SheposhSportsColumn

C M Y K

THE TIMES LEADER www.timesleader.com SUNDAY, OCTOBER 7, 2012 PAGE 9C

NFL SUNDAY➛ WWW . T I M E S L E A D E R . C OM / S P O R T S

WHEN I WAS about6-years-old, I set out todiscover gold. Really.I had one of those kids’

encyclopedias that hadlittle pictures of whateach state in the U.S.produced – Pennsylvaniahad a little mining pick

and some coal, Wisconsin a cow and a bottleof milk … you get the idea.But it was glorious Alaska that caught my

eye. It had the little mining pick, but with anugget of gold next to it. Gold, I knew, wasvaluable, and I had only to go to Alaska andstart digging and I would be fabulouslywealthy – I might even make $20.So, I packed some peanut butter sand-

wiches, bananas andchocolate milk insome boxes, storedthem under my bedand waited for theexcursion to begin.A week later, my

mom discovered aninteresting smell in myroom and found thegreen-covered remainsof what was to be mystores for the journey.It was at this time Iwas introduced to theconcept of distance,mining expertise andthe limitations parentscould put on a 6-year-old.Sometimes reality is

just one big old kick inthe head.And a kick in the

head is exactly what Ineed right now. Not aliteral one, of course.After four weeks of trying to figure out the

fantasy landscape, it’s time for a king-sizedreality check. It’s time to rethink what Ialready thinked I thunk. Like …

Ryan Tannehill and the Dolphins offenseisn’t a fantasy wasteland. Silly me. I thoughtthe Cardinals defense would have its waywith run-oriented Miami. But 431 yardspassing for Tannehill and 253 receiving yardsfor Brian Hartline say otherwise. Now, don’texpect those kinds of numbers every week,but Tannehill has entered the conversationas a good fantasy option. And Hartline hasbecome a great spot starter at WR.The Vikings defense is one you should

get. They held the 49ers running attackdown in a Week 3 upset and bottled up theLions in Week 4. Toss in a couple of specialteams touchdowns and you’ve got yourself avaluable squad.Maybe this wasn’t the year to get a QB

early. Oh you can’t go wrong with DrewBrees. He’s just darn good. But fellow firstround choices Aaron Rodgers, Tom Bradyand Cam Newton have been up and down,and Matthew Stafford’s just been down.Meanwhile, mid-round pick-ups Matt Ryan,Joe Flacco and Robert Griffin III have beenracking up the fantasy points.Darren McFadden was overvalued. “If he

only stays healthy,” my brain said. “He’ll bethe best back in the NFL.” My brain hastrust issues. McFadden’s stats are padded byone 64-yard TD run. Take that away, and histop rushing output of the year is 49 yards.Jamal Charles was undervalued. Charles,

was coming back from an ACL tear and hadgoal-line vulture Peyton Hillis to deal with.How’s that working out? Charles has dealtwith those issues to the tune of 513 totalyards and 3 TDs. Charles is the better back.

START THESE GUYS …Reggie Wayne, WR, Colts. The Packers

will put up points, which means the Coltswill be throwing early and often to keep up.And Wayne is Andrew Luck’s favorite target.Ryan Matthews, RB, Chargers. So, he was

supposed to be a top-three RB this year?That ain’t happening. But he will have thechance to play like one against the wetnapkin that is the Saints defense.Matt Cassel, QB, Chiefs. Teams have been

able to throw on the Ravens defense. Theyjust can’t stop the Ravens offense. If thattrend holds, Baltimore will rack up thepoints and Kansas City will be forced to passa whole lot. Them’s good stats for Cassel.

NOT THESE …Stevan Ridley, RB, Patriots. New England

is funny with its running backs. Ridley hasshown he can be a good one, but the Patsonly rely on him in certain game plans. Thisgame smells like an up-tempo affair, and thelast time they had one of those -- New En-gland vs. Baltimore -- Ridley was an after-thought.Ben Roethlisberger, QB, Steelers. Two

things work against Ben this week. TheEagles have been good at pressuring oppos-ing QBs and the Steelers have been lousy atpass protection. Doesn’t sound like a recipefor 300 yards and three TDs, does it?Maurice Jones-Drew, RB, Jaguars. The

Bears defense knows how to scheme againstan opponent. And when you play Jackson-ville, your game plan is, “Don’t let Jones-Drew beat you.”

RICH SHEPOSHF A N T A S Y F O O T B A L L

Ever needa good kickin the head?

If your fantasydefense is strug-gling, take a lookat the Rams.They’ve shut downthe Seahawks andCardinals the lasttwo weeks, andafter two brutalmatchups – GreenBay and NewEngland – six oftheir next sevenopponents haveso-so offenses.

ONE FACTTO KNOW

WHAT’S ON TELEVISION

EAGLES at STEELERS1 p.m., FOX-56, WOLF

BROWNS at GIANTS1 p.m., CBS, WYOU-22

BRONCOS at PATRIOTS4:25 p.m., CBS, WYOU-22

CHARGERS at SAINTS8:20 p.m., NBC, WBRE-28

PHILADELPHIA atPITTSBURGH

OPENING LINE: Steelers by 4SERIES RECORD: Eagles lead47-27-3LAST MEETING: Eagles beatSteelers 15-6, Sept. 21, 2008LASTWEEK: Eagles beatGiants 19-17; Steelers had byeDID YOU KNOW? Steelershaven’t lost back-to-back gamessince 2009, coming off 34-31loss to Oakland two weeks ago... Steelers have started season6-2 in each of coach Mike Tom-lin’s first five seasons ... Pitts-burgh leads NFL in time ofpossession, averaging morethan 35 minutes a game ...Steelers QB Ben Roethlisbergersecond in NFL in quarterbackrating at 109.2 ... Pittsburgh is26-6 in last 32 games againstNFC opponents and 4-1 comingoff bye week under Tomlin.Pittsburgh has won sevenstraight home games againstNFC teams, last loss 21-14 toGiants in 2008Philadelphia is 9-3-1 against AFCNorth under coach Andy Reid,including 2-0 this season ...Philadelphia holding opposingquarterbacks to passer rating of65.8, third-best in NFL … Phila-delphia QB Michael Vick firstquarterback in 12 years to leadteam to three fourth-quartercomebacks in first four gamesof season ... Eagles lead NFL inyards per game differential,averaging 417.8 yards whilegiving up 298.3. .. Eagleshaven’t allowed punt or kickoffreturn for touchdown since2008, longest active streak inleague.

CLEVELAND atN.Y. GIANTS

OPENING LINE: Giants by 10 1⁄2SERIES RECORD: Browns lead26-19-2LAST MEETING: Browns beatGiants 35-14, Oct. 13, 2008LASTWEEK: Browns lost toRavens 23-16; Giants lost toEagles 19-17DID YOU KNOW? Browns havelost 10 straight games dating tolast season. Last win wasagainst Jacksonville Nov. 20. ...Rookie quarterback BrandonWeeden has thrown for at least300 yards in two of last threegames. ... Rookie running backTrent Richardson has run for atouchdown in three straightgames. ... Browns have playeddefending Super Bowl cham-pions in four of last five sea-sons.Quarterback Eli Manning haswon seven straight vs. AFC foes,and has at least 200 yardspassing in 23 consecutivegames, second longeststreak in NFL history. His1,320 yards passing is 30yards shy of league-leader Drew Brees.......RB Ahmad Bradshawhas 981 yards fromscrimmage (722 rushing,259 receiving) and nine

TDs in last 10 games vs. AFCopponents. ... Rookie DavidWilson third in NFL, averaging30.2 yards on kickoff returns. ...WR Victor Cruz leads NFL with32 receptions. ... Domenik Hixonhad six receptions for 114 yardslast week, starting for injuredHakeem Nicks. … Fullback HenryHynoski’s father, Henry Sr.,played for Browns in 1975.

DENVER at NEWENGLAND

OPENING LINE: Patriots by 7SERIES RECORD: Broncoslead 27-18LAST MEETING: Patriots

beat Broncos 45-10, Jan. 14,2012LASTWEEK: Broncos beatRaiders 37-6; Patriots beat Bills52-28DID YOU KNOW? Patriotshave scored at least 41 points ineach of last three wins againstBroncos and are 3-1 in last fourmatchups. ... Denver has out-scored opponents in fourthquarter by league-high 45points. New England scored 31against Buffalo in fourth quar-ter last Sunday. ... Tom Bradyand Peyton Manning meet for13th time and first since Man-ning joined Broncos. Brady has

won eight of 12 meet-ings. … Brady tiedwith Brett Favrefor third placewith 36 consec-utive games

with at least one touchdownpass. Only players ahead areDrew Brees and Johnny Unitas,with 47 each.In last Sunday’s win over Oak-land, Manning completed 30 of38 passes for 338 yards, threetouchdowns and no intercep-tions: and wasn’t sacked. ...Denver 5-2 in last seven gamesat New England. ... Dan Koppenexpected to start at center forBroncos after eight seasons asPatriots starting center. ... WillisMcGahee leads active NFLplayers with 32 games of atleast 100 yards rushing. He ranfor 112 against Raiders. ... Den-ver’s Eric Decker has 24 catchesand Demaryius Thomas 21, tyingfor second in receptions byteammates this season. ThePatriots are first with WesWelker and Brandon Lloydcatching 25 passes each.

SAN DIEGO at NEWORLEANS

OPENING LINE: Saints by 3SERIES RECORD: Chargerslead 7-3LAST MEETING: Saints beatChargers 37-32, Oct. 26, 2008LASTWEEK: Chargers beatChiefs 37-20; Saints lost toPackers 28-27DID YOU KNOW? Teams’ lastmeeting came in WembleyStadium in London. ... Chargersare 2-0 on road. ... Chargers QBPhilip Rivers replaced Saints’Drew Brees as starter in SanDiego in 2006. ... . Riverspassed for 341 yards, three TDsand one INT with a 104.3 ratingin only start vs. New Orleans,marking one of only eight ca-reer losses when rating 100 orbetter. ... TE Antonio Gates has7,907 career yards receiving,and with 74 more yards willsurpass Hall of Famers JackieSmith (7,918) and Ozzie News-ome (7,980) for fourth-mostcareer yards receiving by TE.Saints seek to avoid first 0-5start since 1996, when theyfinished 3-13. ... Brees seeks NFLrecord 48th straight regularseason game with TD pass. He’stied with Hall of Fame QB John-ny Unitas, who had a TD pass in47 straight from 1956-60. ...Last time Brees did not throwTD pass was Oct. 4, 2009, a24-10 win over N.Y. Jets. ... Sincejoining the Saints in 2006,Brees has passed for 29,744yards. ... Brees has faced Char-gers once, passing for 339yards with three TDs in 37-32win in 2008.

A STATE OF WAR

AP FILE PHOTO

If the Steelers want to win today, they need to avoid sceneslike this. When the teams play, QB Ben Roethlisberger tendsto get sacked a lot by the Eagles.

Tom Brady, meet Peyton Man-ning. Peyton. Tom. Oh, youtwo have met before? Yeah,like 13 times before. Andusually, it’s Brady’s Patri-ots coming out on top.He’s won eight of those

meetings. This will be thefirst time Manning is wearingBronco orange, however. Notthat color schemes haveanything to do with winningor anything.

>> EAGLES VS. STEELERS: Did you knowthat the Eagles used to be the Steelers andthe Steelers the Eagles? It’s true. Way backin 1940, Steelers owner Art Rooney actuallysold the team and bought a share of theEagles franchise. With World War II loomingand player shortages inevitable, his goalwas to have an all-Pa. team called thePennsylvania Keystoners. But NFL politicsintervened and the idea was nixed. SinceRooney wanted to stay in Pittsburgh, heand the new Pittsburgh owner agreed to aswap. The Pittsburgh team moved east andPhiladelphia’s team moved west. Somehow,it must be no comfort to Eagles fans that“their” team has won six Super Bowls.

>> FALCONS VS. REDSKINS: The Wash-ington Redskins are a very balanced team.And not in a good way. The team ranksfourth in the NFL in points scored with 123.Problem is, they’ve also given up 123 points.Not surprisingly the team is 2-2. The Atlan-

ta Falcons can also score a few points.They’re good for third in the NFL with onemore point than Washington. Toss in therandom fact that the last NFL game thatended in a tie involved the Falcons, and youcan go to Vegas and bet the house on a tie.Just make sure it’s your neighbor’s house.

>> TEXANS VS. JETS:When the NFLreturned to Houston in the early 2000s,team big wigs were bandying about poten-tial nicknames and, obviously, they chosethe Texans. But that wasn’tthe first time the namewas used. In 1974,the HoustonTexans played inthe short-livedWorld FootballLeague – one ofseveral leaguesback in the ‘70sand ‘80s that triedand failed to competewith the NFL. Theoriginal Texansdidn’t evenfinish theirfirst seasonin Houstonbeforemoving to Shreveport, La.,and becoming the Shreve-port Steamer.

>> BRONCOS VS. PATRIOTS: You mighthave heard of Tom Brady and Peyton Man-ning. Each has won the Super Bowl, multipleleague MVP awards and have nice side jobsas TV pitchmen. And they are also in a smallgroup of NFL players to have hosted “Sat-urday Night Live.” So who gets the hostingedge? Hard to say. Manning cursed at chil-dren when he was on and Brady was walkingaround in his underwear. Cursing at childrenseems meaner, so … advantage Manning.

>> BILLS VS. 49ERS: People probablythink the San Francisco 49ers did nothingas a franchise before Joe Montana arrivedin 1979. But the 49ers had a number ofgood years before Joe. What they didn’thave was a logo that stayed out of trou-

ble until 1968. From the team’s’ inceptionin 1946, this old coot was the face of

the franchise. He looks like aguy named “Pappy” whogot all liquored up, fired

off a few roundsand spent the nightin the drunk tank.And someoneshould work on him

with his firing tech-nique. From thatposition, he could

shoot out morethan his eye.-- Rich Sheposh

THINGSYOUNEED TOKNOWWEEK 5

S T A N D I N G S

AMERICAN CONFERENCEEast

W L T Pct PF PAN.Y. Jets ................................. 2 2 0 .500 81 109New England .......................... 2 2 0 .500 134 92Buffalo ..................................... 2 2 0 .500 115 131Miami ....................................... 1 3 0 .250 86 90

SouthW L T Pct PF PA

Houston ................................ 4 0 0 1.000 126 56Indianapolis .......................... 1 2 0 .333 61 83Jacksonville.......................... 1 3 0 .250 62 97Tennessee............................ 1 3 0 .250 81 151

NorthW L T Pct PF PA

Baltimore ................................. 3 1 0 .750 121 83Cincinnati ................................ 3 1 0 .750 112 112Pittsburgh................................ 1 2 0 .333 77 75Cleveland ................................ 0 4 0 .000 73 98

WestW L T Pct PF PA

San Diego ............................... 3 1 0 .750 100 71Denver..................................... 2 2 0 .500 114 83Kansas City............................. 1 3 0 .250 88 136Oakland................................... 1 3 0 .250 67 125

NATIONAL CONFERENCEEast

W L T Pct PF PAPhiladelphia............................ 3 1 0 .750 66 83Dallas ...................................... 2 2 0 .500 65 88Washington ............................ 2 2 0 .500 123 123N.Y. Giants.............................. 2 2 0 .500 111 84


Atlanta ................................... 4 0 0 1.000 124 76Tampa Bay............................ 1 3 0 .250 82 91Carolina ................................ 1 3 0 .250 80 109New Orleans......................... 0 4 0 .000 110 130


Minnesota ............................... 3 1 0 .750 90 72Chicago................................... 3 1 0 .750 108 68Green Bay ............................... 2 2 0 .500 85 81Detroit...................................... 1 3 0 .250 100 114

WestW L T Pct PF PA

Arizona ..................................... 4 1 0 .800 94 78San Francisco .......................... 3 1 0 .750 104 65St. Louis.................................... 3 2 0 .600 96 94Seattle ....................................... 2 2 0 .500 70 58

Thursday's GameSt. Louis 17, Arizona 3

Sunday's GamesBaltimore at Kansas City, 1 p.m.Atlanta at Washington, 1 p.m.Philadelphia at Pittsburgh, 1 p.m.Green Bay at Indianapolis, 1 p.m.Cleveland at N.Y. Giants, 1 p.m.Miami at Cincinnati, 1 p.m.Seattle at Carolina, 4:05 p.m.Chicago at Jacksonville, 4:05 p.m.Buffalo at San Francisco, 4:25 p.m.Tennessee at Minnesota, 4:25 p.m.Denver at New England, 4:25 p.m.San Diego at New Orleans, 8:20 p.m.Open: Dallas, Detroit, Oakland, Tampa Bay

Monday's GameHouston at N.Y. Jets, 8:30 p.m.

Thursday, Oct. 11Pittsburgh at Tennessee, 8:20 p.m.

A F C L E A D E R S

QuarterbacksAtt Com Yds TD Int

Roethlisberger, PIT.. 120 82 904 8 1Schaub, HOU............ 124 83 953 7 1Dalton, CIN................ 126 85 1111 8 4Brady, NWE .............. 154 101 1227 7 1P. Manning, DEN...... 153 99 1162 8 3Flacco, BAL............... 156 99 1269 7 3P. Rivers, SND ......... 126 87 897 6 4Locker, TEN.............. 106 67 781 4 2Fitzpatrick, BUF ........ 125 72 931 12 7C. Palmer, OAK........ 162 99 1081 5 2

RushersAtt Yds Avg LG TD

J. Charles, KAN.......... 72 415 5.76 91t 2A. Foster, HOU........... 103 380 3.69 22 4Re. Bush, MIA ............ 67 369 5.51 65t 2Jones-Drew, JAC....... 72 352 4.89 59t 1Spiller, BUF ................. 41 341 8.32 56t 3Ridley, NWE ............... 74 339 4.58 20 3McGahee, DEN .......... 69 325 4.71 31 3R. Rice, BAL................ 64 317 4.95 43 3Green-Ellis, CIN ......... 82 286 3.49 19 2T. Richardson, CLE ... 64 222 3.47 32t 3

ReceiversNo Yds Avg LG TD

A.. Green, CIN ............. 27 428 15.9 73t 3Hartline, MIA ................ 25 455 18.2 80t 1Welker, NWE................ 25 380 15.2 59 0Bowe, KAN ................... 25 342 13.7 33t 3Lloyd, NWE .................. 25 287 11.5 27 1Decker, DEN ................ 24 322 13.4 35 1Wayne, IND .................. 23 294 12.8 30t 1R. Rice, BAL................. 22 174 7.9 37 0De. Thomas, DEN ....... 21 325 15.5 71t 2Bess, MIA ..................... 20 297 14.9 23 0

ScoringTouchdownsTD Rush Rec Ret Pts

A. Foster, HOU ........ 5 4 1 0 30Battle, SND ............... 4 3 1 0 24Chandler, BUF.......... 4 0 4 0 24H. Miller, PIT............. 4 0 4 0 24T. Richardson, CLE. 4 3 1 0 24Spiller, BUF .............. 4 3 1 0 24McGahee, DEN........ 3 3 0 0 20Bowe, KAN ............... 3 0 3 0 18J. Charles, KAN ....... 3 2 1 0 18A.. Green, CIN ......... 3 0 3 0 18

KickingPAT FG LG Pts

Gostkowski, NWE.......... 14-14 10-13 53 44Tucker, BAL .................... 13-13 8-9 56 37S. Graham, HOU............ 15-15 7-8 41 36Nugent, CIN.................... 13-13 7-7 47 34M. Prater, DEN ............... 11-11 7-7 53 32Succop, KAN .................. 8-8 8-9 45 32P. Dawson, CLE ............. 7-7 8-8 52 31Janikowski, OAK ............ 5-5 8-8 51 29Bironas, TEN .................. 9-9 6-8 38 27

N F C L E A D E R S


M. Ryan, ATL ............ 147 102 1162 11 2Griffin III, WAS.......... 124 86 1070 4 1Ale. Smith, SNF........ 113 76 784 5 1Ponder, MIN.............. 123 84 824 4 0Kolb, ARI ................... 107 67 752 7 2A. Rodgers, GBY...... 156 109 1064 7 3E. Manning, NYG ..... 160 103 1320 7 4C. Newton, CAR....... 107 68 1013 4 5Brees, NOR............... 191 110 1350 10 5Stafford, DET............ 173 114 1182 3 4


M. Lynch, SEA............. 92 423 4.60 36 2L. McCoy, PHL ............ 81 384 4.74 34 1Morris, WAS................. 82 376 4.59 39t 4A. Peterson, MIN......... 79 332 4.20 20 2Gore, SNF .................... 66 326 4.94 23t 3M. Turner, ATL ............ 55 257 4.67 27 2Griffin III, WAS............. 39 252 6.46 19 4D. Martin, TAM............. 71 247 3.48 17 1Murray, DAL ................. 61 237 3.89 48 1Benson, GBY............... 64 228 3.56 11 1


Cruz, NYG .................... 32 388 12.1 80t 2Amendola, STL ............ 31 351 11.3 56 2Harvin, MIN .................. 30 299 10.0 24 0Ca. Johnson, DET....... 29 423 14.6 51 1R. White, ATL............... 27 413 15.3 59 3Gonzalez, ATL ............. 26 265 10.2 25 3J. Graham, NOR.......... 24 248 10.3 24 3B. Marshall, CHI........... 23 352 15.3 34 2Pettigrew, DET............. 23 223 9.7 24 1Sproles, NOR............... 23 207 9.0 25 2


Ve. Davis, SNF ........ 4 0 4 0 24Griffin III, WAS ......... 4 4 0 0 24Morris, WAS ............. 4 4 0 0 24Roberts, ARI ............ 4 0 4 0 24And. Brown, NYG.... 3 3 0 0 20Mi. Austin, DAL ........ 3 0 3 0 18Ma. Bennett, NYG ... 3 0 3 0 18M. Bush, CHI............ 3 3 0 0 18Gonzalez, ATL ......... 3 0 3 0 18Gore, SNF ................ 3 3 0 0 18


Ja. Hanson, DET............ 8-8 12-13 53 44Tynes, NYG .................... 10-10 11-12 49 43Zuerlein, STL.................. 5-5 12-12 60 41M. Bryant, ATL................ 13-13 9-9 42 40Akers, SNF ..................... 11-11 9-12 63 38Gould, CHI ...................... 12-12 8-8 54 36Walsh, MIN ..................... 9-9 9-10 55 36Barth, TAM....................... 7-7 9-9 57 34Cundiff, WAS.................. 15-15 6-10 45 33

User: jsoprano Time: 10-06-2012 21:40 Product: Times_Leader PubDate: 10-07-2012 Zone: Main Edition: Main_Run PageName: sports_06 PageNo: 9 C Color: CMYK

C M Y K

THE TIMES LEADER www.timesleader.com SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2012 PAGE 9C


CANYOU smell it?Ahhhh, yes. That’s the

smell of politics in the air.You can tell it’s politics by

the distinctive aroma of hotair and horse doo-doo,mixedwith equal doses of cologneand negativity.It’s that final weekend

before America votes and chooses the guywe’regoing to complain about for the next four years.Time to ratchet up the campaigns!Not wanting tomiss out on the fun, it seems

like a good time to hold our own “fantasy footballelection.” Here are the races, complete with somecampaign ads. Hey. It wouldn’t be a real electionwithout them.1: MVPOFTHESECONDHALFCandidate A: PeytonManning.Born into a

football family, PeytonManning learned hardwork from his father, whowas a Saint. He Volun-teered in college andwent on to the NFL, wherehe created over 400 jobs for touchdown-starvedreceivers.Manning promisesmore yardage andTDs in the second half. Andwith a creampuffschedule, he can deliver.Candidate B: Adrian Peterson.OnDec. 24,

2011, Peterson’s world came crashing in. An ACLtear ended his season and put his future in jeopar-dy. But Peterson is a fighter. He fought backwithintense rehab. He foughtbackwith a positiveattitude. He fought backagainst those who said hecouldn’t do it. And ifelected, Petersonwillfight for the yardage andscores your fantasyteams needs.Results:Manning

54%, Peterson 46%2: INJUREDSTARLIKELYTOREBOUNDCandidate A:Maurice

Jones-Drew.MauriceJones-Drew SAYS hewill play again this year.But his teamwon’t saywhen. Troubling.Whenother players werereporting for trainingcamp, Jones-Drewwasplaying video games inhis luxuriousmansion.Why? And, unlike hisopponent, Jones-Drewhas two last names. Canwe really trust amanwho uses a hyphen?Candidate B: DeMarcoMurray.Handed the

Cowboys starting job,Murray respondedwith a131-yard effort inWeek1. Since then, his season isa broken trail of broken promises that he broke.Poor production. One TD. Injuries. Uncertainty.Are you ready to put your team in the hands of aman named “DeMarco?”Results: Jones-Drew 58%,Murray 42%

3: “STUD”PLAYERYOUCAN’TTRUSTCandidate A: Stevan Ridley. Four quality

fantasy starts. Four single-digit fantasy starts.Ridley’s eight games in 2012 have been a lesson inschizophrenia. He says he’s a No.1RB, but incrunch time, he lets other players carry the load.And the Frostbite Falls Picayune Intelligence callsStevan Ridley “bad formiddle-class fantasyowners.”Candidate B: Jamaal Charles.On Sept. 23,

Jamaal Charles teased America with 233 yardsand a touchdown. Four weeks later, he rushed for4 yards.Who is the real Jamaal Charles? JamaalCharles claims he stands for rushing values, butin his four worst games, he’s totaled 86 yards.Jamaal Charles: Bad for your fantasy team. Badfor America.Results:Charles 51%, Ridley 49%,

4: "BUST"WHOCANHELPYOUCandidate A: CamNewton.As a child, Newton

knew hewas destined for greatness.With hissuperior talent, one college was not enough forNewton, so hewent to three. At Auburn, he wontheHeismanTrophy, and in the NFL, he’s wonover 26 percent of his games. Newton’s plan is tofeast on bad passing defenses and lead your teamto a title.Candidate B: Chris Johnson.Many running

backs face challenges. Johnson inherited a posi-tion ruined by the failed policies of the LenDaleWhite administration. After early struggles,Johnson is ready to be a strong voice in yourplayoff run. There is still work to do. But with theColts, Jets and Jaguars on the schedule, Johnsonis theman to do it.Results:Newton 60%, Johnson 40%.

Start these guys…Mikel LeShoure, RB, Lions.A big disappoint-

ment so far in 2012. But against the NFL’s last-place run defense, he’s a sneaky play.CamNewton, QB, Panthers. Is your QB suf-

fering? Try Redskins-brand defense. Redskins-brand defense: Good for your stat line.DougMartin, RB, Bucs.His audition for first

round fantasy draft status in 2013 continuesagainst Oakland.

Not These…Julio Jones,WR, Falcons.Yeah, he’s a stud, and

you’re not supposed to sit them. But did you seewhat the Cowboys D did to Victor Cruz lastweek? (2 catches, 23 yards)Vick Ballard, RB, Colts.His OT touchdown

last Sundaywill make year-end highlight reels. Hewon’t be on any this week.Christian Ponder, QB, Vikings. If he’s your bye

week fill-in, look elsewhere.


Time to casta ballot withroster moves

The Dallas defensehas been fantasydeath to QBs.Through sevengames, the Cow-boys have heldteams under 250yards passing sixtimes, and onlyJay Cutler threwfor more than oneTD in a gameagainst them – twoon Oct. 1.

ONE FACTTO KNOW

S T A N D I N G S


W L T Pct PF PANew England .......................... 5 3 0 .625 262 170Miami ....................................... 4 3 0 .571 150 126Buffalo ..................................... 3 4 0 .429 171 227N.Y. Jets ................................. 3 5 0 .375 168 200


Houston................................... 6 1 0 .857 216 128Indianapolis............................. 4 3 0 .571 136 171Tennessee.............................. 3 5 0 .375 162 257Jacksonville ............................ 1 6 0 .143 103 188


Baltimore ................................. 5 2 0 .714 174 161Pittsburgh................................ 4 3 0 .571 167 144Cincinnati ................................ 3 4 0 .429 166 187Cleveland ................................ 2 6 0 .250 154 186

WestW L T Pct PF PA

Denver..................................... 4 3 0 .571 204 152San Diego ............................... 4 4 0 .500 185 157Oakland................................... 3 4 0 .429 139 187Kansas City............................. 1 7 0 .125 133 240


W L T Pct PF PAN.Y. Giants.............................. 6 2 0 .750 234 161Philadelphia............................ 3 4 0 .429 120 155Dallas ...................................... 3 4 0 .429 137 162Washington ............................ 3 5 0 .375 213 227


Atlanta ................................... 7 0 0 1.000 201 130Tampa Bay............................ 3 4 0 .429 184 153New Orleans......................... 2 5 0 .286 190 216Carolina ................................ 1 6 0 .143 128 167


Chicago................................... 6 1 0 .857 185 100Minnesota ............................... 5 3 0 .625 184 167Green Bay ............................... 5 3 0 .625 208 170Detroit...................................... 3 4 0 .429 161 174

WestW L T Pct PF PA

San Francisco......................... 6 2 0 .750 189 103Arizona .................................... 4 4 0 .500 127 142Seattle...................................... 4 4 0 .500 140 134St. Louis .................................. 3 5 0 .375 137 186

Thursday's GameSan Diego 31, Kansas City 13

Sunday's GamesArizona at Green Bay, 1 p.m.Chicago at Tennessee, 1 p.m.Buffalo at Houston, 1 p.m.Carolina at Washington, 1 p.m.Detroit at Jacksonville, 1 p.m.Denver at Cincinnati, 1 p.m.Baltimore at Cleveland, 1 p.m.Miami at Indianapolis, 1 p.m.Minnesota at Seattle, 4:05 p.m.Tampa Bay at Oakland, 4:05 p.m.Pittsburgh at N.Y. Giants, 4:25 p.m.Dallas at Atlanta, 8:20 p.m.Open: N.Y. Jets, New England, San Francisco, St.Louis

Monday's GamePhiladelphia at New Orleans, 8:30 p.m.

Thursday, Nov. 8Indianapolis at Jacksonville, 8:20 p.m.

A F C L E A D E R S


P. Manning, DEN...... 257 176 2113 17 4Roethlisberger, PIT.. 268 179 1987 14 3Brady, NWE .............. 320 209 2408 16 3Schaub, HOU............ 222 140 1650 10 4Dalton, CIN................ 243 156 1831 13 10P. Rivers, SND ......... 263 175 1866 12 10Fitzpatrick, BUF ........ 218 133 1435 15 9C. Palmer, OAK........ 269 162 1941 9 5Flacco, BAL............... 252 150 1837 9 6Hasselbeck, TEN ..... 185 118 1167 6 4


Ridley, NWE ............... 150 716 4.77 41 5A. Foster, HOU........... 168 659 3.92 46 9J. Charles, KAN.......... 132 634 4.80 91t 2Chr. Johnson, TEN .... 131 595 4.54 83t 2McGahee, DEN .......... 123 554 4.50 31 4R. Rice, BAL................ 106 524 4.94 43 5Spiller, BUF ................. 72 523 7.26 56t 4Greene, NYJ ............... 139 509 3.66 36 5Re. Bush, MIA ............ 112 493 4.40 65t 3T. Richardson, CLE ... 127 470 3.70 32t 5


Welker, NWE................ 60 736 12.3 59 2Wayne, IND .................. 54 757 14.0 30t 2Bowe, KAN ................... 45 571 12.7 46 3A.. Green, CIN ............. 44 636 14.5 73t 7R. Gronkowski, NWE.. 43 580 13.5 41 7Ant. Brown, PIT............ 40 480 12.0 27 1Ke. Wright, TEN........... 40 351 8.8 35 3De. Thomas, DEN ....... 39 679 17.4 71t 4Decker, DEN ................ 38 484 12.7 55 5Lloyd, NWE .................. 37 435 11.8 27 3


A. Foster, HOU ........ 10 9 1 0 60A.. Green, CIN ......... 7 0 7 0 42R. Gronkowski,NWE.......................... 7 0 7 0 42H. Miller, PIT............. 6 0 6 0 38T. Richardson, CLE. 6 5 1 0 36Decker, DEN ............ 5 0 5 0 30Greene, NYJ ............ 5 5 0 0 30R. Rice, BAL............. 5 5 0 0 30Ridley, NWE............. 5 5 0 0 30Spiller, BUF .............. 5 4 1 0 30


Gostkowski, NWE.......... 29-29 17-20 53 80Janikowski, OAK ............ 11-11 18-19 52 65S. Graham, HOU............ 25-25 13-14 51 64Suisham, PIT .................. 15-15 16-17 52 63Tucker, BAL .................... 18-18 14-15 56 60Succop, KAN .................. 11-11 16-18 52 59Bironas, TEN .................. 18-18 12-15 47 54Folk, NYJ......................... 18-18 12-13 54 54P. Dawson, CLE ............. 16-16 12-12 52 52Nugent, CIN.................... 19-19 11-12 48 52

N F C L E A D E R S


A. Rodgers, GBY...... 297 205 2165 21 4M. Ryan, ATL ............ 265 182 2018 17 6Ale. Smith, SNF........ 209 145 1659 12 5Griffin III, WAS.......... 223 149 1778 8 3Jo. Freeman, TAM.... 223 123 1800 14 5Brees, NOR............... 315 188 2310 20 8E. Manning, NYG ..... 294 184 2301 12 8Kolb, ARI ................... 183 109 1169 8 3Ponder, MIN.............. 262 171 1743 10 7Bradford, STL ........... 249 153 1797 8 7


A. Peterson, MIN........ 151 775 5.13 64t 4M. Lynch, SEA............ 159 757 4.76 77t 3Morris, WAS................ 151 717 4.75 39t 5Gore, SNF ................... 119 656 5.51 37 4Bradshaw, NYG.......... 126 570 4.52 37 4Do. Martin, TAM.......... 129 543 4.21 41 3L. McCoy, PHL ........... 127 504 3.97 34 2Griffin III, WAS............ 70 476 6.80 76t 6Forte, CHI.................... 95 436 4.59 39 2M. Turner, ATL ........... 108 415 3.84 27 3


Harvin, MIN .................. 60 667 11.1 45 3Cruz, NYG .................... 52 650 12.5 80t 7Witten, DAL .................. 51 487 9.5 35 1B. Marshall, CHI........... 50 675 13.5 34 4Gonzalez, ATL ............. 46 459 10.0 25 4Fitzgerald, ARI ............. 45 511 11.4 37t 3Cobb, GBY ................... 42 463 11.0 39t 4Ca. Johnson, DET....... 41 638 15.6 51 1D. Bryant, DAL ............. 41 488 11.9 55 2R. White, ATL............... 40 591 14.8 59 4


Cruz, NYG ................ 7 0 7 0 42Jam. Jones, GBY..... 7 0 7 0 42Griffin III, WAS ......... 6 6 0 0 36And. Brown, NYG.... 5 5 0 0 32J. Nelson, GBY ........ 5 0 5 0 32Rudolph, MIN ........... 5 0 5 0 32Cobb, GBY ............... 5 0 4 1 30Colston, NOR........... 5 0 5 0 30Harvin, MIN .............. 5 1 3 1 30V. Jackson, TAM...... 5 0 5 0 30


Tynes, NYG .................... 22-22 24-26 49 94M. Bryant, ATL................ 21-21 16-17 55 69Walsh, MIN ..................... 17-17 17-18 55 68Akers, SNF ..................... 21-21 14-19 63 63Ja. Hanson, DET............ 15-15 16-17 53 63Zuerlein, STL.................. 10-10 17-20 60 61Gould, CHI ...................... 20-20 13-15 54 59Barth, TAM....................... 19-19 13-15 57 58


BRONCOS at BENGALS1 p.m., CBS, WYOU-22

PANTHERS at REDSKINS1 p.m., FOX, WOLF-56

STEELERS at GIANTS4:25 p.m., CBS, WYOU-22

COWBOYS at FALCONS8:20 p.m., NBC, WBRE-28

PITTSBURGH atN.Y. GIANTS

OPENING LINE: Giants by 31⁄2SERIES RECORD: Giants lead44-28-3LAST MEETING: Giants beatSteelers 21-14, Oct. 26, 2008LAST WEEK: Steelers beatRedskins 27-12; Giants beatsCowboys 29-24DID YOU KNOW? This will be76th meeting between theSteelers, who joined league in1933, and Giants, who werefounded in 1925, but only fifthtime since 1994. ... Steelerscoach Mike Tomlin looking for60th career win. ... Pittsburghleads NFL with a 51.9 percentconversion rate on third down....Quarterback Ben Roethlis-berger 23-7 against NFC teams.He threw for three TDs lastweek vs. Washington. ...T ightend Heath Miller has caught sixTD passes. ...LB Larry Footeleads team with 50 tackles. Itwill be Pittsburgh’s first gameat MetLife Stadium. ... Steelers400-253-2 during regularseason since 1970, makingthem first franchise to win 400since AFL-NFL merger in 1970.Giants QB Eli Manning has woneight in row against AFC teams,passing for 2,194 yards with 14TDs and five interceptions. ...Running back Ahmad Brad-shaw has 408 yards and sixTDs in last four games. ... Vic-tor Cruz’s 52 receptions fourthbest in league. His seven TDcatches tied for first overallwith Packers’ James Jones....Defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul has four sacks in pastthree games and seven in lastsix against AFC teams. ... KickerLawrence Tynes leads leaguewith 94 points.

DENVER atCINCINNATI

OPENING LINE: Broncos by31⁄2SERIES RECORD: Broncoslead 18-8LAST MEETING: Broncos beatBengals 24-22, Sept. 18, 2011LAST WEEK: Broncos beatSaints 34-14; Bengals had byeDID YOU KNOW? Last timeBroncos played at Paul BrownStadium, Brandon Stokleycaught deflected pass and went87 yards for touchdown with 11seconds left for 12-7 win,longest game-win-ning TD play fromscrimmage infinal minute ofgame in NFLhistory. ... QB Pey-ton Manning 7-0career against Cincinnatiwith 17 TD passes andthree INTs. He has thrownfor at least three TDs infour of those games. ... WREric Decker has caught TDpass in four consecutivegames. He can become fifth

player in franchise history todo it in five straight games withTD catch Sunday.Dalton has thrown an intercep-tion in each of Cincinnati’sseven games. He has thrown 10INTs overall, including six in lastthree games. ... Bengals havelost three in row for first timesince 2010, when they dropped10 straight and finished 4-12. ...WR A.J. Green has caught TDpass in six straight games, tiedfor third-longest streak infranchise history. Carl Pickensholds team record of 10. T.J.

Houshmand-zadeh caughtTD pass ineightstraight.

CAROLINA atWASHINGTON

OPENING LINE:Washingtonby 31⁄2SERIES RECORD: Redskinslead 7-3LAST MEETING: Panthersbeat Redskins 33-20, Oct. 23,2011LAST WEEK: Panthers lost toBears 23-22; Redskins lost toSteelers 27-12DID YOU KNOW? Game fea-

tures last twoHeismanTrophy

winners: Carolina’s Cam New-ton (2010) from Auburn andWashington’s Robert Griffin III(2011) from Baylor. ... Newtonhad 256 yards passing and twotouchdowns (one rushing, onepassing) in win over Redskinslast year. ... Carolina has lostfive straight, last four by com-bined 12 points.Redskins have 1,330 yardsrushing at season’s midpoint,second most for franchisethrough eight games since1970. ... Griffin leads NFL roo-kies with 66.8 completionpercentage and 97.3 rating. Heleads all QBs with 476 yardsrushing six touchdowns. ...Redskins will be wearing throw-back uniforms based on their1937 NFL championship team,complete with modern helmetsdesigned to resemble theirleather predecessors.

DALLAS atATLANTA

OPENING LINE: Falcons by 41/2SERIES RECORD: Cowboyslead 16-8LAST MEETING: Cowboysbeat Falcons 37-21, Oct. 25,2009LAST WEEK: Cowboys lost toGiants 29-24; Falcons beatEagles 30-17DID YOU KNOW? Cowboys topFalcons in total offense andtotal defense, but defining statis turnover ratio: Dallas minus11, Atlanta plus 10. Cowboys QBTony Romo and Falcons QBMatt Ryan have similar num-bers in completions and yardspassing, but Romo has 13 in-terceptions and nine TD pas-ses. Ryan has six interceptionsand 17 TDs. ... Romo completed21 of 29 passes for 311 yards andthree TDs in 2009 win overAtlanta. .. TE Jason Witten’s 18catches last week againstGiants most by a tight end ingame in NFL history.Falcons WR Roddy White’s 511catches since 2007 lead NFC.White has 22 catches for 343yards, four TDs, in last threehome games. ... Falcons TETony Gonzalez needs one TDcatch to reach 100 for career. ...Falcons 28-0 when Ryan

has 100-plus QBrating.

OLD TYME FOOTBALL

AP PHOTO

New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning will get rea-quianted with Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Larry Footeand the Steeler defense when the two teams meet today.

Where have yougone, Ickey Woods?

The former Bengals’ run-ning back would showcase his

“Ickey Shuffle” after every TDback in the glory days of 1989-90.

Now there’s a guy who should be on“Dancing With the Stars.” Not to beoutdone, The Broncos had their ownTD celebration in the late 1990s,when Terrell Davis would give the“Mile-High Salute.”

>> STEELERS VS. GIANTS: If the original“gameplan” had held during the 2004NFL draft, Ben Roethlisberger would be aGiant today. And Eli Manning? He’d be aCharger. Back then, San Diego had the No.1 overall pick and was going to take Man-ning. New York was poised to select BigBen at No. 4. But Eli didn’t want to play forthe Chargers and was very public about it.So New York and San Diego arranged adeal where the Giants selected PhilipRivers for San Diego and the teamsswapped QBs. And Roethlisberger fell intothe Steelers’ lap at No. 11. It worked outnicely too. Ben and Eli have two SuperBowl titles apiece.

>> COWBOYS VS. FALCONS: The Cow-boys and Falcons rivalry isn’t exactly oneof NFL lore. Historically, when the Cow-boys have been good, the Falcons havebeen anything but – and versa vice. But onJan. 4, 1981, the teams actually played agame with championship implications, andit looked like the Falcons were going tosnatch up a win. It was an NFC playoff

game, and Atlanta was at home and up 10points late in the fourth quarter. And theywould have gotten away with it too, if itwasn’t for that meddling combination ofDanny White to Drew Pearson. Whitehooked up with Pearson for two TD pas-ses, the clincher with 47 seconds left, andDallas left Atlanta with a 30-27 win.

>> PANTHERS VS. REDSKINS: Hey, CamNewton, meet the “new” Cam Newton. In2011, Newton made quite the splash as arookie, setting all kinds of records as adynamic, rushing QB. Then, Robert GriffinIII enters the league and has proceeded to“out-Cam” Newton. Or so you’ve been ledto believe. Through eight game in hisrookie year, RGIII, as the abbreviated-minded like to call him, has 1,778 yardspassing and 8 TDs, and 487 yards rushingwith 6 TDs. Newton’s 2011 marks at thehalfway point looked like this: 2,390 yardspassing with 11 TDs, and 319 rushing yardswith 7 TDs. The edge goes toNewton. Although RGIIIhas better hair.

>> BEARS VS.TITANS: This ismore than a NFC-AFC matchup. It’sa battle betweentwo of America’smost iconic musi-cal styles. Nash-ville is home toSistine Chapel ofcountry music – the

Grand Ole Opry. It’s a stage where legendslike Hank Williams, Roy Acuff, Dolly Par-ton, Garth Brooks, and the cast of “HeeHaw” have sang about “doom, despair andagony” since 1925. Chicago is a musicalmelting pot that gave birth to the guitar-harmonica infused “Chicago Blues.” Chica-go’s musical all-stars include Muddy Wa-ters, Buddy Guy and Bo Diddley. At facevalue, it looks like a draw, but there’s oneact that tips the scales Chicago’s way --Jake and Elwood Blues. Advantage: Bears.

>> BRONCOS VS. BENGALS: The story ofthe Cincinnati Bengals is one of betrayal,revenge, helmets and lust – without thelust. It begins in Cleveland in 1961, whenBrowns founder and namesake Paul Brownsold a majority interest in the team to ArtModell. Two years later, Modell fired him.But Brown was not finished. When the AFLexpanded to Cincinnati in 1968, Brown waspart-owner, coach and general manager.

He chose the name Bengals,after a short-lived team that

had played in Cincy in the1930s. And for theirhelmets … well, thereare some who say asa slight to Modell,Brown took theexact orange as theCleveland Brownshelmets andslapped the word

“Bengals” on it. Takethat, Modell.



C M Y K

THE TIMES LEADER www.timesleader.com SUNDAY, DECEMBER 9, 2012 PAGE 9C


WHAT DOESWinnie thePooh have to do withfantasy football?In reality, not much.

Author A.A. Milne neverwrote a book called“Winnie the Pooh andCam Newton Too.” Butphilosophically? … Ah.

Now you’re cookin’ with honey.There is a quote from our favorite stuffed

bear about the value of patience that comesin handy this time of year: “Rivers know this:there is no hurry. We shall get there someday.”And that’s relevant, how? You see, after

months of patiently going with the flow ofthe season, we are “here.” We have arrived atthe playoffs.You lose now, and you’re done until Au-

gust. No one wants that. Well, your oppo-nent does.So, to make sure

that doesn’t happen,here are some sug-gestions for the “ulti-mate” lineup to helpin Week 14. Obvi-ously, if you haveAaron Rodgers, Cal-vin Johnson, AdrianPeterson or any other“stud” player, you’llstart them. This is astart and sit list forthose who don’t havethose guys.QB: Eli Manning,

Giants: It’s hard tocriticize Eli becauseeven though he seemsto define inconsis-tency, he somehowends up winning theSuper Bowl. Man-ning’s looked patheticat times and then herises up and dom-inates against theNFC’s best. This isone of those “rise up”weeks against theSaints.Also consider --

Brandon Weeden, Browns: He’s been improv-ing and he plays the Chiefs at home. Avoid –Tony Romo, Cowboys: Cincy has shut downthe last four QBs they’ve faced. And it’sDecember. Romo doesn’t like December.RB: Doug Martin, Bucs:He’s probably

earned his way onto the “stud” list, but hisvalue gets an extra boost because Tampa playsthe mess that is the Eagles. If I had a farm, I’dbet it onMartin scoring at least two TDs.Alfred Morris, Redskins: You’ve heard of

RG3, but almost as important to Washing-ton’s success is AM1. The rookie out ofFlorida Atlantic is a tough runner. And hegets a Ravens D ranked 23rd against the run.Also consider – Chris Johnson, Titans:

The only worry is if the Colts jump out to abig lead, Johnson could be forgotten. Avoid --Arian Foster, Texans: He may get a score,but with the playoffs sewed up, Houston’sbeen limiting his carries.WR: Julio Jones, Falcons:He’s been good,

but falls short of true superstar status. He’salso got this weird thing going where hisbest games are on the road and on alternateweeks. In case you were wondering, Atlantais in Carolina, and Jones had five catches for48 yards last week.Anquan Boldin, Ravens: For good or bad,

Baltimore has become more of a passingoffense. With Ray Rice around, that may notbe a smart football decision, but it definitelyhelps Boldin’s numbers. And you can throwagainst Washington.Also consider – Josh Gordon, Browns: If

Weeden has a good game, Gordon benefits.And Weeden should have a good game.Avoid -- Larry Fitzgerald, Cardinals: SittingFitzgerald should be understood by now.TE: Heath Miller, Steelers: Ben Roethlis-

berger should be back at QB for the Steelersand that will help Miller. Even with Batch atQB, he has more value than many expected.Also consider – Jared Cook, Titans: He’s

had his best games at the ends of the 2010and 2011 seasons. And his stats have beenheading up in recent days. Avoid – VernonDavis, 49ers: Remember when he thoughtColin Kaepernick was the right fit at QB?Davis has had four targets and two catchessince then.K: Rian Lindell, Bills: Seriously? Does it

matter who your kicker is? Well, if you musthave a pick, try Lindell. The Bills are athome and the Rams have a decent defense.Translation: Buffalo could move the ball, butend up with FG opportunities.Also consider – Shaun Suisham, Steelers:

With or without Ben, how often will theSteelers get into the end zone? Avoid – NickFolk, Jets: Do you really have to ask why?Defense: Browns: They’ve scored double-

digit fantasy points in five of the last sevenweeks. And Kansas City is not exactly anoffensive juggernaut.Also consider – Chargers: San Diego has

been good for a defensive TD a week, andwho knows how healthy Roethlisberger’sgoing to be? Avoid – Texans: Monday nightin New England. Unless there’s Sam Adamsand clam chowder involved, opposing teamsusually don’t like those words.


Oh bother...who to startin playoffs

Much has beenmade of AndrewLuck’s great rookieyear, but when youlook at his stats,he’s thrown 17 TDpasses and 16interceptions.Average that outover 16 games andyou’ll get 23 TDpasses and 21 INTs.Compare that toanother rookie’snumbers: 26 TDpasses and 28INTs. Those werePeyton Manning’sstats in 1998.

ONE FACTTO KNOW

S T A N D I N G S


W L T Pct PF PAy-New England....................... 9 3 0 .750 430 260N.Y. Jets ................................. 5 7 0 .417 228 296Buffalo ..................................... 5 7 0 .417 277 337Miami ....................................... 5 7 0 .417 227 249


x-Houston............................. 11 1 0 .917 351 221Indianapolis.......................... 8 4 0 .667 265 306Tennessee ........................... 4 8 0 .333 248 359Jacksonville ......................... 2 10 0 .167 206 342


Baltimore ................................. 9 3 0 .750 303 242Pittsburgh................................ 7 5 0 .583 254 230Cincinnati ................................ 7 5 0 .583 302 260Cleveland ................................ 4 8 0 .333 229 265

WestW L T Pct PF PA

y-Denver............................... 10 3 0 .769 375 257San Diego............................. 4 8 0 .333 258 257Oakland ................................ 3 10 0 .231 248 402Kansas City .......................... 2 10 0 .167 188 322


W L T Pct PF PAN.Y. Giants.............................. 7 5 0 .583 321 243Washington ............................ 6 6 0 .500 312 301Dallas ...................................... 6 6 0 .500 280 295Philadelphia............................ 3 9 0 .250 217 320


y-Atlanta ................................. 11 1 0 .917 317 229Tampa Bay ............................. 6 6 0 .500 333 285New Orleans .......................... 5 7 0 .417 321 327Carolina .................................. 3 9 0 .250 235 292


Green Bay ............................... 8 4 0 .667 296 259Chicago................................... 8 4 0 .667 294 198Minnesota ............................... 6 6 0 .500 262 272Detroit...................................... 4 8 0 .333 300 315

WestW L T Pct PF PA

San Francisco......................... 8 3 1 .708 289 171Seattle...................................... 7 5 0 .583 242 202St. Louis .................................. 5 6 1 .458 221 267Arizona .................................... 4 8 0 .333 186 234x-clinched playoff spoty-clinched division

Thursday's GameDenver 26, Oakland 13

Sunday's GamesChicago at Minnesota, 1 p.m.Baltimore at Washington, 1 p.m.Kansas City at Cleveland, 1 p.m.San Diego at Pittsburgh, 1 p.m.Tennessee at Indianapolis, 1 p.m.N.Y. Jets at Jacksonville, 1 p.m.Atlanta at Carolina, 1 p.m.Philadelphia at Tampa Bay, 1 p.m.St. Louis at Buffalo, 1 p.m.Dallas at Cincinnati, 1 p.m.Miami at San Francisco, 4:05 p.m.Arizona at Seattle, 4:25 p.m.New Orleans at N.Y. Giants, 4:25 p.m.Detroit at Green Bay, 8:20 p.m.

Monday's GameHouston at New England, 8:30 p.m.

Thursday, Dec. 13Cincinnati at Philadelphia, 8:20 p.m.

A F C L E A D E R S


P. Manning, DEN...... 483 330 3812 30 10Brady, NWE .............. 460 298 3537 25 4Roethlisberger, PIT.. 316 209 2287 17 4Schaub, HOU............ 413 266 3062 21 9Dalton, CIN................ 412 262 2980 24 13C. Palmer, OAK........ 533 324 3805 22 14Fitzpatrick, BUF ........ 373 228 2471 20 12P. Rivers, SND ......... 424 277 2969 18 15Flacco, BAL............... 426 252 3038 15 8Hasselbeck, TEN ..... 221 138 1367 7 5


A. Foster, HOU ......... 283 1102 3.89 46 13J. Charles, KAN ........ 222 1055 4.75 91t 3Ridley, NWE.............. 225 1010 4.49 41 9Chr. Johnson, TEN... 204 993 4.87 83t 4Spiller, BUF ............... 137 907 6.62 56t 5Green-Ellis, CIN........ 226 885 3.92 48 5R. Rice, BAL .............. 198 872 4.40 43 8T. Richardson, CLE.. 229 827 3.61 32t 7Greene, NYJ ............. 210 806 3.84 36 5McGahee, DEN......... 167 731 4.38 31 4


Welker, NWE.............. 92 1064 11.6 59 4Wayne, IND................. 88 1156 13.1 30t 3A.. Green, CIN............ 76 1107 14.6 73t 10De. Thomas, DEN...... 74 1197 16.2 71t 8And. Johnson, HOU .. 74 1114 15.1 60t 3B. Myers, OAK............ 70 728 10.4 29 4Decker, DEN............... 64 790 12.3 55 8Hartline, MIA............... 60 891 14.9 80t 1Bowe, KAN.................. 57 731 12.8 46 3Bess, MIA.................... 56 728 13.0 39 1


A. Foster, HOU ........ 15 13 2 0 90A.. Green, CIN ......... 10 0 10 0 60R. Gronkowski,NWE.......................... 10 0 10 0 60Ridley, NWE............. 9 9 0 0 54Decker, DEN ............ 8 0 8 0 48R. Rice, BAL............. 8 8 0 0 48T. Richardson, CLE. 8 7 1 0 48De. Thomas, DEN ... 8 0 8 0 48H. Miller, PIT............. 7 0 7 0 44Shorts, JAC .............. 7 0 7 0 42


Gostkowski, NWE ......... 50-50 24-30 53 122M. Prater, DEN............... 42-42 21-26 53 105S. Graham, HOU ........... 40-40 21-26 51 103Tucker, BAL.................... 31-31 24-26 56 103Suisham, PIT.................. 24-24 24-25 52 96Janikowski, OAK............ 22-22 24-26 55 94Nugent, CIN ................... 35-35 19-23 55 92P. Dawson, CLE............. 22-22 23-24 52 91

N F C L E A D E R S


A. Rodgers, GBY...... 414 279 3124 29 8Griffin III, WAS.......... 325 218 2660 17 4Ale. Smith, SNF........ 217 152 1731 13 5R. Wilson, SEA......... 317 201 2344 19 8M. Ryan, ATL ............ 462 312 3590 22 13Brees, NOR............... 492 304 3674 31 16Jo. Freeman, TAM.... 388 217 3003 23 8Romo, DAL................ 483 324 3660 19 15Kolb, ARI ................... 183 109 1169 8 3C. Newton, CAR....... 355 204 2933 14 10


A. Peterson, MIN ...... 234 1446 6.18 82t 8M. Lynch, SEA .......... 250 1138 4.55 77t 6Do. Martin, TAM........ 236 1106 4.69 70t 9Morris, WAS .............. 230 1106 4.81 39t 6Gore, SNF ................. 199 972 4.88 37 6Bradshaw, NYG ........ 185 836 4.52 37 5S. Jackson, STL........ 195 772 3.96 46 2L. McCoy, PHL.......... 177 750 4.24 34 2Forte, CHI .................. 179 749 4.18 46 3Griffin III, WAS .......... 105 714 6.80 76t 6


B. Marshall, CHI......... 91 1182 13.0 56 8Witten, DAL................. 88 818 9.3 36 1Ca. Johnson, DET ..... 86 1428 16.6 53 5Gonzalez, ATL ........... 73 770 10.5 25 7D. Bryant, DAL............ 71 978 13.8 85t 8R. White, ATL ............. 68 1023 15.0 59 4Cruz, NYG................... 68 883 13.0 80t 8Cobb, GBY.................. 64 675 10.5 39t 7Harvin, MIN................. 62 677 10.9 45 3Colston, NOR ............. 61 828 13.6 40 8


Do. Martin, TAM....... 10 9 1 0 60Jam. Jones, GBY..... 9 0 9 0 54A. Brown, NYG......... 8 8 0 0 50D. Bryant, DAL ......... 8 0 8 0 50A. Peterson, MIN ..... 8 8 0 0 50Rudolph, MIN ........... 8 0 8 0 50Cobb, GBY ............... 8 0 7 1 48Colston, NOR........... 8 0 8 0 48Cruz, NYG ................ 8 0 8 0 48J. Graham, NOR...... 8 0 8 0 48


Tynes, NYG.................... 31-31 32-36 50 127M. Bryant, ATL ............... 32-32 29-34 55 119Ja. Hanson, DET ........... 31-31 25-28 53 106Barth, TAM...................... 34-34 23-28 57 103D. Bailey, DAL................ 27-27 23-25 51 96Walsh, MIN..................... 24-24 24-27 55 96Akers, SNF ..................... 32-32 21-30 63 95

>> SAINTS VS. GIANTS: How can a teamplay a “home” game and NOT have home-field advantage? It’s tough to do, but that’sexactly what the New Orleans Saints did onSept. 19, 2005. Because of the devastationcaused by Hurricane Katrina, New Orleanswas forced to move their scheduled gameagainst the Giants from the Superdome tothe Meadowlands. They may have beendesignated the “home” team and got towear their black unis, but the crowd was68,031 strong pure, partisan Giant fans. Theresult was predictable. RB Tiki Barberscored two TDs as New York steamrolledthe Saints, 27-10.

>> BEARS VS. VIKINGS: Here’s an NFLmyth: The NFC North is the toughest divi-sion in football. Wait. Isn’t that true? Afterall, it gets nasty cold and windy in theMidwest this time of year, and that shouldmake for some weather-hardened teams,right? Think again. While the Packers andBears play in cold-weather meccas, the

Lions and Vikings took the easy way outand make their abodes in comfy, cozydomes. But it wasn’t always that way. Until1981, the Vikings used to play the frigidoutdoor confines of Metropolitan Stadium –a place nicknamed “The Ice Palace.” Thecoldest game ever played there was inDecember 1972, when Minnesota beat theBears 23-10. Game time high was minus 2with a wind chill of 26 below. Toasty.

>> CHARGERS VS. STEELERS:When theSan Diego Chargers came into Pittsburghfor the AFC Championship game on Jan. 15,1995, they weren’t given much of a chance.The Steelers “Blitzburgh” defense hadevoked memories of the 1970s’ “Steel Cur-tain,” while the Chargers scuffled just toget into the postseason. For the most part,the game went according to plan. TheSteelers dominated from every point on thefield, except one: the Chargers ownedPittsburgh’s 43 yardline. Trailing 13-3 in thesecond half, San Die-go’s Stan Humphriesthrew two 43-yard TDpasses and the Char-gers held off a desper-ate last minute chargeto win 17-13.

>> RAVENS VS.REDSKINS:Welcometo the fight for thestate of Maryland. It’s

the Patapsco River vs. the Potomac.Obrycki’s Crab House vs. Ben’s Chili Bowl.I-695 vs. I-495. The Inner Harbor vs. theNational Mall. Fort McHenry vs. Fort Ste-vens. “Tin Men” vs. “All the President’sMen.” Fell’s Point vs. Georgetown. LordBaltimore vs. George Washington. TheNational Aquarium vs. The Smithsonian.The Orioles vs. the Nationals. Harbaugh vs.Shanahan. Rice vs. Morris. Flacco vs. GriffinIII. Random phrases vs. complete thoughtfulsentences.

>> CHIEFS VS. BROWNS: Talk aboutgoing over to the other side. When LamarHunt, one of the founders of the old AFL,bought his own franchise, he put it in Dallasand called it the Dallas Texans. Its logo wasa runnin’, shootin’ cowboy with the state ofTexas as a backdrop. But the team couldn’tcompete with the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys, soin 1963, he moved it to Kansas City. Since

the Kansas City Texansmade no sense, hechanged the team’sname to the Chiefs. TheCowboy became anAmerican Indian andTexas became the out-line of six Midwesternstates. It’s a shame noone told “Mr. Chief” towear any pants. Andwhat’s up with that1980s “hair band” thinghe’s got going on?



CHARGERS at STEELERS1 p.m., CBS, WYOU-22

EAGLES at BUCCANEERS1 p.m., FOX-56, WOLF

SAINTS at GIANTS4:25 p.m., FOX-56, WOLF

LIONS at PACKERS8:20 p.m., NBC, WBRE-28

NEW ORLEANS atN.Y. GIANTS

OPENING LINE: Giants by 6SERIES RECORD: Giants lead14-12LAST MEETING: Saints beatGiants 49-24, Nov. 28, 2011LAST WEEK: Saints lost toFalcons 23-13; Giants lost toRedskins 17-16DID YOU KNOW? Playoff impli-cations for both teams. Saintsin almost-must-win situation tokeep hopes alive for fourthstraight postseason berth;Giants clinging to one-gamelead over Washington andDallas in NFC East. ... Saintshave three-game winning streakagainst Giants, including blow-outs in 2009 and last season....Quarterback Drew Brees 4-0vs. New York with 11 touch-downs, no interceptions and122.1 rating. He has eight touch-downs and 143.8 rating in lasttwo.Quarterback Eli Manning threwfor 406 yards and two touch-downs last season againstSaints. In last eight homegames, including playoffs, hehas completed 176 of 279 for2,316 yards, 17 TDs and seveninterceptions. ...Ahmad Brad-shaw has run for touchdown inthree of last four home games....Wide receiver Victor Cruz hadnine catches for 157 yards andtwo touchdowns against Saintslast season. ...Fellow receiverHakeem Nicks averaging 100.5yards against Saints. ...Tight endMartellus Bennett had career-high 82 yards on five catcheslast week. ...Defensive endJustin Tuck has three sacks inlast three home games.

PHILADELPHIAat TAMPA BAY

OPENING LINE: Buccaneers by81⁄2SERIES RECORD: Eagles lead8-7LAST MEETING: Eagles beatBuccaneers 33-14, Oct. 11, 2009LAST WEEK: Eagles lost toCowboys 38-33; Buccaneers lostto Broncos 31-23DID YOU KNOW? In past fourgames against Philadelphia,16-year veteran Ronde Barberhas three interceptions andreturned all of them for TDs. ...With Michael Vick sidelined byconcussion, Philadelphia coachAndy Reid has named NickFoles as starting quarterbackfor rest of season. With LeSeanMcCoy sitting out past twoweeks because of a concussion,Bryce Brown started at running

back, and joins Gary Brown asonly players since 1970 to rushfor 150-plus yards in each offirst two starts.Tampa Bay’s 2002 Super Bowlchampionship team will behonored at halftime. S RondeBarber is only player from thatteam remaining on roster. Hisfourth-quarter interception and92-yard return for touchdownsealed club’s victory over Ea-gles in that season’s NFC titlegame. Bucs rookie Doug Martinthird in NFL in rushing with 1,106yards. He’s second in yardsfrom scrimmage with 1,480, aclub rookie record. Mar-tin 73 yards shy ofbreaking CadillacWilliams’ recordfor most rush-ing yards byrookie.

SAN DIEGO atPITTSBURGH

OPENING LINE: Steelers by 7SERIES RECORD: Steelers lead22-8LAST MEETING: Steelers 38,Chargers 28, Oct. 4, 2009LAST WEEK: Chargers lost toBengals 20-13; Steelers beatRavens 23-20DID YOU KNOW? Chargershave lost four straight and sixof last seven. ... Steelers un-beaten at home against SanDiego during regular

season (14-0). ... Pittsburgh 9-2in December over last threeseasons. ... Pittsburgh CB IkeTaylor will miss first game ineight years due to fracturedright ankle. Second-year CBCortez Allen will start in Taylor’splace. ... Pittsburgh QB BenRoethlisberger needs 134 yardspassing yards to become 25thplayer in NFL history to top29,000 career passing yards.Chargers have six defensivetouchdowns this season, secondin league behind Chicago’sseven. ... Pittsburgh TE HeathMiller’s seven touchdowns thisseason have tied career high hepreviously set in 2007. ... Steel-ers allowing 12.4 points at HeinzField this season, fewest in NFL.... Chargers QB Philip Rivers willmake his 109th straight start onSunday, second-longest streakby QB in NFL behind New YorkGiants QB Eli Manning.

DETROIT atGREEN BAY

OPENING LINE: Packers by 61⁄2SERIES RECORD: Packers lead92-65-7LAST MEETING: Packers beatLions 45-41, Jan. 1, 2012LAST WEEK: Lions lost toIndianapolis 35-33; Packers beatVikings 23-14DID YOU KNOW? Green Bayhas won 21 straight against theLions in Wisconsin, streak thatdates back to Dec. 6, 1992, winat County Stadium in Milwau-kee. ... The 20 straight regular-season wins (Packers wonanother in playoffs) is longest inNFL history. Washington haswon 18 straight against Lions,and Pittsburgh has 16-gamewinning streak against Cleve-land. ... Lions have lost fourstraight, last three by combinednine points. ... Teams meetingfor second time in three weeks.Packers have won 10 straightagainst NFC North opponents,longest divisional winningstreak in NFL. ... Packers QBAaron Rodgers has been sackedNFL-high 39 times, includingthree by Lions in Nov. 18 meet-ing at Ford Field. Lions DT NickFairley sacked Rodgers twice. ...Packers have three rushingtouchdowns this season.

A GIANT MATCHUP

AP FILE PHOTO

New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees will face offagainst the New York Giants and Osi Umenyiora with play-off implications for both teams.

The Steelers and Eagles are set for re-matches with teams that ruined theirSuper Bowl dreams at one time oranother. It 1995 it was the Chargersshocking Pittsburgh in the AFCChampionship. And in 2003, RondeBarber and Tampa Bay kept the Eaglesfrom the Super Bowl.


Documents

SheposhSportsColumn