Top 5 Things I Noticed This Week

#1:  The top thing I noticed this week was Baltimore’s inability to stop Carson Palmer from throwing for more than 200 yards and three touchdowns in the fourth quarter on Sunday.  The Ravens played great against the run, but the Bengals didn’t seem to mind late in the game.  What happened?  I would rather think that this game was an aberration, but could the Raven’s defense finally be tiring of carrying the whole team?  Are they simply on the field too long each game, and at the end of the season they are finally wearing down?  I think that may be the case.

#2:  Here’s a real shocker for you.  I noticed that the Eagles are the best team in the NFC.  All those people who believed that Green Bay might be the only team to be able to beat them- right.  If that happens to be true, then you might as well write in ink on your playoff pools that the Eagles will represent the NFC in the Superbowl.  The Eagles have it all, and they went out of their way to put it all on display on Sunday.

#3:  I also noticed that although Daunte Culpepper continues to have a great season for FF fans, his good fortune is not translating into team wins.  The Vikings were beat by a mediocre Chicago team that had Chad Hutchinson at QB.  Randy Moss has only played in 9 games this year and although he has 9 TD catches, he has only 34 total catches.  He needs to be more involved if they stand to have a chance.

#4:  Here’s another shocker for you- Peyton Manning knows how to throw a football.  Here is also something I noticed, though.  He’s trying too hard.  The last two games he has begun to throw interceptions along with his TDs.  I wonder if he’s pressing, and if he begins to try too hard to throw TDs, I would get concerned that it would impact the overall team performance.  He has to stay in the flow of the game.  It would be nice if we thought he could keep scoring 50 points a game, but if a good defense shows up, he has to have all the other weapons available.  The problem with Indy the last few years has not been the offense- except in big situations.

#5:  I also noticed that Tampa Bay doesn’t realize they are done for the year.  I may have to eat my words, but the 27-0 beating they gave Atlanta, in one of the ugliest games of the year, seems to revive their hopes.  But, I do not think that they will have what it takes in the playoffs.

Craziest Thing I Saw This Week and My 3 Cents on It 

The craziest thing I saw was the Washington Redskins hold the Giants to 135 total yards, and stomp them in the process.  I think they are rushing Eli Manning into the starting job, and I think they are making a huge mistake.  Warner should be the QB for this year, and part of next year, as well.