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| Authored by Andrew Perna - 11th December, 2007 - 11:37 pm
 The season is seemingly over for my Philadelphia Eagles, who will need a miracle to earn one of the NFC?s two Wild Card spots.
After scoring on their opening drive, a touchdown pass from Donovan McNabb to Brian Westbrook, they managed just two field goals through the next three and-a-half quarters, allowing the Giants to leave Lincoln Financial Field with a 16-13 victory on Sunday.
The loss was the Eagles? third-straight, all by less than a touchdown. David Akers missed a 57-yard field goal in the final seconds that would have forced overtime, but he doesn?t deserve the blame for the loss.
Philadelphia will finish the season with games against Dallas, New Orleans and Buffalo. Their season may not officially be over, but I?m looking forward to the 2008 season already.
The Downs
The First Down?Dallas Clinches
Tony Romo and the Dallas Cowboys clinched the NFC East title with a last-second victory over the Detroit Lions on Sunday. Trailing by six in the final minute, Romo hooked up with Jason Witten for a game-winning touchdown with less than twenty seconds left on the clock. Romo tallied 302 yards and two touchdowns, outplaying Jon Kitna who managed just 248 yards for Detroit. The only thing left for the Cowboys is to lock up home-field throughout the NFC playoffs.
The Second Down?Jaguars Dominate
The Jacksonville Jaguars may not be able to catch the Indianapolis Colts in the AFC South, but they seem to have an AFC Wild Card spot locked up. David Garrard led the Jags with 230 passing yards and two scores, more than enough to defeat the hapless Panthers. Fred Taylor sealed the victory with an 80-yard run in the fourth quarter, as Jacksonville hammered Carolina 37-6. A victory next week against the Steelers would seal a playoff berth for the Jags.
The Third Down?They Charge Back
The San Diego Chargers trailed the Tennessee Titans by 14 points in the fourth quarter but rallied back for an overtime victory on Sunday. Philip Rivers connected with Antonio Gates with just nine seconds left in the fourth quarter for a touchdown to tie the game, and LaDainian Tomlinson broke off a 16-yard touchdown run to give San Diego the win in overtime. The loss put the Titans? playoff hopes in question, while maintaining the Chargers? lead in the AFC West in the process.
The Fourth Down?Saints Marching
The New Orleans Saints kept their playoff hopes alive with a victory over the Atlanta Falcons on Monday Night Football. Drew Brees sliced up the Falcons? secondary to the tune of 328 yards and three touchdowns, more than the Saints needed to knock off the miserable Falcons. Atlanta Head Coach Bobby Petrino reportedly resigned early Tuesday morning, adding to the turmoil within the Falcons? organization.
The ?Who The Heck? Statline of the Week?
Redskins? QB Todd Collins: 224 passing yards and two touchdowns.
My Keyboard Prediction for Week Fifteen
N.Y. Jets at New England, Sunday 1:00PM EST
The only team that would relish a victory over the undefeated New England Patriots more than the winless Miami Dolphins would be Eric Mangini?s New York Jets. The Pats beat the pants off the Jets the last time they played, in Week One of the season, but what happened after was even more memorable. Mangini?s ?SpyGate? accusations have created a serious rift between Bill Belichick and his former prot?g?. I?m predicting a huge day for the Pats? offense. Belichick will run the score up until Mangini?s eyes start to bleed.
The Keyboard Prediction: Patriots 56, Jets 13
My Fantasy Diary?
The Drew Crew has qualified for the playoffs by the skin of several body parts, most of which RealGM would probably prefer I didn?t mention.
Joseph Addai and Willie Parker came to play when it mattered most, contributing well over 200 total yards and three touchdowns to the Crew?s Week Fourteen output. My wide receivers didn?t show up once again, but the Vikings? defense and my replacement quarterback David Garrard picked up the slack.
There was no way I was going to play either Eli Manning or Jon Kitna when I needed a solid outing from my starter, so I picked up the Jags? rock-solid signal caller and enjoyed his 230 yard, two-touchdown performance.
I cruised to a 111-78 victory over the Springfield Isotopes, earning myself a playoff berth in the process.
This week I?ll face the Woodpeckers in the first round of the playoffs, with a shot at the league semi-finals on the line. The Woodpeckers will likely start Ben Roethlisberger, Laurence Maroney, Chester Taylor, Donald Driver, Bobby Engram, Vernon Davis, Kris Brown and the Seahawks? defense.
I don?t want to jinx myself or sound overconfident, but I like my chances?
My Fantasy Football Record for the 2007 Season:
Eliminated From: 7 of 12 leagues
Week Fourteen (Playoffs): 1-1
Week Fourteen (Regular Season): 5-2
Week Thirteen: 3-9
Week Twelve: 5-7
Week Eleven: 6-6
Week Ten: 4-8
Week Nine: 5-7
Week Eight: 6-6
Week Seven: 6-6
Week Six: 10-2
Week Five: 5-7
Week Four: 9-3
Week Three: 7-5
Week Two: 6?6
Week One: 8?4
Overall: 86 wins and 79 losses
Predictions, Fantasy Stories, or Rambles? Andrew.Perna@RealGM.com |
