By The Pigskin of Our Teeth, Week 11: That Thing About Familiarity and Contempt

Signal Finder: IND @ BAL, WSH @ DAL, PIT @ KC (OT), NYJ @ NE

Why would you let the Colts start the game on offense? No, seriously. Why? Sick catch by Clark. And that's what Ed Reed does and has always done. The Ravens' red-zone offense looks like the Eagles'. More field goals! Meanwhile the Colts have scored half as many times but have more points. 86 on the Colts is struggling. Great catch by Mason with Powers all over him. I don't think this McGahee play is a fumble. And it's not. The Ravens got absolutely no push on that third down. D'oh! Ah, there's the Billy Cundiff we know and love. That's just a stupid penalty by Ngata. Dropping the Savage elbow on a guy after he's down? And Ngata's a massive human being – Garcon's lucky to be alive. Stover: “Nah, Coach, I got this. I worked these mines for years.” I expect this Ravens drive to also peter out in the red zone. Are you kidding me with that pass? Awful read by Flacco. You know it's serious when Reed's back on a punt return. WHAT?! You're better than that, Reed. Is he down? Wow, I can't tell at all. They won't be overturning that. Ten! (Colts 17, Ravens 15)

Why is Devin Thomas returning kickoffs? Oh, I see; so he can help the team finally. Watching Roy Williams the last month makes me realize that the Alvin Harper phenomenon has evolved – if you're a very good No. 2 receiver, you no longer have to go somewhere else to become a crappy No. 1. Combine that with the Redskins' defense actually being quite good and the Eagles showing that Miles Austin can, in fact, be contained and it's little wonder the Cowboys' offense is struggling. Zzzzzzzzz. Ah, there's the Shaun Suisham we know and love. But this could actually hold up... or not. And once again the Redskins fail to finish a game. (Cowboys 7, Redskins 6)

Stafford got drilled on that Hail Mary. OK, for pass interference to be called on a Hail Mary it needs to be unbelievably blatant, and Poteat shoved that guy out of the end zone. Of course Mangini's gonna call a time out here. They've got a play to defend! They did an awful job defending it, but still. (Lions 38, Browns 37)

When did Batch go down? Chris Chambers lives! Irrelevant no more! This should never have happened. (Chiefs 27, Steelers 24, OT)

Does anybody else hear music playing? (Chargers 32, Broncos 3)

Let's see... crushing defeat to their arch rivals last week, a week full of external second-guessing, a return match against the division rival who hates them the most and beat them the first time... you might see the Patriots go into Murder Death Kill mode on the Jets. And here we go. Apparently covering Welker is not part of the Jets' game plan. PROTECT THE FOOTBALL. Sanchez's second pick to Bodden was worse than the first but I don't think Braylon even saw the ball. PRO TIP: When spotting the ball, try not to forget where the ball was previously spotted. What a debacle that was (and they also put too much time back on the clock). That's exactly the break the Jets needed – let's see if they can capitalize. Here come the Jets? Er... no. Bodden again? Why'd the Lions get rid of that guy? Sanchez looks like Ryan Leaf out there. Seriously. This was not that close, I assure you. crosses off Jets (Patriots 31, Jets 14)

That's such a Bengals way to lose. (Raiders 20, Bengals 17)

I imagine the McNabbs cooked for the team again at some point. Holy crap Michael Vick lives. I'm of the opinion that he just doesn't have it like he used to and hasn't really gotten enough of it back. The guy was out of the game for three years. Nice move by Avant on the touchdown. Cutler's playing at about 60 percent speed tonight. He's also overthrowing guys like Eli was against the Eagles. And now the Eagles are slowing down. The Bears' red-zone offense looks like the Eagles'. Field goals. Nothing but field goals. PROTECT THE FOOTBALL. (And I'm actually not saying it to Cutler here.) Go vote Brent Celek into the Pro Bowl, please. I'd appreciate it. A 48-yarder being Jackson's shortest touchdown of the year is funny. Nice throw by Cutler on the touchdown to Davis. Why isn't that Bell guy getting the ball more after he broke off that 72-yarder in the second quarter? PROTECT THE FOOTBALL. Seriously. Blocked! Oh, that's huge. So is the guy who blocked it. Notice how the Eagles called a run for McCoy right away after he fumbled. They're going to need him down the stretch. Kinda like that. My mother is flipping out right now after that illegal block in the back penalty on that punt return. Right into double coverage! Good job, Jay. Wow! The Eagles finally beat the Bears! Not only that, THEY WON ON NBC! The center cannot hold. crosses off Bears (Eagles 24, Bears 20)

They did what? When did the Texans hire Les Miles? Ah, there's the Kris Brown we know and love. (Titans 20, Texans 17)

FANTASY REPORT

aPaFL (6-5, W2): Well, we did it. Twice, in fact. Greg Olsen to Team Venture for Derrick Mason, then Drew Brees and Andre Johnson to the Gargoyles for Brett Favre and Rashard Mendenhall. I needed a replacement for Ronnie Brown and Carson Palmer wasn't getting any bites.

JackSux (9-2, W5): No big trades necessary here. The Seagulls roll along with another win over Butch.

Lincoln Continentals (9-2, W3): My opponent last week had six tight ends on his roster. I've never been in a league where so many people just give up at the end.

RANKINGS

TOP 4

1. New Orleans (10-0) – Back into the groove

2. Indianapolis (10-0) – They should really rejigger Eli's watch commercial and put Peyton in it instead

3. Minnesota (9-1) – Favre's only thrown three interceptions! Three!

4. San Diego (7-3) – Yeah, that's definitely a familiar melody

BOTTOM 4

29. Detroit (2-8) – Even when they win, they lose

30. St. Louis (1-9) – Might be looking for their next quarterback

31. Buffalo (3-7) – Really? You think you're getting Mike Shanahan?

32. Cleveland (1-9) – As if being bad wasn't enough, now they're unlucky

By The Pigskin of Our Teeth, Week 10: Better Day Ahead

Signal Finder: CIN @ PIT, DET @ MIN, PHI @ SD, DAL @ GB (meaningless end), SEA @ AZ (another meaningless end)

Line of the Week: Maurice Jones-Drew apologizing to his fantasy owners. “I had myself today. So it was a tough call.” (Jaguars 24, Jets 22)

If the Lions are ever going to pick somebody off, this seems like the time it would happen. When did it become Mall of America Field? I just noticed that. There goes Peterson, making up for that fumble early. I vehemently disagree with the Vikings going for it here. Especially if you're going to give it to your backup tight end lined up as a fullback. Isn't that why you people pay Adrian Peterson? Speaking of “All Day”, there he goes aga- oops. He's got a thing about doing that. LOL at the giant Tarvaris Jackson poster on the stadium wall. The Vikings should really be winning by about 20; they've shot themselves in the foot on a couple of occasions. The fans can boo all they want; you can't launch yourself at the quarterback's head. You just can't. And it seems like the fans haven't stopped booing since then. Ten penalties? The Lions are one play away from tying this thing. They just can't get it. Nice coverage. I know he's only Jeff Dugan, but still. (Vikings 27, Lions 10)

All right, I somehow didn't know about the Steelers' struggles covering kick returns. No Benson? That could be a problem. I hope the Scott kid is up to the task because this is going to be a grinder. So Polamalu ended up taking himself out too? Wow. Still no more touchdowns. The Bengals' defense is playing like the Steelers, and the Steelers can't protect Ben or find the end zone. Why is Frostee Rucker getting interceptions? STILL no more touchdowns. I'm amazed the Bengals have gotten away with this for as long as they have. Get to know this defense. I've told you about the two cornerbacks but Robert Geathers is an underrated pass rusher and Dhani Jones is having his best year in about the last five. We've heard basically nothing from Mendenhall or Chad either. I don't believe that just happened but I guess I have to. (Bengals 18, Steelers 12)

Are the Broncos doing it again? (Redskins 27, Broncos 17)

The Eagles' back seven is in flux. Gocong at middle linebacker for the first time in about 10 years? A former Mr. Irrelevant as the dime corner? Speaking of defensive backs, we've been hearing about the Chargers' tall receivers all week and it continues to surprise me that cornerbacks haven't gotten taller as well in response. Who is that guy? Was he even listed in the starting lineup? This is not an optimal start to the proceedings. Something I've noticed the past two weeks is that the Eagles are doing an awful lot of running out of the shotgun. Last week was last week, Andy. You should have gone for the touchdown on fourth down there. What I think happens to Reid is that he gets gun-shy in these situations whenever one doesn't go his way and it lingers for a week or two. It's like how Vince Carter turns into a jump shooter for three weeks after one hard foul. Oh no. Another concussion? It's strange – the Eagles have taken Vincent Jackson out of the game but they've allowed LDT to just crush them. Has McCoy even gotten a carry in this game? Reggie Brown lives! I think not going for two on either fourth-quarter score was that gun-shyness manifesting itself again. Yet the Eagles still have a shot almost in spite of themselves. That is, until the defense failed yet again to get a stop. (Chargers 31, Eagles 23)

So the annual Romo meltdown starts in November this year? Is that it? (Packers 17, Cowboys 7)

Flex Game Prediction of the Week: Dec. 20; Vikings-Panthers out; Bengals-Chargers in.

Rivalry of the Decade, sure. Or just Game Of The Year Of The Month, I guess. It's actually a week late. Really. Hey, look, Laurence Maroney's contributing. Is that an Isaiah Stanback sighting? Great throw on the touchdown to Moss, though I do wonder why they're not picking on the Colts' corners. Uh-oh. Brady's going off now. I actually benched Dallas Clark this week in my fantasy league because I knew the Patriots would try to take him out of the game and they have. Nice job by Bethea to make up for getting beaten by Moss earlier. These are the two guys you'd least expect to throw effectively back-to-back interceptions. Laurence Maroney, ladies and gentlemen! It still stuns me that the Dolphins willingly gave Wes Welker to the Patriots. Hmmm. Didn't see the pass interference on Butler so I can't comment. I do know that these Colts are never to be counted out any more. Why did the Pats just burn two time outs inside of three minutes with the lead? Ohhhhh they just dodged a bullet – Powers had that picked off and dropped it. Wait... are they actually going for this? Oh my God. I don't agree with this at all. Especially if that's the play you come up with – you can't leave any margin for error in this situation. ZOMG THEY'RE OUT OF TIME OUTS AND CAN'T CHALLENGE. (Not that it would have been overturned.) That doesn't happen to them either. What is going on? You know what else that shows is that the Patriots can't run the ball. And of course, two plays later the Colts are at the 1. TOUCHDOWN! Nice save, Reggie. That almost took too much time. Here's two things I didn't know: 1) The Colts have won five of the last six games against the Patriots; 2) It's the first time Belichick's Patriots have had a 13-point lead in the fourth quarter and lost.

You want to know what I think. So here's what I think. I've seen the metrics; I've read about the probability analysis, and I still think going for it was bad for two reasons. First, the play they ran was atrocious. Every single route needed to be five yards. How many times did John Madden say it over the last 10 years – you don't run a pass pattern that doesn't get you past the first-down marker on third (or fourth) down. And the second thing is that there was no guarantee that the Patriots would have been able to run out the clock had they made it – the Colts still had a time out and the clock would have been stopped for the two-minute warning. And yet... the Barry Switzer decision was still worse because he did it twice. (Colts 35, Patriots 34)

I see the Browns have dragged the Ravens down into their own morass. Are they the worst football team in Ohio? Would Mount Union throw down on them? I want to know. The difference between this and Bengals-Steelers is that those offenses were at least trying. Oh, look, there's another nail in Willis McGahee's coffin. Brady Quinn's not good. But none of his teammates are, either. (Ravens 16, Browns 0)

FANTASY REPORT

aPaFL (5-5, W1): It was a sluggish week league-wide, really. Beat Jet on the few points Josh Cribbs got me before he got soul-wrecked on the last play Monday night. But the Ronnie Brown injury has me in dire straits. Moves are being explored. Two games separate third place and 11^th.

JackSux 6 (8-2, W4): We're rolling along at 8-2 after beating Dupin's squad, who had a lot of guys have bad days and he didn't have a whole lot of other options.

Lincoln Continentals (8-2, W2): Looks like the cure for what ailed the Titans defense was whatever the Bills call an offense these days, as the unit somehow got me half my point total.

RANKINGS

TOP 4

1. New Orleans (9-0) – That was also a bit too close

2. Indianapolis (9-0) – They should really rejigger Eli's watch commercial and put Peyton in it instead

3. Minnesota (8-1) – Effective, if not impressive

4. Cincinnati (7-2) – Forging a new identity yet again

BOTTOM 4

29. Detroit (1-8) – At least there's something resembling hope here. These next three...

30. Buffalo (3-6) – How did this motley crew win three games?

31. Oakland (2-7) – Turning it over to a guy who couldn't make the Buccaneers' roster

32. Cleveland (1-8) – Would lose to Quinn's best Notre Dame team, and those teams weren't that great

By The Pigskin of Our Teeth, Week 9: The No-Cigar Zone

Signal Finder: BAL @ CIN, AZ @ CHI, GB @ TB (2^nd half), SD @ NYG

Maybe someday, Houston Texans. Maybe someday. (Colts 20, Texans 17)

Cardinals-Bears? WEAKSAUCE. Oh, you can't do that. Marino, later: “Maybe he oughta try hitting Kurt Warner instead.” Check out the Cardinals actually running the ball well here. Nice adjustment by Olsen on the first touchdown. Where were these Cardinals last week? This Bears defense is getting used and abused and Fitzgerald should be paying Charles Tillman tolls. Oh, I thought Fitzgerald had stepped into the end zone, not just swung the ball around the pylon. I didn't know the Cardinals had switched to a 3-4. That reverse to Breaston looked like it was doomed from the start. Anthony Becht lives! And this is officially a beatdown. LOL at Fitzgerald helping Tillman up. It's the least he could do, I suppose. (Cardinals 41, Bears 21)

You have to wonder how much of a difference coordinators really make because the Ravens' defense just isn't the same this year. They're cutting themselves to pieces with penalties on top of it too. That's not a good spot and... the Ravens are challenging it. They should win this one. Yep. That's the biggest gain they've made on offense today, I think. I told you last year that Hall and Joseph were the two best players on what was then a bad Bengals' defense, and the rest of the unit has caught up this year. (Bengals 17, Ravens 7)

I'm disappointed this wasn't the targeted curbstomping we usually get from Brady whenever someone disses him as pointedly as Joey Porter did. (Patriots 27, Dolphins 17)

I'm Sorry You Had To See That... Oh, Wait, You Didn't: Jaguars 24, Chiefs 21)

Creamsicles! Bucco Bruce! That was not an era worth celebrating. You really can't let a quarterback fake you out with a move like that. Did I hear that right? Rodgers has steel plates in his shoes? Forcing Smith to cut back inside on the kickoff return pretty much saved that one. I honestly have little recollection of Freeman playing in college and wasn't sure why he was so highly regarded but he's done some good things that I've seen. Hmmm. I think you go for it. I mean, you haven't won a game yet. Touchdown! And then the Packers don't bother covering Clayton on the two-point conversion afterward. You know who's bad is Daryn Colledge. I also didn't realize the Packers had lost seven of eight here. Jebus. Cadillac: “We won!” (Buccaneers 38, Packers 28)

This Week It Sucks To Be: 1. Larry Johnson; 2. Tommie Harris; 3. DeAngelo Hall; 4. Charles Tillman; 5. Kris Brown

This is the first time Rivers and Eli have faced off, yes? That was... strange. Coughlin's all “What happened?” and he still might not know. It looked like Tynes hitched, then just stopped and nobody knew what to do next. The Giants are committing bad penalties like it's 2005. At least their defense is holding up. Did Smith even catch that? This is big. I'm also not sure the Giants know it wasn't a first down. That's an awful lot of time to put back on the clock. That didn't go well at all for the Chargers. Hey, Kevin Boss is back. Oh, that'll be that then. Wait, what? Why aren't the Giants going for the end zone? They blew an opportunity there – this game should be over. You know who's (finally) good is Vincent Jackson. Seriously, he's having a big year and he was much more open than he should have been. Lights Out, indeed. (Chargers 21, Giants 20)

100! If the Cowboys don't come out spitting fire and brimstone then they've got serious heart problems. Fokou? Oh, right, Gocong's out. I should have known that. You gotta catch that, Maclin. It's hard to throw a ball too high for Miles Austin to catch it but Romo's done it twice already. Oh, crap. Peters is hurt again? At least Herremans is back to slide over to left tackle. I liked McNabb's thoughtful pose in that “Under His Wings” graphic about the young guys. Now both teams appear to be having protection problems. Hobbs' reaction when he turned around and saw the flag was priceless. And by the way, thanks for that graphic about both of Reid's losses to the Cowboys in Philadelphia coming in prime time. The seams have been open all night, especially for the Cowboys. Wait, what? Oh, this is the same thing with Eli from the Giants game last year. Fokou's not having a good night. Wow, that was not a good throw by Romo. Peters didn't move! McNabb really should have gone somewhere else on the second pick – Maclin was too well-covered. Now we're getting into the drudgery. OK, looking at this replay, I don't see how McNabb didn't get that. Wow. That's gonna hurt. Well, you knew the Cowboys were going to try to find Austin again at some point. This is a much harder call than Al and Cris seem to believe it is. Fourth and 11, down 7, under six minutes left, and your only real choices are punting or a 52-yard field goal. That didn't look good and I'm surprised Akers made it. Well, that sucked. When's the last time the Eagles won on Sunday night? (Cowboys 20, Eagles 16)

Ty Law arriving on Friday and playing is oddly hilarious. Tirico: “We've been here longer than him.” And Ryan Clark is... not playing. Not that that's a surprise. That's the first interception Orton's thrown to a defensive back all year, believe it or not. Hey, it's the Broncos' other first-round pick. I'M MIKE WALLACE. And this just in: the Pittsburgh Steelers have scored an offensive touchdown again. Not surprised to see Parker get some run tonight – I imagine you have to rest everybody at altitude. That said, Mendenhall's pretty much earned his spot as the guy right now. Did Hines Ward just jump over Champ? He sure did. Well, that'll be that. (Steelers 28, Broncos 10)

FANTASY REPORT

aPaFL (4-5, L3): Even after all these years, you still can't leave points on the bench against Sven. Even if they're Greg Olson's two garbage-time touchdowns in the second half of the Cardinals' blowout. I'd started Dallas Clark, who had 12 catches but didn't score on any of them, and I lost by seven.

Jacksux6 (7-2, W3): This is a welcome change – the running backs lead the way for once as both Turner and Addai score twice and get me 65 total points.

Lincoln Continentals (7-2, W1): And the same thing here as Mendenhall basically carries me. I'm in a five-way tie for first.

RANKINGS

TOP 4

1. New Orleans (8-0) – Broke Panthers' home hex

2. Indianapolis (8-0) – Just like last week, you gotta win games like that one

3. Minnesota (7-1) – How did Favre injure his groin on his week off? Wait, don't answer that...

4. (tie) New England (6-2) – Don't look now, but...

4. (tie) Denver (6-2) – Offense struggles for second straight week

BOTTOM 4

29. Detroit (1-7) – Johnny: “OK, THIS cracks me up: The Lions get spotted 17 points – AND STILL LOSE.”

30. Kansas City (1-7) – Tearing the rest of it down one brick at a time

31. Washington (2-6) – Hall's sideline throwdown most fight they've shown all year

32. Cleveland (1-7) – Didn't play, didn't notice the difference

Out and Back: Five Guys

The thing about the Internet is this: Word travels fast. Information and ideas fly around the world instantaneously. You can ask anybody anywhere about anything and somebody will be able to give you an answer or an opinion or whatever it is you're after. So that's how I first heard good things about Washington D.C.-based Five Guys Burgers and Fries.

But with all the speed of information comes a lot of hype. And hype gets especially magnified on the Internet, because everybody has an opinion about everything on and off the Internet. And you find yourself asking: Can it really be that good? Or that bad?

Enough of my babbling. Let's go eat!

If you can't go to the source, at least know where the source is.

There are bags of potatoes stacked on pallets when you walk in. I feel like it's a statement of some kind.

Time for my poison. Bacon cheeseburger with pickles, onions (diced, not grilled) and A-1. Now here's an important point: At Five Guys, every burger is automatically a double, with two patties instead of one, so you need to be prepared for that. The menu's very simple: burgers, hot dogs and fries. That's it. Five Guys can't be bothered with gimmicks.

Just like anywhere else, you place your order, then get your drinks, condiments, whatever. Then you can hang back and snack on some of these while you wait:



They used to put these on the tables in metal vessels, but now, at least at the one I go to, they stack boxes of peanuts on top of the trash cans with the paper trays and scoops.

Everything's open behind the counter so you can watch them work on the food. Sort of. The view isn't actually that great but you can hear and smell everything. When the burger's done, they wrap in it foil, dump the fries into a styrofoam cup (and toss some more in for good measure) and throw the whole thing into a brown paper bag. No frills, no fuss. OLD SCHOOL.

No, really. I don't love you just because of your looks.

Invariably, half of the fries - and that's no exaggeration - will fall out of the cup and end up at the bottom of the bag. They're cut from real potatoes, but they're not always crispy, though they're always tender on the inside.

"Look at it. LOOK AT MY BURGER!"

If only they used sliced onions instead of diced. Other than that, I haven't had a better burger that I didn't make myself and I'm not convinced I've made a better burger by myself. Just the right amount of juiciness, with a slight bit of char. Even with two patties, it's not hard to eat at all. I should point out that it's a bit pricey, but I'll pay it every time.

By The Pigskin of Our Teeth, Week 8: Shuffle and Repeat

Signal Finder: NYG @ PHI, MIN @ GB, OAK @ SD, CAR @ AZ (end)

I feel like I've seen this before. Different shade of blue, though. Leonard Weaver lives! I know I've seen this before. The extra point got blocked? It's an epidemic. That's the second week in a row where Jackson's somehow been left ridiculously wide open. How does that happen more than once? I also didn't realize that the Giants haven't had Ross all year in addition to Phillips being out. Meanwhile Eli's overthrowing people by 10 yards. Interception! This is getting ugly. Nice catch by Maclin.

Did we really need a shot of Brett Favre arriving at the stadium?

That's not a lateral. Oh, it wasn't even a fumble? Even better. That's why Jason Babin hasn't played all year. Just back away slowly next time. They're not gonna blow this, are they? Apparently not. Really? Down 23 and you're trying a 47-yard field goal? And not making it? One down, one to go. How YOU doin'? (Eagles 40, Giants 17)

FAKE FIELD GOAL! Hey, why not, right? Remember when we were talking about this game possibly being the end of the Lions' losing streak? (Rams 17, Lions 10)

Yeah, those are mostly boos. There are a few cheers, but... yeah. I also find it interesting that even though the Vikings came out as a team, he was last. At least the Packers getting the ball first gave the fans a break to catch their breath. Ahman Green? Really? I see Childress has learned his lessons from last week. But it doesn't work the second time! Even so, we've now reached the worst-case scenario for Packer fans – Brett Favre, as a Viking, in Lambeau, engineering a beatdown. You know who's good is Aaron Rodgers. You know who'd be better with a healthy offensive line is also Aaron Rodgers. One of my favorite things about sports has always been guys like Spencer Havner – a three-year practice-squadder and converted linebacker turning into a secret weapon. Uh-oh. We've seen the Vikings' defense let down like this at key points in games before. Friends, this is officially interesting. They are going to try to tackle Peterson, right? Oh, never mind. So is this story over finally? Please? (Vikings 38, Packers 26)

This just in: JaMarcus Russell has thrown another interception. No, really. Somewhere in Tennessee, Lane Kiffin is smoking a cigar and saying, “I told you so.” Butch: “The last time the Raiders beat the Chargers the successful Cyrus was Billy Ray.” I must confess: This game was on here but I watched maybe 45 seconds of it. (Chargers 24, Raiders 16)

This'll be interesting, sure, even though the Falcons' biggest problem on defense plays right into the Saints' hands. Or maybe because of that. You know, this also happened last week. Saints doin' what they do. Well, except for that. PROTECT THE FOOTBALL. I'm not sure how much attention Jeremy Shockey's revival is getting but it's important to note. That happened fast. So did that. This game isn't really over yet, y'know? I mean, it really isn't. It's going to end, right? Right? I'm not kidding; I turned to this after the baseball game ended and it was about midnight and there were still two minutes left. Onside kick! Did they get it? They got it! Did someone touch it? Oh, OK. Oh, look, a Darren Sharper interception. That's never happened before. (Saints 35, Falcons 27)

FANTASY REPORT

aPa (4-4, L2): A flat week all around as I lose to Nate by two points when a running game of any kind would have given me a win.

JackSux6 (6-2, W2): Ted Ginn's Bench-Riding Redemption indirectly helped me, as I got credited with the two return touchdowns for the Dolphins defense and special teams and beat Johnny – who had Chris Johnson – by seven.

Lincoln Continentals (6-2, L1): Did something unusual: forgot to set my lineup and ended up with two players on open weeks. It didn't matter, as I still lost by 56, but it's the principle of the thing.

RANKINGS

TOP 4

1. New Orleans (7-0) – Is 11 in the cards?

2. Indianapolis (7-0) – You gotta win games like that one

3. Minnesota (7-1) – Another hiccup, but they've survived so far

4. Denver (6-1) – This is the Broncos team we all feared we'd see

BOTTOM 4

29. Kansas City (1-6) – I mean, it's not like Larry Johnson's helping them or anything

30. Washington (2-5) – I think “I-23” is actually in their snap count

31. Tampa Bay (0-7) – Extra week of prep for Freeman

32. Cleveland (1-7) – Offense has been outscored by the Saints. ...DEFENSE.