The Sheriff and the Sunset



The Sheriff says goodbye

 

Whilst this writer is a New England Patriots fan until my sun sets, it is begrudgingly but respectfully that I wish Peyton, can I call him Peyton, all the best with his retirement. As long as the Patriots have been at the summit there has been Manning riding beside them going toe to toe in titanic tussles from Foxboro to Indianapolis to Mile High.

For every great quarterback there has to be an equal, otherwise you cannot be considered great yourself. If Tom Brady did not have Peyton Manning to fight and battle against then neither would have striven to achieve what they have.

Tennessee 1993-97,
Indianapolis Colts 1998-2001,
 Denver Broncos 2012-2015

 

Whilst Manning has all the regular season records obtained due to his longevity, Brady wanted the rings and he has four. Whilst Manning was always considered to be unfairly labelled a choker in playoff football, at least Manning had the humility and sustainability to alter his playing style to realise that so long as he did not force the play downfield with his ailing arm strength and just marshall his offence, then he could and did lead his team to a Super Bowl triumph.

While there may be a risk of tainting Manning's legacy due to a possible HGH scandal or a sexual assault from his college days at Tennessee, and whilst they might blight his post-playing career with any investigation that may take place - the man played the game in such a professional and stately manner for all those years has to be admired.

For every early postseason exit, there was Manning to take the bullet for his Colts and Broncos, taking the blame for failing to meet expectations for both the franchise and himself.

Professional and stately

He has to be admired for the way he conducted himself when he had to cut ties with the Colts (the team many thought he would retire with) who released him pathing the way to join Denver and John Elway. He never moaned of victimisation or of feigned loyalty, he served his time in Indy and the fans thanked him and saved their vitriol for owner Jim Irsay.

Manning left with his head held high. He did not clamour for attention while he made a crucial career decision to join Denver, he did not turn his free agency into a sideshow like say LeBron James so infamously did.

Manning has been control of his career from the outset, not because he asked for the control but because his quality of play demanded it.  As the best pocket passer in history who threw the best spiral, he formed a lethal partnership with Marvin Harrison worthy of comparison with Montana and Rice, who time and time again won game after game.

Manning became the man you loved to hate because he won time and time again. The guy who was a born winner now retires a winner. Despite a worse passer rating - 67.9 - than his rookie season - 71.2 and only throwing 9 touchdowns to 17 interceptions in the regular season.

His arm was failing him. His body had slowed down. And so it comes to pass. Time waits for no man.

Bennie Fowler caught Manning's last NFL completed pass

Every legendary player or first ballot Hall of Famer such as Peyton, deserves to right their own ending. His journey ended in San Francisco, out in the Old West, a city of regneration and new born - the old Sheriff took his battered body and team led by a stellar defence to the promised land and a victory in Super Bowl 50.

They say you are only as good as your last throw. Peyton's last throw was a two point conversion to Bennie Fowler which gave the Broncos a 24-10 lead with less than a minute to go.

His last pass was a completed pass and it put points on the board.

Peyton wrote his ending. Peyton had the Lombardi Trophy for a second time. While his decision may be based more on health than the cementing of a legacy, lets be glad he decides to end it now and not come back for one more fading shot at glory like Brett Favre.

The time is now for the Sheriff to ride into the sunset. Good luck Peyton.

NFL 2015 Week 1 preview

Finally, after all the talk of air in balls and the end of Deflategate, the gates to the greatest show on turf can finally be opened as the road to Super Bowl 50 begins in earnest. All roads lead to San Francisco now.

What to expect from this season though? The reinstatement of Tom Brady for the entire season means the Patriots remain the big noise of the AFC with challenges coming from Indianapolis, Baltimore and if Arian Foster stays healthy perhaps Houston.  On the other side of the conference battle, the Seattle Seahawks remain the team to beat with the Green Bay Packers although the loss of Jordy Nelson will remove a potent weapon for Aaron Rodgers.

The great thing of week 1 is the thrill of the new and that anything can happen with new rookies, players on new teams and the excitement of another season upon us.

Throughout the season I hope to bring you in this blog, a preview of the match of the week, picks for every game, upset special and fantasy focus advice.

Match of the Week

 v 

New York Giants at Dallas Cowboys  

A familiar match up between two heated rivals, who feel they have a chance to win the division this season. The Cowboys give the impression of going all in this season in an attempt to win their first Super Bowl since the mid 1990s, they signed Greg Hardy on free agency and took a chance with Randy Gregory in the draft; whilst releasing DeMarco Murray after a career year.  Can the OL protect Tony Romo from getting hit and can Dez Bryant remain open and score enough points as even though they improved last season, you will always score against this Cowboys defence.
 
Which brings us to the Giants, who have just as impactful a QB-WR duo in Eli Manning and Odell Beckham Jr. who was Rookie of the Year last year. Will ODB suffer with second season syndrome or will the Giants make strides again for a playoff run with an improved defence; and a good draft means the Giants are one of three teams in a chance to win this division along with the Redskins, sorry I mean the Eagles.

Since Jerryworld opened, Eli Manning has a good record there, able to deal with the large crowd that puts too much expectation on a team.  It will be high scoring but I fancy the Giants to ride out of Dallas with a big road win to start their season.

Picks 

(winner in capitals)

Pittsburgh @ NEW ENGLAND

GREEN BAY @ Chicago

Kansas City @ HOUSTON

Cleveland @ NY JETS

Indianapolis @ BUFFALO

MIAMI @ Washington

Carolina @ JACKSONVILLE

SEATTLE @ St. Louis

New Orleans @ ARIZONA

DETROIT @ San Diego

Tennessee @ TAMPA BAY

Cincinnati @ OAKLAND

BALTIMORE @ Denver

NY GIANTS @ Dallas

PHILADELPHIA @ Atlanta

MINNESOTA @ San Francisco

Upset Special

 v 

Some of my selections will no doubt raise some eyebrows, yet the most pressing upset for me is the visit of Andrew Luck and his deflated Colts visiting Rex Ryan's Bills on the opening week.  Whilst the Colts have the better QB, he may not face a more pressing defence than the one Ryan will throw at him this weekend in the Bills' home opener.  This will be a test of Luck's receiver core, can TY Hilton step up as the number one. If it becomes a shootout, I cannot see Luck being able to find enough people open.  The Bills meanwhile have a few better offensive options in Shady McCoy and Sammy Watkins in the deep, despite the less than heralded Tyrod Taylor starting.

Fantasy advice

- Take the Bills defence

- Jimmy Graham (Seattle) as a legitimate red zone target

- Devante Adams (Green Bay) will get a lot of targets and looks v Chicago

- Alfred Blue (Houston) with Arian Foster out week 1, 

expect a lot of touches for Blue v Kansas City

Follow me on Twitter @JamieGarwood. Let me know what you think

Supposed Super Bowl

Following the divisional round of play off matches over the weekend where only one road team won but nevertheless every game was tight and entertaining. We are two games away from the Superbowl, the mecca of American Football, fittingly taking place in a desert.

For all four teams left - Seattle Seahawks, Green Bay Packers, New England Patriots, Indianapolis Colts - are just one game away from the game of immortals. I'd like to take this moment to size up the possible games we could have at Glendale, Arizona on Sunday 1st February.  What possible storylines could we envisage and forsee occuring?

Seattle Seahawks v New England Patriots
The team that is on the cusp of greatness goes up against the current dynasty of the NFL.  The defending champion Seahawks go up against the last team to repeat as Super Bowl champions when the Patriots did it in 2004 for their third Lombardi trophy in three years.  Russell Wilson v Tom Brady is not so much the storyline as others but more that defence against an offence that can adapt and offer variations.  The last time these two played was two seasons ago when a Richard Sherman interception stopped a possible Brady game winning drive.  The handshake and exchange of pleasantries cemented Sherman's reputation as someone who can back it up off the pitch as well as on it, Brady would be wanting to put the record straight. And winning his fourth ring might just do it. And to think of West Coast muscle versus East coast brain power in the guise of Carroll v Belichick; the tan versus the hoodie.

Seattle Seahawks v Indianapolis Colts
Two of the three top quarterbacks taken in the 2013 draft, Russell Wilson v Andrew Luck.  The champion v the blueprint.  Luck was supposed to win a Super Bowl first but Wilson got to it first.  This would be Luck's legacy on the line, it would not be his last appearance and to spare the continual comparison to Peyton Manning he might want to win his first Super Bowl appearance.  Yet in terms of match up, with no running game to speak of, can you imagine Luck having to throw against this secondary and try to win the game.

Green Bay Packers v Indianapolis Colts
A gimpy Aaron Rodgers against a fast improving Colts offensive line with Jonathon Newsome off the edge and Cory Redding.  The only drawback of the Colts win in Denver was the tackling or failure to of CJ Anderson who gained yards when he should have been stopped, imagine a better runner like Eddie Lacy whose workload will be elevated based upon Rodgers fitness.  Luck would prefer to throw on this secondary and if it is a shootout would you not rather have a gunman with two legs.

Green Bay Packers v New England Patriots
The two best quarterbacks of the season going head to head for all the marbles.  Rodgers going for his second Super Bowl, Brady going for his fourth to join his idol Joe Montana and Terry Bradshaw in immortality. Should Brady get that elusive fourth ring, remember he has lost the last two Super Bowl appearances, it should put to bed the arguments over the GOAT debate. Brady with a compotent offence may appear to be overly reliant on Rob Gronkowski but that is the beauty of having a beast, try and match up with him which secondaries may do and that leaves options open in the form of Julian Edelman, Brandon LaFell and Danny Amendola. Never mind Shane Vereen and LaGarrette Blount in the backfield. And the defensive line of New England led by Vince Wilfork will match up well against Lacy and welcome the chance to reverse the scoreline 26-21 at Lambeau back in Week 13.

With it taking place in the desert not far from the Old West, what finer sight than to see Brady and Belichick head into the sunset with a fourth trophy on their back.

Can the Colts stay Luck-y?

Being a New England Patriots fan, I was quite apprehensive about the Week 11 game at Lucas Oil Stadium versus the Indianapolis Colts. It's all well and good beating the Denver Broncos and Peyton Manning at Foxboro, again. Yet this was a true road game in a suspected AFC playoff team and Super Bowl contender. Being in England, I had to sleep and hope I woke up to good news.

I woke up to a scoreline of 42-20 victory for New England. Yet it wasn't another great showing by Tom Brady, he threw no interceptions but the hero was unheralded running back Jonas Gray who ran for 199 yards and four touchdowns.

However, upon reading social media my interest has been piqued by the future more of the Colts. Being a fan of Brady and Bill Belichick, you get accustomed to them finding ways to maintain a consistency of performance and finding ways to succeed.  Belichick employed a sixth lineman to help the running game and simply overpowered a weak Colts defence.

Before Sunday, the Colts were leading the NFL in offence and yet were last in defensive rankings.  When you have put all your chips in on a franchise quarterback and ask him to take you to the promised land of Super Bowl glory, the minimum requirement is to give him the opportunity to win the game. That means keeping him on the field, give him short field to work with and disrupt the offensive flow of the opponents.

Belichick in employing Gray as his offensive weapon, fundamentally kept Luck off the field for long periods of time. The constant scoring meant Luck had to throw more; Ahmad Bradshaw and Trent Richardson ran the ball only 7 times, not helped by Bradshaw breaking his ankle.  Luck has offensive weapons but there are teams in the AFC with just better defenders than what the Colts have.  The Patriots have Darrelle Revis, Brandon Browner and Logan Ryan. Would any member of the Colts secondary dislodge those gentleman?

My concern for the Colts is that this was a season that was an opportunity to get a number 1 or 2 seed. The defeat yesterday means they will have to go through Mile High and then Foxboro to reach Arizona, they are conveniently playing in a poor division and they are the best team in that division for this season.

The Houston Texans are having a great defensive year in spite of offensive failings. In JJ Watt you have a player who would be considered for MVP awards if the Texans were above .500; and they are now at .500 with a seemingly more capable quarterback in Ryan Mallett.  Houston have a wealth of talented defenders apart from Watt; they drafted Jadaveon Clowney correctly and still have Brian Cushing and Danieal Manning who put up great numbers. The team is carried though by Watt, and for years to come the battle between him and Luck will be exhilarating.

The point of the last paragraph is that if the Colts do not get help on that offensive line to protect Luck then Watt, Clowney et al will eat him up and usurp them as the number one team in the AFC South.

Case in point they need to plan and draft better. It was fortuitous that Coby Fleener was drafted 34th overall and become the perennial safety blanket (aren't all tight ends safety blankets) for Luck has evidenced by his 7 receptions for 144 yards on Sunday night.  It was a stroke of luck for the Colts but look at who was selected 35th and 36th in the same draft. After Fleener was Courtney Upshaw (Alabama) by the Baltimore Ravens, a wonderful player and after him was Derek Wolfe a component defensive tackle for the Broncos. Even the unfortunate Jonathan Martin (Stanford) was selected 42nd by the Miami Dolphins as an offensive lineman.

Fleener will be around for years but he can expect more coverage next week after news that Dwayne Allen has a high ankle strain so a few weeks out.  The only worry is will Luck get the ball to him, enough to get the win. The Colts are 6-4 and the Texans 5-5, the encounter at Lucas Oil Stadium on December 14th will be all important to who makes the playoffs.

Follow me @JamieGarwood

NFL Divisional Playoffs Preview

After going a quite woeful 1-3 in my predictions in the Wildcard Weekend, it is time to mean business and go totally against the grain with my picks for the Divisional playoffs. This weekend the No 1 and 2 seeds enter the fray of the respective conferences. From the AFC the Denver Broncos and New England Patriots come to play and in the NFC the top ranked Seattle Seahawks and Carolina Panthers arrive after the benefit of a two week break to rest weary bodies and prepare for their perspective opponents.

New Orleans Saints at Seattle Seahawks
In a rematch of the regular season encounter, when Seattle rocked the New Orleans hopes of gaining a bye themselves.  The Saints return to Seattle to derail the Legion of Boom and beat an undefeated team at home.  Seattle have the best defense in the NFL and will ask questions of one of the better offenses, however it is those extra dimensions of the Saints offense that may make this closer on this occasion.  If Brees can avoid overthrowing and over-egging the pudding, and rely on Darren Sproles and Mark Ingram to take some carries to the house.

The Seahawks for me rely too much on Marshawn Lynch, whilst Russell Wilson has shown great maturity in his sophomore season, I feel he does not have the weapons in the receiving core that Brees has (Jimmy Graham, Lance Moore and Sproles).

However, you feel the intimidatory feel of the ultimate home field advantage will serve Seattle well, although they have not ended the regular season as dominant as they would have intended.

Prediction: Seahawks by 6

Indianapolis Colts at New England Patriots
The Patriots lucked out by having the Bengals eliminated, they get the higher remaining seed. In this case they get the comeback kings the Colts who came from a 28 point deficit at home to the Kansas City Chiefs to give Andrew Luck his first playoff victory.  While Luck was inspirational, let it not be forgotten he threw three interceptions.

That is where I feel the game will be decided, the Patriots secondary led by Pro Bowler Aqib Talib has improved significantly from previous early season nightmares.  Andrew Luck has only one receiver remaining in TY Hilton, and the one-two punch of Donald Brown and Trent Richardson.  Yet the Patriots run defense has been good despite the loss of Vince Wilfork.

New England will probably have the most un-Brady playoff game as they rely on the running back trifecta of Stevan Ridley, LaGarrette Blount and Shane Vereen for screens.  The Colts defense leaks points especially against the run. If NE find form and success with the rush, expect Brady to throw the ball no more than 30 times if that, and go to another AFC Championship game.

Prediction: Patriots by 10

San Francisco 49ers at Carolina Panthers
Carolina beat San Fran 10-9 at Candlestick about six weeks ago in a result that made people stand up and count these Panthers.  However, that was probably the nadir of the 49ers season, since then they have regained Michael Crabtree from injury which has given Colin Kaepernick options with the ball, something he has not had.  Anquan Boldin has had an amazing first season and Vernon Davis has been a stud as always, but Crabtree with his ball handling skills had 125 yards at Green Bay last week.

The Panthers probably could have done without a bye, the SF defensive line will be too much for the Panthers O-line with pressure coming from the edge to force Cam Newton to panic and scramble when they will then plug the gap sufficiently.

The worry of Steve Smith's health means that there are fewer weapons for Cam Newton to find and you cannot run on this 49ers defence. Whilst it is great to see Cam in his first playoff game, you feel it will be a one and done.

Prediction: 49ers by 7

San Diego Chargers at Denver Broncos
The Chargers are that team that seemingly exists every year in the playoffs; the team that gets hot late on or fortuitously sneaks in using that momentum to gain shocks on teams.  San Diego went on the road to the Bengals and upset them massively, Cincinnati were a bit complacent and over-reliant on AJ Green who they shut down sufficiently forcing Andy Dalton to aim elsewhere and then intercept him twice.  Whilst Dalton was awful in his third successive one and done playoff game, the Chargers deserve huge credit for winning match-ups all over the field.

The game plan of utilizing the running of a healthy Ryan Mathews and the duck and dive of the ever impressive Danny Woodhead led to big gains on plays, managing the clock and frustrating the opposition causing mistakes that they scored off of.

The same plan will be in effect versus Peyton Manning and the high scoring Denver Broncos at Mile High. The altitude and away trip will hold no fear to the Chargers who won at Denver on a Thursday night when Ryan Mathews had over 130 yards and Denver had the ball for only 21 minutes.  If that plan can be carried out properly it can work, and the loss of Von Miller on the Broncos defense will be sorely tested against a Chargers O-line that gives Rivers enough time in the pocket; Rivers is leading this team well marshaling the troops and controlling the tempo.

This could be an upset and the Chargers could do it again.
Prediction: Chargers by 3

Follow me on twitter @JamieGarwood

NFL Week 8 preview

Week 7 was built up as the week Peyton Manning returned home to Indianapolis, the place he spent the majority of his career and won his only Super Bowl ring at.  The week leading up to this tussle was overshadowed by the tweets and comments of Colts owner, Jim Irsay, some of which was at times derisory.

The Colts won somewhat convincingly, giving them a third victory over a Top 5 team following a home win over the Seattle Seahawks and the road win at San Francisco.  They have beaten those three supreme contenders by a total of 11 points. The three teams have a combined record of 17-1 and that one is Seattle defeating the Niners. 

The question coming into the game was also concerning the physical prowess of Manning himself, he and the Broncos offense has been on fire but against the woeful Jacksonville Jaguars the week before, a game they were meant to win by 30 points and only won by 16, Manning had an interception and fumbled.  It might have been a case of playing within themselves against a lesser opponent (the Jags have lost each of their games by double digits - a record), yet Manning's ball flight and accuracy seemed to diminish from the Cowboys victory on the road. 

Indianapolis had a game plan to attack Manning from his blind side with Robert Mathis leading the charge, and his sack which caused a safety led to Manning suffering immensely being unable to find targets downfield, but credit should be given to the Colts secondary who tied up Decker and Demaryius Thomas, Wes Welker had some joy in the fourth quarter getting separation when needed and shorter passes found their target.  However, the Broncos were guilty of some poor play-calling. Having converted a short yardage touchdown with Moreno, the next time they were at the two yard line they handed off to Ronnie Hillman, who has a history of fumbling, and naturally fumbled making it a 9 point deficit instead of one point if Denver converted a two point conversation.

The Colts will feel great and Chuck Pagano should be ecstatic with the defensive performance thus far this season, yet they suffered a season ending injury to veteran Reggie Wayne, who suffered an ACL tear when turning on the field. A cruel injury that may well affect their offense, but the Kansas City Chiefs have shown you do not need a stellar offense if your defence can punch the opposing quarterback in the mouth.

Bye weeks this week for six teams - Chicago, Tennessee, Indianapolis, San Diego, Houston, Baltimore - meaning less games to pick:

Panthers (3-3) at Buccaneers (0-6)
The Bucs are a terribly poor side and to had to injury, Doug Martin has a torn labrum meaning he could be out for the season. So it is all change in the offensive department, although Mike Glennon's arm is still finding Vincent Jackson who had two more TDs this past weekend. The Panthers were too strong for the Rams (30-15) at home on Sunday, Cam Newton needed to have a long look at his own play before their bye week. Newton has returned better numbers, is turning over the ball less and making big plays. Expect them to heap more misery on Tampa.
Prediction: Panthers by 7

Cowboys (4-3) at Lions (4-3)
The Lions are a frustrating bunch, full of so much talent and potential yet they could not get the upper hand of a Bengals side. They still have Megatron whose two TDs showcased his amazing hands and Matt Stafford's belief in his receiver, amazing Stafford only has 4 INTs considering the bombs he throws so regularly.  The Cowboys shut down the Eagles (who have injury issues) and Tony Romo is having a great year, getting people involved and has momentum.
Prediction: Cowboys by 4

Browns (3-4) at Chiefs (7-0)
The Chiefs easy schedule is here still, yet you can only beat who is in front of you.  The vaunted defence had no sacks in the first half against Case Keenum (who had a great debut), yet had five in the second half and made the plays they needed to do. The worry for the Chiefs is their offense is not being productive at the moment apart from Jamaal Charles who is playing through the pain but they restrict turnovers to the opponent as Alex Smith leads them down the field. 
Prediction: Chiefs by 10

Dolphins (3-3) at Patriots (5-2)
Following the controversial call to end the Pats-Jets game on Sunday, where Nick Folk has a 56 yard field goal become an easier 42 yard attempt, the Patriots will be pleased to get home to Foxboro.  A win at home to another division rival will help cement the position atop the AFC East. The Dolphins have suffered two awful home defeats to the Ravens and Bills, games they should have won.  Hopefully Gronkowski who got some playing time will continue to get targets and hopefully Brady will aim for shorter passes and stop aiming downfield where his arm just cannot aim anymore.
Prediction: Pats by 4

Bills (3-4) at Saints (5-1)
The Saints come off a bye at home to the Bills who won at the Dolphins with Thad Lewis getting his first NFL win. The Saints are having that nice balance of star studded offence but getting plays on defence from Rob Ryan's scheming.  The Saints should have too much for the weaker Bills.
Prediction: Saints by 7

Giants (1-6) at Eagles (3-4)
The Giants will not have the No.1 pick in the draft, they were never as bad as the record indicated and the zest they showed in the defeat to Chicago paid off with a home victory to the sorry Minnesota Vikings on Monday Night. The Eagles meanwhile lost at home to the Cowboys, their ninth consecutive home defeat - a franchise record, they ended up with Matt Barkley under centre who promptly had three INTs.  The Giants might have turned the corner here and if their D-line can shut down and pressure whomever the QB is, maybe it will be their 2nd win and Phillies 10th home defeat.
Prediction: Giants by 3

49ers (5-2) at Jaguars (0-7)
I'm going to watch this car crash at Wembley Stadium on Sunday, me and my mate are considering having a drinking game of downing a pint for every TD scored. Expect to be drunk by halftime. Its a worrying trend how bad the Jaguars are and how many bad teams there are in the NFL this season.
Prediction: 49ers by 20 pints, sorry points

Jets (4-3) at Bengals (5-2)
The Bengals got another big win on the road at Detroit, the Jets held firm at home to the Pats thanks to their defence making turnovers.  Andy Dalton is a walking interception and if their d-line can shut down the dual running backs, the Jets benefited from Chris Ivory having a stellar day.  The Jets have a limited pool of talent but they are getting results, and if the game is tight they are winning those games. Upset of the week.
Prediction: Jets by 3

Steelers (2-4) at Raiders (2-4)
Two 2-4 teams face off on the west coast, the Raiders are coming off a bye and the Steelers coming off two consecutive victories.  The defence has turned up for the Steelers and if they can pressure Tyrelle Pryor then Big Ben will do enough to win this game in a low scoring affair.
Prediction: Steelers by 3

Redskins (2-4) at Broncos (6-1)
It appears RG3 is back like his old self, his movement is better and he is making plays as well as support from his running crew. Roy Helu had 3 TDs off of 49 yards and Jordan Reed at tight end is an imposing target. The Broncos questionable pass defence was put to the sword by Andrew Luck and his crew of Heyward-Bey, Wayne and Hilton.  The Broncos need to get pressure to Manning, but if Manning can get some consistency in his targets then it should be an easy win, but this is the sort of game RG3 could surprise you in, much like his debut at New Orleans last year. Is it too much to ask for an upset? The Redskins have shown they can score, and although Matt Forte had 3 rushing touchdowns Moreno and Hillman are not his equal
Prediction: Redskins by 2

Falcons (2-4) at Cardinals (3-4)
This game does not interest me, yet it is the type of game Arizona could win, but the Falcons should have Roddy White and Tony Gonzalez back as weapons for Matt Ryan.
Prediction: Falcons by 6

Packers (4-2) at Vikings (1-5)
The Vikings are as bad as the Jags, Browns, Bucs and that is with Adrian Peterson.  The Packers might be without Jermichael Finley who was in ICU on Sunday night, so the receiving core for you fantasy guys will be play Jordy Nelson and Boykin who had 100+ yards and a TD. Otherwise this will be a blowout as the Vikings cannot go pound for pound with Rodgers.
Prediction: Packers by 10

Seahawks (6-1) at Rams (3-4)
Poor Sam Bradford, finally getting some offensive weapons and targets getting good numbers and then boom, one tackle on the sideline means back up Kellen Clemens will be throwing the rock. Surely some Rams fans would prefer Kurt Warner back in the white and blue.  Clemens' first start of the season, is an easy one, against the best defence in football the Seattle Seahawks who will need a win to stay one game ahead of the Niners who will undoubtedly win in London this Sunday. The only bright spot is that the Seahawks are not as formidable on the road as at home, though Russell Wilson had one of his better games of his young career at Arizona last week. The Seahawks have an 11 day rest for this game, the Rams are in confusion before they even start.
Prediction: Seahawks by 12

Follow me on twitter @JamieGarwood