied with San Diego and Oakland at 4-3.
Winner: Chiefs
Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ New Orleans Saints
Derek: The Buccaneers did beat the Saints in their first meeting but beating them in New Orleans is another level. Not to mention the Saints are coming off of a terrible loss to the Rams. After a fantastic sophomore campaign, Josh Freeman has been very inconsistent this year and has already thrown 10 interceptions this season after only throwing six last year. I can't see the Saints losing this game.
Winner: Saints
Dylan: Drew Brees and the Saints need to get it together; last week’s display was absolutely horrendous. This was once a Super Bowl team not long ago, and if they intend on returning any time soon, they better start acting like it. I think Brees and the Saints get a win against a division rival when they need it.
Winner: Saints
San Francisco 49ers @ Washington Redskins
Derek: The Redskins offense is about as bad as the Browns offense the 49ers faced last week. They are on the road, but they have shown that is not be an issue against better opponents this season. The 49ers will shut down the running game and force John Beck to beat them. The only problem for the Redskins is John Beck has never beaten anyone in the NFL. He is winless as a starter.
Winner: 49ers
Dylan: The 49ers have officially caught fire at this point in the season, and I think they extend that streak on the road against the Redskins. Returning to Maryland, I expect Vernon Davis to break out against Washington after being relatively quiet the past couple games. And the Niners defense should have a big day against a inconsistent Skins offense.
Winner: 49ers
Cleveland Browns @ Houston Texans
Derek: Speaking of the Browns...They have no chance of beating the Texans. Under Wade Phillips the Texans defense is much improved, even though it doesn't have to be against the Browns. Watching their form of the West Coast offense is vomit-inducing.
Winner: Texans
Dylan: With Andre Johnson and Peyton Hillis both ruled out, both of these teams will be without their most dynamic player. Houston functions more capably without Johnson than Cleveland does without Hillis. Not to say that the Texans couldn’t use the services of perhaps the best receiver in the league, but they are a well built football team.
Winner: Texans
Cincinnati Bengals @ Tennessee Titans
Derek: It could be because Dylan and I have picked the same team to win in every game so far, but I'm going to go with the Titans here. I think Chris Johnson finally gets it going and the Titans solid defense forces Andy Dalton into some rookie mistakes. Either way, I think this is going to be a low-scoring affair.
Winner: Titans
Dylan: The Bengal’s defense has been surprisingly good this year and the Dalton-Green connection has been getting increasingly fun to watch develop. For some reason Chris Johnson just hasn’t been able to get it going this season for the Titans – I think Cincy gets a road win here.
Winner: Bengals
St. Louis Rams @ Arizona Cardinals
Derek: I'm not going to lie. I wrote St. Louis Cardinals and had to correct myself. And that's all the analysis I can provide here.
Winner: Cardinals
Dylan: St. Louis looked good with Steven Jackson back in the lineup, and the Arizona defense is questionable at best. If the Rams run the ball and play good enough defense, it should be theirs for the taking.
Winner: Rams
Denver Broncos @ Oakland Raiders
Derek: I think Carson Palmer is a shell of himself. That being said, he is going up against Tim Tebow, who is a shell of nothing. I have a new fantasy football protocol. I will start whichever defense is playing against Tim Tebow that week if they are available. This may be the first and last week I get to do that unfortunately.
Winner: Raiders
Dylan: As long as Denver is committed to Tim Tebow, I’m going to have to pick the opposing team. Even though Carson Palmer is getting readjusted, I think the Raiders should be able to pull this one out at home.
Winner: Raiders
New York Giants @ New England Patriots
Derek: As long as Stephen Gostowski doesn't have to perform an onside kick i think the Patriots are going to be alright. The Giants do have some great pass rushers on their team though, which could make this game an interesting one.
Winner: Patriots
Dylan: The New England Patriots don’t lose twice in a row. This should be agreat, competitive game but Tom Brady should lead the Pats to a win in Foxborough.
Winner: Patriots
Green Bay Packers @ San Diego Chargers
Derek: Ryan Matthews is questionable for the game, which is bad news for both the Chargers and the Alex Smith is My God's (my fantasy team). The Packers have looked unstoppable this year. I think that will continue and Norv Turner's seat gets a little bit hotter.
Winner: Packers
Dylan: Aaron Rodgers is playing on another level right now, and I believe he is capable of taking the Packers to an undefeated season this year. The Chargers just had a devastating loss last week against the Chiefs and I think they get handed another one this week.
Winner: Packers
Baltimore Ravens @ Pittsburgh Steelers
Derek: A lot has changed since the Ravens embarrassed the Steelers opening weekend. The Ravens offense, specifically Joe Flacco, is taking a lot of heat. The Steelers are rolling right now, but not in traditional fashion. Ben Roethlisberger is on pace for over 4.500 passing yards this season. He has passed for over 4,000 yards just once in his career. Their offense is clicking and their defense is still very good. I think the Steelers continue to roll and the Ravens continue to falter.
Winner: Steelers
Dylan: To answer your question, ESPN…Ed Reed > Troy Polamalu.
Winner: Ravens
Chicago Bears @ Philadelphia Eagles
Derek: The Eagles are starting to come around. Their secondary looks improved and Mike Vick is looking more like the quarterback we saw last year. The Bears have struggled all year protecting Jay Cutler and the Eagles have two great edge rushers in Trent Cole and Jason Babin. I have a feeling Jay Cutler will have at least one of them in face on Sunday.
Winner: Eagles
Dylan: Chicago has had their good games and they’ve had their bad ones. The pattern seems to be, the Bears have good games when Matt Forte has good games. With the Eagles run defense being as susceptible as it has, I
believe if the Bears gameplan this one right, they could upset Philadelphia at home.
Winner: Bears