Whether it be an increased workload, or needing to catch their breath after as exciting a week of football as we’ve seen, our analysts took a little bit longer to get their responses in this week.
But they’re here now, with the tough questions being put to Ben Stockwell, Khaled Elsayed, Nathan Jahnke, Neil Hornsby and Sam Monson as we get their thoughts on what is currently going on in the NFL world.
This week we’ve got traditional questions looking at which performances most impressed us, as well as seasonal ones that look into our very own Midseason All-Pro Team. What do our analysts have on their mind? Do you agree? The only way to find out is to get to reading what they’ve all had to say.
1. The old favorite – what was the best performance you saw this week, be it individual play, player or team?
Ben: Joe Flacco stole the show for me this week. After such a poor season, and such a poor track record of performances in primetime games, he was superb on Sunday night. Yes, the Steelers' linebackers were depleted, but for the second straight season Flacco has engineered game-winning drives in Pittsburgh and that's something not to be underestimated.
Khaled: I’ll turn my attention to the start of the fourth quarter of the Bengals and Titans game. Down by three, Andy Dalton throws a near-perfect ball over Alterraun Verner to which A.J. Green makes a fantastic grab. Four plays later with 18 yards to pick up on third down, he finds Green again by putting it in the only spot the two men tracking Green can’t get to it. Following this, he just misses out on a touchdown on a beautifully thrown ball because Jerome Simpson can’t get his feet down, before completing his simplest pass of the drive a on third down to put up six. Great drive, and one where I started to think Dalton might be something special.
Nathan: The Saints' offense looked outstanding. The offensive line allowed just four total pressures while their lead back was out and they averaged seven yards per carry. Brees didn't have a great game, but he didn't need to because everyone else around him was excellent.
Neil: Sorry to be dull but how can anyone (other than a few diehard Patriots fans) not love that final drive by the Giants? Special praise in particular to “The Giant Snatch II” by Jake Ballard on a big 3rd-and-10 play.
Sam: I wanted to find some way of mentioning this play again, so I'll do it here. In the 2nd quarter of the Jets and Bills game, the Jets were facing 3rd-and-15 and chose the conservative option of a dump-off pass to LaDainain Tomlinson. Tomlinson was sprung for some serious additional yardage by a great showing from fullback Josh Baker. Baker got to the second level and took out a pair of defensive backs with one block, allowing Tomlinson to get to the edge. Great play.
2. We just released the PFF Midseason All-Pro team. Who is the one player not on it that you would like to make a case for?
Ben: Jason Peters has missed time through injury but when he has played he has been tremendous and, along with Evan Mathis, is forming the best left side of any offensive line in the league right now. His work in line is exceptional and I don't think I've seen a tackle look so proficient on downfield blocks over the last few seasons. LeSean McCoy and the other Eagles skill position players must love Peters' hustle.
Khaled: This may be a problem with the formatting of the team as much as anything, but it seems to have gone massively unnoticed just how well Brian Cushing is playing.
Nathan: You may very well have never heard of him, but Jed Collins is having an excellent season as the Saints' fullback. Over the past six games, he's had a positive run block rating in each and has a +8.5 run block rating on the year. We have never seen a six-game span out of a fullback like this. The fullback is a dying breed, but it's not dead yet.
Neil: I picked James Harrison in the voting but Khaled gave me some bunckum about not playing enough snaps because of his injury. Pah I say! I spit in the face of play-time limits when it comes to guys as far ahead of the pack as Harrison. Even including the great DeMarcus Ware, Harrison is consistently the best OLB of this generation.
Sam: Running back is pretty crowded and there's obviously a case to be made for Matt Forte, but I'd make the case for Erin Henderson at OLB. Believe it or not, Henderson has been quietly excellent for the Vikings this season and has only seen increased workload as Minnesota seeks to lighten the load on his brother, E.J.. What make Erin so good is that he plays the run extremely well and hasn't been exposed elsewhere. Minnesota would do well to lock him up on the cheap while they still can.
3. The Packers are still undefeated and Charles Woodson just started talking about 19-0. The last time they made it this far without a loss was in their second season of repeat championships. Do they go undefeated and do they repeat?
Ben: In terms of are they going to do it, no I think at some point they'll trip up. Someone will need a win more than them when they have everything wrapped up or close to towards the end of the season. However, can I pick a game they're going to lose? No. I can't see how anyone stops Aaron Rodgers and all the options on that offense, and they're efficient enough that if you slow it down and play ball control they aren't going to waste possessions and let you turn it in to a low scoring game.
Khaled: I imagine everyone else and says no, so I’m going to play the percentages and assume this is one of those times they all get it wrong. If Aaron Rodgers doesn’t get injured, they’re unstoppable, and after winning a Super Bowl they find the only way to top that. The undefeated season.
Nathan: Again, I will pull out that as someone who graduated with a statistics major, I don't believe they go undefeated as probability says it's unlikely. Their defense hasn't been playing great, which has led to close games. With the Lions twice, Giants once, and three playoff games … they are bound to have the ball go the wrong way once to lead to a loss. However I do see a repeat in their sights as I don't think there is a defense that can stop all of their receivers.
Neil: They don't go undefeated but they do repeat. As someone (apologies for the lack of accurate attribution) pointed out with that defense being as porous as it is it only takes the “O” to have one bad day and it's game over. For that to happen once over the next eight weeks (home and away) seems probable. At home only for two games in the playoffs and then one final fling, less so.
Sam: No and No. I'm not trying to be a naysayer here (honestly!), I'm just playing the percentages. Only one team has ever gone undefeated in a 16-game season, none has ever gone 19-0. As for repeating, well it just takes one off day in the playoffs and that's goodnight.
4. Buffalo, New England and the New York Jets all currently have a 5-3 record and similar tie breaker scores – who wins the division?
Ben: The men in white coats are waiting for me, but I think the Jets are going to be the team to emerge in the second half of the season. The Patriots and Bills wasted New York's early season struggles and haven't established a lead to hold in the second half. The Jets are now starting to look like the Jets and winning the division and staying at home for some playoff games may just enable them to take that next step.
Khaled: Anyone discounting the Patriots needs to snap back to reality. They’ve played a few bad games, it happens. Last year it wasn’t until Cleveland absolutely owned them that they woke up and started dominating teams. They respond to things going wrong by getting better. They always have and always will.
Nathan: The Bills have a more difficult schedule, so it's between the Jets and Patriots who have nearly an identical remaining schedule. I think it will come down to who wins this week between them, and I think the Jets pull it out.
Neil: New England. They have the best QB by far in that trio and the best QB usually comes out on top.
Sam: Much as I'd like to see them manage it, I think the Bills are the least likely. New England seems to have too many problems right now and the Jets have just started to look like the Jets we're used to seeing. If they can get on track having already got a share of the lead in the division they could roll to the title and host a playoff game for the first time under Rex.
5. Who is the second best team in the NFC and why?
Ben: Call me crazy, but I think the 49ers could just be the second-best team in the conference. Now I'll probably find out that I'm wrong when they lose on Sunday but this team finally appears to have some direction and that disjointed talent is becoming a force. The defense is coming together in a dominant way and the offense is providing a great foil to that unit. Come Sunday I could look a fool – or a fool who got something right – but I think this team might just have something.
Khaled: In general what goes up earlier in the season, tends to come down. Eventually that will be the 49ers, who will coast to the NFC West and no more. Instead, don’t sleep on the Saints. They pushed Green Bay all the way despite falling behind early, and have an offense that can put up points with anyone. I also like this new Gregg Williams defense that gets seven men blitzing a ridiculous amount. A big play is coming one way or the other and it means their defense should be fresh later on in the season!
Nathan: It's the 49ers easily in my opinion. Their defense by our ratings are in the Top 3 in run defense, pass rush and coverage. Their only loss was in overtime, so unlike the Giants, Lions and Saints they have not had a poor game.
Neil: The Giants. They have the two highest value requirements of a successful team. A QB playing well and a pass rush getting pressure with just four rushers.
Sam: I just can't buy the 49ers. Maybe I'm jaded from watching too much poor play, but no team with Alex Smith as QB can possibly be the conference's second best side. I think, despite some wobbles, the Saints will eventually emerge as that team.
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