Denver Broncos: The Denver Broncos have started the season 3-0 for the first time since 2003 after beating the New Orleans Saints on Sunday. Denver has been scoring points like crazy and is averaging 38 points a game right now. Jay Cutler and Brandon Marshall have been leading the way for the Broncos. Cutler has a 110.6 QB Rating having completed 67.6% of his passes for 914 yards and 8 TDs. Meanwhile, Brandon Marshall has just been a straight up beast since coming back from a one game suspension and has a ridiculous 24 catches and 321 yards, while hauling in 2 TD passes from Cutler. It might just be me but when I watch Brandon Marshall play, I can't help but think of him as a young T.O., except for the fact he's actually taller and bigger than Owens. This is certainly one scary team on offense, however their defense has been just as scary as evidenced by the 506 yards of offense they gave up to the Saints. On the season, Denver is giving up a 421 yards (106 rushing, 315 passing) and 28 points a game, which is definitely not good enough for them to expect to win a Super Bowl this season. If teams start to figure out how to slow down their offense, the Broncos should come down to Earth a little. However, with most of the top teams in the AFC still trying to find their identity, the Broncos certainly have as good of a chance as any team to win the AFC this season.
Tennessee Titans: The Titans have also started 3-0 this season, which is just the third time in franchise history. The Titans have been led by their outstanding defense, which ranks third in the league allowing only 240 yards per game and a league low 9.7 points. The have racked up 11 sacks, 7 interceptions, and a blocked punt, while scoring 2 TDs. Looking at their roster, it is no surprise they have been so dominant on defense. I can't even say that their is a leader of this defense because it is stacked both up front and in the secondary. Albert Haynesworth is certainly the anchor up front but he is also joined by defensive ends Javon Kearse and Kyle Vanden Bosch. The linebacker core has two underrated players in Keith Bullock and ex-Colt David Thornton, while the secondary features Cortland Finnegan, Michael Griffin, Chris Hope, and Nick Harper. Defensive lineman Tony Brown and linebacker Ryan Fowler have also been impressive so far. On the offensive side of the ball, this team is definitely lacking playmakers other than rookie RB Chris Johnson. So while the defense has been dominating so far, it's yet to be seen if their offense will be good enough to lead them deep into the playoffs. Kerry Collins may have over 35,000 yards passing and may be a slight upgrade over Vince Young, but I still wouldn't bet on him being able to lead this team into the Super Bowl. It's really a shame too, because I think their defense is Super Bowl caliber and if their offense can be efficient for the rest of the season, then I would say they would be my favorites in the AFC.
Pittsburgh Steelers: After Tom Brady went down for the season, many people thought that the Steelers would have a clear path to the Super Bowl. However, I do not believe this to be true at all. The Steelers have a ridiculously tough schedule that still includes games against the Cowboys, Giants, Redskins, Colts, Chargers, Patriots, Jaguars, and Titans. Having that tough of a schedule means even if they win the division, they most likely will have to go on the road in the playoffs, where they are a far worse team. Not to mention that Ben Roethlisberger is already banged up and after getting sacked 8 times by the Eagles he eventually had to leave the game with a injured throwing hand. I would be surprised if Roethlisberger makes it through the season without missing any games, because the Steelers have allowed 49 sacks in their last 13 games, which means he is going to continued to get hit. As much as I loved the Browns off-season moves, another reason I picked them to win the division over the Steelers was because of the Steelers weakened offensive line. So far it doesn't look like those moves are going to pay off for the Browns, but the Steelers offensive line issues haven't gone away either. I still believe the winner of this division will win 9 or 10 games at the most.
Cleveland Browns: Now we get to those Browns that I picked to win the AFC North, who have started the season at 0-3. Here is what I said about the Browns in my NFL preview: I love the moves the Browns made in the offseason but if Derek Anderson turns out to be a fluke then all bets are off. As you can see from that comment, I was a little worried about Derek Anderson being a fluke last year when he had such a miraculous season for the Browns. Well, seems like last year might have been a fluke for Anderson because he has been the reason why the Browns are 0-3 right now and I would have to say: ALL BETS ARE OFF. Anderson has completed only 46.2% of his passes and thrown 5 interceptions and only 2 TDs, while being sacked 8 times. Right now his QB rating is the worst of any NFL starter at 43.5. Certainly the Browns still have some time to turn things around, but how long will it be before Anderson is removed for Brady Quinn? You would think that time is getting near and next week against the Bengals might not be a bad time to start him because the rest of their schedule is brutal. The Browns schedule looks to be actually harder than the Steelers with remaining games against the Giants, Eagles, Redskins, Titans, Colts, Jaguars, Bills, Broncos, and Steelers. At this point, I would not be shocked to see the Ravens and their ridiculous defense lead them to a 9-7 record and division title despite starting rookie QB Joe Flacco. As crazy as it seems, if Roethlisberger gets hurt at any point and the Browns don't turn it around, don't be surprised if the Ravens are the last team standing in the AFC North.
Buffalo Bills: With everyone talking about the dynamic offense of the Patriots and the arrival of Brett Favre to the Jets, the forgotten team in the AL East was the Buffalo Bills. Since the Patriots were a lock to win the division with a healthy Tom Brady and the Jets made a major move to acquire Favre, it was reasonable to think that the Bills would not have a chance to make the playoffs despite the possibility of having a solid team. Well now that they are off to their first 3-0 start since 1992, after a thrilling 4th quarter comeback at home against the Raiders, I don't think anyone will be overlooking the Bills any longer. The main reason for the Bills improvement this season is the solid play at QB from Trent Edwards. The Bills have been looking for consistent play at QB since Jim Kelly retired, going through QBs such as Doug Flutie, Drew Bledsoe, JP Losman, Kelly Holcomb, Rob Johnson, and Todd Collins. Edwards may finally be the QB that sticks and leads this team to the playoffs. Matched with a balanced running attack led by Marshawn Lynch, Edwards has completed an impressive 67% of his passes for 733 yards and 3 TDs, while throwing only one interception. With a 96.6 QB Rating, Edwards might be the most improved player in the league and the Bills should continue to be playoff contenders all year long because of it.
Other NFL News:
- The Eagles had some injury issues despite their win over the Steelers on Sunday, as both Brian Westbrook and Donovan McNabb had to leave the game with injuries. Westbrook is day-to-day with ankle sprain and McNabb missed some time with a bruised chest but should be able to play against the Bears next week.
- The Saints passing game took another hit on Sunday because Jeremy Shockey is going to miss 3-6 weeks with a sports hernia. The Saints are already without star WR Marques Colston, who is out with a broken thumb for at least another month.
- Jason Taylor is going to miss this week's game with the Cowboys because of swelling in his leg. Taylor has started 133 games in a row and will be missing an important game with Dallas.
- Green Bay cornerback Al Harris may have a ruptured spleen and he is currently undergoing medical tests to see if that is the case. If he does indeed have a ruptured spleen then it would be season ending. His agent has said that it is likely he will miss the season.
- Larry Johnson passed Super Tecmo Bowl legend Christian Okoye for second place on the Chiefs all-time rushing list and now has 4,981 career rushing yards. The Chiefs all-time leader in rushing is Priest Holmes with 6,070 yards.
- Donovan McNabb passed Ron Jaworski for the Eagles record for TD passes, when he completed his 176th TD pass to Correll Buckhalter.
- Did you ever think that Brian Griese would throw 67 passes in a game? That total is the 5th highest amount of pass attempts in a single game in NFL history. I wouldn't have been shocked if Griese didn't throw 67 more passes the rest of his career coming into this season, nevermind in one game.
Fantasy Stars of the Week:
Ronnie Brown: 113 yards rushing, 5 TDs(4 rushing, 1 passing)
Michael Turner: 104 yards rushing, 3 TDs
Reggie Bush: 73 yards rushing, 75 yards receiving, 2 TD(1 rushing, 1 receiving)
Fantasy Waiver Wire Pickups of the Week:
Brandon Lloyd, WR, Bears: 6 receptions, 124 yards receiving, 1 TD
Steve Slaton, RB, Texans: 116 yards rushing, 1 TD
Hank Baskett, WR, Eagles: 8 receptions, 85 yards receiving
More: NFL & NFL Weekly
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