NFL Weekly

Cincinnati Bengals/Detroit Lions: I was wondering what I was going to write about this week and realized that there are still two teams that are winless. Both the Lions and Bengals have not lived up to their ferocious names this season and it's hard for me to predict when either one of these teams will win a game. The Lions finish the season at Chicago, Jacksonvile, at Carolina, Tampa Bay, Tennessee, Minnesota, at Indianapolis, New Orleans, and at Green Bay. I don't know about you, but I really don't see any winnable games on the Lions remaining schedule. Maybe they'll catch Tennessee napping on the Thanksgiving Day game, but in order to win a game this season they are going to have to hope one of these teams screws up royally against them. For the Bengals, they finish the season against Jacksonville, Philadelphia, at Pittsburgh, Baltimore, at Indianapolis, Washington, at Cleveland, and Kansas City. The Bengals have an easier schedule than the Lions do and could possibly win games against Baltimore, Cleveland, and definitely Kansas City. My money would be on them to be the less likely choice to finish without a win. The Lions on the other hand could be making history this year and if they do manage to win any games, I find it hard to believe it will be more than 1.

Brad Johnson: Here's the surprise of the week, the Dallas Cowboys are looking at other options at QB other than Brad Johnson for their game against the Giants next week. Brad Johnson simply can't get the ball downfield and even though he was able to complete 19 passes against Tampa Bay on Sunday, he only threw for a measly 122 yards. To make things worse, the Cowboys will face a Giants pass rush that leads the NFL in sacks and Johnson is not the most mobile of QB's. This has lead the Cowboys to think about starting third string QB Brooks Bollinger and they even briefly considered bringing in Daunte Culpepper before passing on him. I think the Cowboys could be in for a rough time in Week 9 against the Giants.

Tennessee Titans: The Titans continue to roll and are now a perfect 7-0 after defeating the Colts 31-21 last night. This was the first real test in many ways for the Titans, but at the same time the Colts are a severely flawed team and I don't think it tells us too much about the Titans. They are a solid football team, but at some point they are going to have to be able to come from behind against a better defensive team than the Colts and until I see them do that I won't be completely sold on them as the favorites. Don't get me wrong, I think they are the best team right now, but the best team doesn't always win it all, just ask the Patriots. They have a great running game and defense, but you still have to wonder if they will be able to make big plays down the field in the passing game once they go up against some of the other elite teams in the NFL. Unfortunately, we might not be able to see that until the playoffs, because the rest of the Titans schedule isn't exactly filled with elite teams. There is also the issue of who exactly are the other elite teams in the NFL? I'm not even sure there are any in the AFC other than the Titans themselves and maybe the Steelers. The best opponents Tennessee has left to play are the Packers, Bears, Jaguars, Jets, Browns, Texans, Steelers, and Colts again. I would love to see them play a team like the Giants or Redskins, but that might not happen until the Super Bowl, don't bet against it either.

Other NFL News:

- The Buffalo Bills have lost WR Josh Reed indefinitely with an ankle and Achilles injury. Reed is their most reliable receiver after Lee Evans and had 26 receptions on the season before going down with an injury.

- Dallas TE Jason Witten left Sunday's game against Tampa Bay with bruised ribs. Witten has been banged up this season and is probably Brad Johnson's favorite target simply because he can actually reach him.

- QB Carson Palmer will likely be out for the season due to his nagging elbow injury. At this point, it is better for Palmer to get healthy for next season, because at 0-8 the Bengals have no chance to make the playoffs.

- Shaun Hill will start at QB for the 49ers after their bye week. This ends the J.T. O'Sullivan experiment in San Francisco.

Fantasy Stars of the Week:

Santana Moss: 140 yards receiving, 2 TDs

David Garrard: 283 yards passing, 59 yards rushing, 2 TDs

Brian Westbrook: 167 yards rushing, 42 yards receiving 2 TDs

Fantasy Waiver Wire Pickups of the Week:

Donnie Avery, WR, Rams: 163 yards receiving, 1 TD

Tedd Ginn, JR, WR, Dolphins: 175 yards receiving

Kevin Faulk, RB, Patriots: 60 yards rushing, 47 yards receiving 1 TD

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