Hard to argue where anyone from 12 through 18 should go. I'd probably cautiously put the Redskins higher than the Chargers and Dolphins, but it's easy to find counterpoints as to why they shouldn't be.

If Atlanta makes it to the postseason, I wonder if they'll figure out how to win a playoff game.

Sin_City_Superhero: If Atlanta makes it to the postseason, I wonder if they'll figure out how to win a playoff game.

They're on pace to score -17 points in their first playoff game this year.

IAmRight: Hmmm both Houston and NY Giants moved up a spot from No. 3 to No. 2 and no one was No. 2 last week? Weird.

/it'll probably be fixed before anyone sees this

The whole "upper class" is screwy. The 2-5 teams all moved up by 1 but Baltimore only fell 2 spots? Doesn't seem to make sense.

I honestly think you have to put Green Bay ahead of Baltimore right now. The Packers looked dominant in beating two quality teams over the past two weeks, while the Ravens haven't looked dominant since week 1.

The Green Bay domination was the best thing to happen to the Texans. It showed them their weaknesses and they definitely worked on it before the Baltimore game. That was just an utter domination from the safety onward.

The Saints' offense is spectacular, but that defense has got to do something. Josh Freeman absolutely shredded the Saints D and they were lucky to escape that game with a win.

IAmRight: Hmmm both Houston and NY Giants moved up a spot from No. 3 to No. 2 and no one was No. 2 last week? Weird.

/it'll probably be fixed before anyone sees this

In "how they voted" the Giants got three 2's and two 3's. The Texans, two 2's and three 3's. It should be Giants at #2 and Texans at #3.

Top 20 team!

I vote we quit using ESPN for these dicussions until they stop with the lame auto-play video.

downstairs: I vote we quit using ESPN for these dicussions until they stop with the lame auto-play video.

Nabb1: The Saints' offense is spectacular, but that defense has got to do something. Josh Freeman absolutely shredded the Saints D and they were lucky to escape that game with a win.


Yeah, unfortunately I'm thinking 8-8 this year.  And with the Falcons start, there's no way we're winning the division.
 
Sigh.

Aarontology: downstairs: I vote we quit using ESPN for these dicussions until they stop with the lame auto-play video.


Oh, which starts after I've scrolled halfway down the list.

IAmRight: Also, Baltimore should probably be around the 10 range, given all the injuries and the fact that Flacco just isn't that good and Cam Cameron continually forgets to use Ray Rice.

As a Ravens' fan, I can't even see them that high. They've had one good game this year (Cincinnati), the rest of their wins have been based purely on luck. That they had such a close game against Philly was lucky (or predictable, depending on your views toward Vick's skills). They should be 1-6. They should be ranked about 20th in the Power Polls. Their defense is a shell of its former self. Sure, you can try to blame injuries and free-agency losses, but that would give an excuse to poor secondary coverage and weak tackling. They'd be hard-pressed to scare a troop of Girl Scouts. Their offense is laughable. I've been a big defender of Cameron over the years. This year has stopped that cheer leading. Don't even get me started on Pees.

IAmRight: Baltimore should probably be around the 10 range

Who else besides Green Bay do you put ahead of them? New England, who lost H2H to Baltimore & needed overtime to knock off the Jets? Minnesota? Pittsburgh? Seattle? #7 works for Baltimore, at least until we drop a few more games.

IAmRight: Flacco just isn't that good

Flacco is a champ at home. He just forgets how to quarterback when he's too far away from Mom/Ellio's.

IAmRight: Cam Cameron continually forgets to use Ray Rice

Rice is 8th in the league in rushing (11th in carries) and only Darren Sproles has more receptions as a RB (they have the same number of targets). Ray is 2nd only to Adrian Peterson in yards from scrimmage...I don't really have a problem with the workload they're giving him, and in Sunday's case there's only so many times you're down 30+.

downstairs: Oh, which starts after I've scrolled halfway down the list.

I've started to avoid ESPN for the most part because of the auto-play stuff. The power rankings are about the only thing I still go there for.

downstairs: I vote we quit using ESPN for these dicussions until they stop with the lame auto-play video.

Adblock plus works wonders on that.

downstairs: I vote we quit using ESPN for these dicussions until they stop with the lame auto-play video.

Flash block

Harv72b: downstairs: I vote we quit using ESPN for these dicussions until they stop with the lame auto-play video.

Adblock plus works wonders on that.

Most offices don't allow you to install that. I've got it at home, but work is a no-go.

That's why I leave headphones plugged in all the time, prevents those stupid auto-play videos from blasting out to the whole office

So how do you come back from a dismal 6-8 performance in week 6? You nail down 10 of 13 this time around, with two of your losses coming via bone-headed plays in the final minutes of their respective games and the other just being a homer pick that you knew was probably going to be wrong, but had to make anyway. Seriously, though: Buffalo, Washington...fark you. Fark you with a whale dong in your idiotic, choking bungholes. Do you have any idea what 12-1 would feel like? No, of course you don't because you're the farking Buffalo Bills and the Washington farking Redskins. You exist solely to get the hopes of your fans up, year after agonizing year, only to send them crashing back to earth faster than an ultra-light piloted by the Honey Boo Boo family. You're like the horse that crashes out of the gate like a champion and then stops to take a shiat halfway through the race. You are the third part of the Godfather trilogy, and you should be ashamed of yourselves. Well, except for you, Robert Griffin, because you're the greatest thing to happen to football since cheerleaders.

Link to the original post if anyone's interested.

Seattle Seahawks at San Francisco 49ers:
Aside from a gross overestimation on the number of points, I pretty much nailed this. All the scheduling symmetry remains, and as a bonus I even came within 1 point of nailing the final spread. And while I realize that Alex Smith and Russell Wilson are not exactly Canton candidates at this point in their careers, 262 combined passing yards is pretty lame. 1-0

Tennessee Titans at Buffalo Bills:
So you have the ball at your own 39 yard-line, 3rd & 7, 3 minutes left in the game and a 6 point lead. You've already rushed for 166 yards in the game and you have a dude on your team who averages more than 7 yards/carry on the season. Your quarterback is Ryan Fitzpatrick. WHY THE FARK DO YOU THROW THE BALL??? Buffalo's defense had actually stopped the Titans on three consecutive drives at that point in the game, and had allowed just one score in the second half. Well, for some reason Fitzpatrick drops back, throws, gets picked off, and the rest is history Buffalo. 1-1

Dallas Cowboys at Carolina Panthers:
Surprisingly enough, a game between the two lowest-scoring teams in the conference ended with only three touchdowns being scored between both sides. The sophomore slump for Cam Newton continues, while the Cowboys continue to struggle with getting the ball into the end zone. A win is a win, but at some point Dallas will have to discover an offense if they want to contend. 2-1

Baltimore Ravens at Houston Texans:
In all honesty I expected this loss. Houston is a good, balanced team, and the Ravens are not (at least, not without Ray Lewis or Lardarius Webb on the defense). I definitely did not expect a 43-13 drubbing, though, and I doubt anyone else other than the most ardent Texans fan would have. What's really puzzling is Joe Flacco's Jekyll & Hyde act in games played at home vs. those on the road: Flacco maintains a sterling 106.6 passer rating in his four starts in Baltimore this season, but plunges to a 55.9 on the road. 2-2

Cleveland Browns at Indianapolis Colts:
So Brandon Weeden actually out-passed Andrew Luck on Sunday, throwing for more yards, a higher completion percentage, and 2 touchdowns vs. Luck's zero. The Colts' rookie did better on the ground, though, running for two scores, while Indy's defense...well, saying "kept the Browns in check" is kinda like stating "holds the grass down", but whatever. 3-2

Arizona Cardinals at Minnesota Vikings:
For once, I not only got the pick itself right but also nailed the logic behind it. Christian Ponder completed just 8 passes for 58 yards (unless you count throws completed to the Cardinals), but Adrian Peterson dominated on the ground and the Vikings' defense did the rest. 4-2

Washington Redskins at New York Giants:
How? The fark? Do you? Give up? A 77-yard touchdown pass? While nursing a 3-point lead? With 83 farking seconds left in the game???? Honorable mention goes to Santana Moss for coughing up RG3's chances to lead another "game-winning" drive in the final two minutes, but seriously...there is no way you can surrender the deep ball in that scenario, and even less way you can allow it to go for the score. Every Washington defensive back on the field for that play should dock himself a game's pay and personally apologize to me for spoiling my second consecutive epic upset pick. Or just donate those checks to me, that'll work too. 4-3

Green Bay Packers at St. Louis Rams:
I seriously doubt Aaron Rodgers throws another 6 touchdowns here (St. Louis has only allowed 4 TD passes all season), but if he can lead the Pack to 24 points it should be enough.
Rodgers discount double-checked his way to three TD passes, and the 30-20 final proved me conclusively correct on that 24-point prediction. I love it when a plan comes together. 5-3

New Orleans Saints at Tampa Bay Buccaneers:
A second straight monster game for Josh Freeman kept this one close, but as predicted Drew Brees and the Saints' passing game was just too much for Tampa Bay to handle. There were two rather surprising events in the game, however: New Orleans actually ran for a touchdown (only their third of the season), and nobody scored for the entire third quarter. 6-3

New York Jets at New England Patriots:
Okay, so the Patriots won and predictably a Mark Sanchez miscue ended the game in OT, but as a New England fan I would have to be mortified by the fact that their secondary allowed Sanchez to complete nearly 70% of his passes, while throwing for over 300 yards for the just 7th time in his 54-game career. That performance so addled the brain of commentator Jim Nantz that he thought New York had actually won the game. 7-3

Jacksonville Jaguars at Oakland Raiders:
The battle of this conference's two lowest-scoring teams offered up quite a few more points than the NFC version, but oh, the poor Jaguars. As if the offense wasn't offensive enough, Maurice Jones-Drew is out at least through next weekend & possibly quite a bit longer with a foot injury, and Chad Henne actually found a way not to create a quarterback controversy after coming in for injured starter Blaine Gabbert. All this while the Raiders somehow managed to barely beat Jacksonville. 8-3

Pittsburgh Steelers at Cincinnati Bengals:
So with injuries to their top two running backs Pittsburgh turns to Jonathan Dwyer, who managed 123 yards on 16 carries last season. And of course Dwyer rushes for 122 on 17 attempts in this one, providing a much-needed respite for Ben Roethlisberger and the Steelers' receivers. Andy Dalton had a day best forgotten, completing just 14 of 28 passes for 105 yards, while A.J. Green caught just one throw for an 8-yard touchdown. 9-3

Detroit Lions at Chicago Bears:
Just like everyone expected, Matthew Stafford and Jay Cutler combined for 1 turnover in a 13-7 Bears victory. Seriously, though, what on earth happened to the Lions' hands (paws?)? Six fumbles (3 lost) in a single game would be bad even for Philadelphia. 10-3

Aarontology: downstairs: Oh, which starts after I've scrolled halfway down the list.

I've started to avoid ESPN for the most part because of the auto-play stuff. The power rankings are about the only thing I still go there for.


For awhile they were also doing it on the damn "todays MLB scores" page.  Which is the last place it should be.
 
Now, if you want to have a non-auto-play video associated with an article... go nuts.

Buffalo has the NFL's worst run defense (176.9 yards per game) after letting Chris Johnson run wild. (Hensley) offensive strategy in the league.

Honestly, how do you not keep feeding the ball to those running backs? Just like I saw versus the Cardinals. They had been moving the ball just fine near the end of the game to win it outright, then lined up in a wild cat formation, ran it, and then the idiot heave hoed it to the end zone for an interception. This time, replace Cardinals with Titans and wild card with standard set and dumbass quarterback for ... the other one and you get a similar outcome. This time, however, nobody missed a chip shot field goal.

Is this what it feels like to be a Browns fan?

downstairs: Nabb1: The Saints' offense is spectacular, but that defense has got to do something. Josh Freeman absolutely shredded the Saints D and they were lucky to escape that game with a win.


Yeah, unfortunately I'm thinking 8-8 this year.  And with the Falcons start, there's no way we're winning the division.
 
Sigh.

IF the Saints won out - and that would be a twelve game winning streak, and they did that plus one more back in 2009 with a number of close calls, so it is certainly plausible - that would include two victories over the Falcons, so if they lost two more games in addition to that, the Saints would own the tie-breaker and then the division is won. I don't see that happening, though, largely because this defense and this team bear more resemblance to the 2008 team that couldn't close out enough games as opposed to the 2009 team that could. (Anyone remember "Finish Strong" from that season.) What bothered me most about the final quarter of the game on Sunday was the offense's inability to pick up that last first down that would have pretty much sealed the deal without any further drama. The offense MUST make those conversions to have any chance of winning a wild card spot because this defense can not be handed a one-score lead to protect in the closing minutes. The play calling on second and third down on the last Saints' possession drove me insane. I'm not going to put too much stock in the total yards given up statistic. The defense under Greg Williams gave up tons of yards but performed well in the red zone and managed to keep points off the board enough even when an opponent drove on them to make a difference. In this game, the Saints had two busted plays that gashed them - the 95-yard reception that Jenkins chased down and kept out of the endzone by an ass hair and the 36-yard rushing TD. And I would point out they negated that 95-yard catch with an incredible defensive stand, so yards given up don't mean a whole lot to me. South Carolina didn't give up 200 yards to Florida over the weekend and got absolutely clobbered.

Aarontology: downstairs: I vote we quit using ESPN for these dicussions until they stop with the lame auto-play video.

We can't change horses mid-stream. People have suggested we use different sources for our power rankings over the years & it almost always comes back to this: it's not that we think ESPN is the smartest or the coolest. They're the derpiest & therefore we have more ammo to make fun of them with.

It wouldn't be any fun if they were legitimate.

In before WHAR GRAF?

 

Link to bigger

Di Atribe: Aarontology: downstairs: I vote we quit using ESPN for these dicussions until they stop with the lame auto-play video.

We can't change horses mid-stream. People have suggested we use different sources for our power rankings over the years & it almost always comes back to this: it's not that we think ESPN is the smartest or the coolest. They're the derpiest & therefore we have more ammo to make fun of them with.

It wouldn't be any fun if they were legitimate.

In before WHAR GRAF?

[i.imgur.com image 850x1039] 

Link to bigger

You have Giants and Texans tied.

WHAR GRA...


Di Atribe: In before WHAR GRAF?

Dammit.

Oh. So do they. Weird. Never mind.

Nadie_AZ: You have Giants and Texans tied.

Probably because up until recently, so did ESPN.

Gecko Gingrich: Nadie_AZ: You have Giants and Texans tied.

Probably because up until recently, so did ESPN.

That doesn't really make much sense. It was better when they were tied. So the Texans were #2 on the list last week, utterly dominate Baltimore in every aspect of the game (well, minus special teams defense), and drop a spot? Meanwhile the Giants barely squeak by with a win agains the 'Skins, and they move up?

Nadie_AZ: Oh. So do they. Weird. Never mind.

Yeah, I just refreshed & it's fixed. Very weird. I'll change it in the "real" graph for accuracy's sake. I don't feel like uploading it to imgur again, though.

 

Welcome one and all to my new quiz-show NAME THAT PLAYER. I've taken some of the choicest cuts of statistical goodness and assembled them into a Fill In The Blank questions. It's your responsibility to guess who the statistical leader (or laggard) is for these semi obscure but surprisingly relevant stats. No looking on your classmate's papers, no shouting out the answers. Please write down how many answers you got right, and then shove it up your ass because I don't care how you did.

Today's quiz is 15 questions. Three categories. QBs, RBs, and Teams. Answers at the end. No peeking!

Section 1: Name that QB.

Question 1: If you're going to do a collection of statistical comparisons, why not start by comparing the stat that actually moves the chains, sustain drives, and keeps the other QB off the field? This QB leads the NFL in 3rd Down Conversions for passes at all distances.
Hint: This guy is no rookie, but he replaced one.

Question 2: Speaking of drive-sustaining, let's we look at the guy who has killed the most drives late in games so far this season. Let's consider this the anti-clutch award. This QB leads the league in 2nd half INTs.
Hint: This guy used to wear purple.

Question 3: We can't talk anti-clutch without awarding "clutch". Much has been said about a certain NY Quarterback about his "clutch" attributes this season but surprisingly Mr. Manning has not been the most accurate passer in late & close game situations. If you need a pass completed in a late and close game, this is your guy.
Hint: His TE had a unique injury to start the season.

Question 4: We all love the DAGRON passes, but the stat sheets lie about exactly how far that ball traveled in the air. Sometimes they're 40 yard bombs that fall into the receiver's hands. Other times that 40 yard pass was a 5 yard dump off. This QB has put his receivers in position to get Yards After Catch better than anyone in the league.
Hint: He's near the bottom of the "wins" stat.

Question 5: Antonio Brown is not a QB, but this week he attempted a pass which fell incomplete. This qualifies him for a QB Rating of 39.6, representing both how absurd the QB Rating can be, and also a mark for futility. Two starting QBs managed to finish the week without eclipsing Antonio Brown's mark as a passer... and one of them actually won! This guy was the losing QB.
Hint: Drafted by the Baltimore Orioles.


Section 2: Name That RB

Question 1: Much like the "Name that QB" section, we start with the chain mover. This guy churns his legs and falls over that yellow line more than anyone else in the game. Note that this is not percentage of rushes that are first downs, but total first downs secured by rushing.
Hint: Wears a jersey with identical numbers.

Question 2: Establishing the running game is important for every team not named the Green Bay Packers. While the "3 yards and a cloud of dust" result worked for some of the grinders back in the good old days, now the mark of a great RB is his ability to break the big plays. This RB has the most rushes of 10 yards or more so far this season.
Hint: Scored a "6" on his wonderlic test.

Question 3: Sure, big plays are nice and piling up first downs is good. But if you want a couple of hard yards on 3rd and short, you gotta have that bruiser that can just fall forward instead of dancing around behind the line like Barry Sanders on bath salts. A few players have converted 100% of their 3rd and short opportunities, but this guy has converted 8 out of 8 attempts making him the most successful short yardage bruiser so far this season.
Hint: Won both the Jim Brown and Doak Walker awards in 2008.

Question 4: Let's say that you're putting together a team. You're tired of Running By Committee. You want that Emmitt Smith type RB that will give you consistent production. You want a guy that keeps hitting the exhausted defenses and doesn't slow down. You want somebody with the highest YPC after 20 carries in every game. You want this guy.
Hint: Hit opposing defenses and teammates this week.

Question 5: You didn't think all the RB awards were going to be good, did you? This week, one back in particular stood out as a model of futility. 3 yards and a cloud of dust would have been a significant upgrade for this player, who walked out of week 7 with the worst yards per carry (minimum 10 carries). You can blame the offensive line, but this guy was the worst of week 7.
Hint: It was definitely not for lack of a passing game.


Section 3: Name That Team

Question 1: Some say that a balanced attack is the most important thing to a good offense. Some teams believe the run is used to set up the pass. Some teams run just to keep the defense "honest". This team says, "Fark that, we're gonna run and we're going to cram this ball down your throat." This team leads the NFL in percentage of running plays, bucking the trend of the NFL being a "pass first league".
Hint: Also highest % of trolling plays.

Question 2: Rushing as a high percentage of your plays might be good, but actually rushing for the most yards means more points, more time of possession, and more of the pretty stats people like to gawk at. This team offers a lot to gawk at, leading the NFL in total rushing yards from scrimmage.
Hint: Two rookies.

Question 3: Drops are drive-killers. They're career-killers. They're game killers. The worst thing for a QB is to hit his receiver in the hands and have it repulsed like a woman who saw Joe Flacco with his helmet off. In a week where drops came at absolutely crucial times, we turn our attention to which team has the most drops up to this point in the season. As a team, which squad is the alligator-armiest, the stone-handsiest, the Braylon-Edwardsiest?
Hint: 1st in most statistical categories, including this less-than-positive one.

Question 4: Which fantasy RB should you start this week? How about next week? And the week after that? Simply put, this team has the worst rush defense in the league in terms of yards allowed, and is subsequently getting their face stomped in by pretty much anyone who can hold a ball and propel themselves forward.
Hint: Considering this ranking, things look UUUUGGGGLLLLYYYYY for them next week.

Question 5: I know that nobody cares about anyone's fantasy team. But if your opponent is starting his #1 RB against any squad, you probably want it to be the best rush defense in the league. And these guys are the best in terms of rushing yards allowed. There's nothing more satisfying than staring at a matchup screen and seeing some stud RB put up 2 points because your opponent doesn't look at matchups.
Hint: Not exactly the defense's fault they're losing, but cry me a river.

Answers below!

Alright, pencils down. Here are your answers.

Section 1:
1. Best % First Downs on 3rd Down - Matt Hasselbeck (54.2%)
2. 2nd Half Interceptions (season) - Andy Dalton (7)
3. Pass Completion Percentage, Late & Close Game - Tony Romo (81.8%)
4. YAC Attack (season) - Brandon Weeden (1014 Yards After Catch)
5. Lower QB Rating than Antonio Brown (39.6) - Russell Wilson (38.7)

Section 2:
1. Most running 1st Downs - Stevan Ridley (41)
2. Big Play Rushes >10 yards - Frank Gore (23)
3. Best 3rd and Short Back - Shonn Greene (100%, 8/8)
4. Yds/Carry 21+ Carries - Ahmad Bradshaw (7.2)
5. Worst y/carry Week 7 (min 10 carries) - Alex Green (20 rush, 35 yards 1.8ypc)

Section 3:
1. Highest rushing percentage - Seattle Seahawks (54.6%)
2. Rushing Yards (combined) - Washington Redskins 1,244
3. Butterfingers Team - New England Patriots (19 dropped passes)
4. Worst Rush Defense - Bills (176.9 yards/game)
5. Best Rush Defense - Chargers (71.2 yards/game)

robsul82: Instead, both candidates remained shamefully silent, twiddling their thumbs as Fark Sports burned

Bwaaaaaaaahahaha! An early Jake! YES it's just like Christmas!

Also, graph 2 4 u



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