Out on a Limb
Fantasy Football Predictions

Early Surprises Looking to Move to 6-0

The views expressed in Out on a Limb are in no way an aggregate feeling of all of the correspondents on FIC, and certainly shouldn't be used for gambling purposes

Early Surprises Looking to Move to 6-0

After both the Chiefs and Panthers escaped with overtime victories on the road last week, we were left with just three unbeaten teams in the NFL. They join the Vikings, who head out of their bye week to host the multi-dimensional Broncos in the Metrodome on Sunday in our Game of the Week.

Game of the Week: Denver at Minnesota

When the Broncos have the ball: Even without their starting quarterback, the Broncos are dangerous offensively. Clinton Portis is coming off of a quiet week against Pittsburgh, but the last time he was held under 50 yards on the ground, he came back and annihilated the Chiefs in Week Five. Portis is still averaging a phenomenal 5.7 yards per carry, and may be the best back in the league. He's even improved as a receiver out of the backfield, which should be key with Steve Buerlein under center. Shannon Sharpe, Rod Smith, Ed McCaffrey, and Ashley Lelie give Buerlein a lot of good targets against a defense that still has a lot to prove. The Vikings defense has done enough to win so far this season, but they've had a lot of trouble putting opponents away late in ball games.

When the Vikings have the ball: Moe Williams and Onterrio Smith may not add up to being Michael Bennett, but they certainly have been effective so far in the early going. They both open up the pass a lot more, as they can pound the ball a bit more than Bennett ever could, but neither is a home run threat. Most importantly for the Vikes, Daunte Culpepper is on track to start this game. While Gus Frerotte was fantastic in his absence, the offense has an added dimension with Culpepper, whose ability to run can change the face of any defense. Expect the Broncos to throw a lot of blitzes at him to test his health early. Randy Moss will have to be on his game in this one, as the Broncos have one of the league's best corners in Deltha O'Neal and Culpepper may have to put some up that Moss will just have to go up and get.

Special Teams - Neither team has an overwhelming return game. The Broncos certainly have an edge in the kicking game, as Jason Elam is one of the most experienced and accurate place kickers in the history of the game. Aaron Elling has been solid for the Vikings so far this season, but I'll take a veteran who has nailed some key field goals over a rookie any day of the week.

Coaching/Intangibles - Nobody scripts a game better than Mike Shanahan, and he has a definitive edge over Minnesota's second-year head coach, Mike Tice. Tice has done a tremendous job in turning his team back around after a disappointing 2002 season, and has a great future as one of the more offensive minded head coaches in the league, but Shanny is Shanny. The Metrodome can get awfully loud, and the fans will be out in full force with their team off to such a hot start.

The Verdict - Beurlein struggled a bit last week, but he's shown in the past that he's one of the best backups in the league. Expect him to have a solid day and not turn the ball over against the Vikings, while Portis should shred a run defense that really hasn't been tested yet. The Vikings offense is for real, but the Broncos certainly have a bit more balance on both sides of the ball, and should be able to pull this one off. Broncos 30, Vikings 27

Lock of the Week: Seattle over Chicago - OK. There should be a rule that I'm not allowed to pick either the Bears or Cardinals as the loser in the Lock of the Week, but there's a slight risk element to this one, and there is a bit of a curse with our lock. Seattle is coming off of a tight one point win against a division rival, and could think that they can sleepwalk through this one. In theory, there's no way they should lose this game even if that does happen. The Bears can't cover Jackson and Robinson, and Shaun Alexander should have a huge day. Kordell couldn't pass his way out of a paper bag, but he's replaced this week by Chris Chandler, who was a hit away from retirement..... 2,000 hits ago. It's time for Dick Jauron to accept the season is lost and give Rex the Wonderdog a chance. Seahawks 31, Bears 13

Upset Special: Tennessee over Carolina - Mark my words. If the Panthers get out of this one alive, they'll be undefeated heading into their rematch with the Super Bowl champs in three weeks, as the Saints and Texans should do little to stop this sudden juggernaut. Steve McNair certainly won't put up 400 yards through the air this week, but he'll find ways to get things going against the Panthers vaunted front four. Carolina has yet to see a mobile quarterback this season, and they could get caught napping after last week's escape in Indianapolis. Titans 23, Panthers 16

This time it counts.....
Total number of 2003 MLB Playoff Series that have gone the distance this year: 4
Total number of home teams that won that decisive game: 1
Watching the people at FOX pulling their hair out if the Fightin' Fish win Game 7 in Yankee Stadium: Priceless

New Orleans at Atlanta - Weren't these supposed to be the two teams pushing the Bucs for the NFC South title? The Falcons will be out to prove they're not as bad as their embarassing performance on Monday night in St. Louis. The problem? They may be that bad. The Saints will finally beat a team other than the Texans or Bears, but they won't be able to take too much pride in the fact that the three teams that they've beaten will be a combined 4-15 after this weekend. Whodat! Saints 23, Doug's Duds 13

Washington at Buffalo - In Week Three, there would have been Super Bowl type hype about this game, but each team has lost three of four heading into Sunday's showdown. The winner will stay alive in their division, while the loser should fade away. Take the 'Skins, if for no other reason than because Buffalo showed absolutely nothing offensively against the J-E-T-S last week. Redskins 27, Bills 17

Baltimore at Cincinnati - Marvin Lewis knows this defense as well as anyone, but the Bungles just won't be able to stop Jamal. Lewis has hit the century mark in each of his last four games this season, and he's also hit the century mark the last four times he's played the Bungles. Look for both of those trends to continue as the Ravens win a snoozer in Cincy. Ravens 23, Bungles 13

San Diego at Cleveland - Tim Couch is starting to deflect some of those boo birds, and he should continue to find ways to spread the field against a completely undermanned Bolts' secondary. The Chargers may be the best team that's stayed winless for this long in the last ten years, but they'll continue to struggle again this week. Browns 34, Bolts 24

Dallas at Detroit - The Lions are playing without their two best offensive players, and the Cowboys have one of the top ten defenses in the league. This one should be over by halftime. Cowgirls 23, Lions 6

Green Bay at St. Louis - Even after a 36-0 whitewash of the Falcons, there's still even more reason to hate Mike Martz. First of all, he went for it on 4th and 2 up 3-0 on the second drive of the game, and then he decided to keep passing at the end so that the Lambs could run up the score. Unfortunately, Favre never plays well in domes, so unless Martz screws something up bigtime on Sunday, the most overrated show on turf should eek this one out. Lambs 31, Packers 27

New England at Miami - The toughest schedule in football just keeps on coming for the Patsies, who now face a Dolphins team that hasn't allowed more than ten points since being upset in Week One against the Texans. Expect that trend to end this week, even though this should be a low scoring affair. The other trend, which has seen the Dolphins win all four of those games, should continue though. Ricky Williams will continue to get a ton of touches, and could give Bill Belichik's defense fits. Dolphins 20, Patriots 16

Philadelphia at New York Giants - These teams are supposed to be fighting for the NFC East title by now, but the loser will be in the cellar by themselves. The Giants have had a lot of trouble finding the end zone for the past two weeks, and that's something that should continue against the Eagles. McNabb will find a few ways to get the Eagles into scoring position, and that should be the difference. Eagles 17, Giants 9

New York Jets at Houston - The Jets are coming off of their first win last week against a Bills squad that looked like they needed some Vivarin. The Texans' secondary got absolutely lit up last weekend against the Titans. With Chad Pennington sitting and watching, Vinny and the Jets will try and put on a show for him. J-E-T-S 27, Texans 19

Tampa Bay at San Francisco - Last week's loss in Seattle should really take the wind out of the Niners sails heading into this week's game, and that's never a good combination when you're facing a defense like Tampa's. As much publicity as he gets, Derrick Brooks is still underhyped, as he's the best defensive player the league has had in the last ten years. Don't bank on another interception return for Brooks, but he and the rest of the Tampa defense will give Jeff Garcia quite a bit of trouble. Bucs 24, Niners 10

Kansas City at Oakland - The Chiefs showed a different dimension to their offense last week, and the Vermiel third-year effect is taking over in a big way. They'll now take their show to the Al Davis Retirement Home to take on the geriatric bunch of former felons known as the Oakland Raiders. Logic dictates that this shouldn't be a pretty sight, but I'm calling for the upset! The Raiders turned last season around on a Monday night against a divisional foe, and don't be shocked if they finally decide to show up on Monday against the Chiefs. If the Raiders lose again, we won't be taking them the rest of the way! Silver & Black 31, Hall & Holmes 27

Yankees-Marlins - Derek Jeter says it in the commercial, and he's "dead on balls accurate" to quote someone from some movie that I can't remember the title of...... Whatever! You either love the Yankees or hate them. While I hate them, I just don't see the Fightin' Fish pulling this one off. In a series where an Expos fan has two reasons not to want to watch (the Yanks buy the whole league, and the Marlins owner, Jeffrey Loria, is widely known as the man who killed baseball in Montreal), I (sadly) have to root for Loria and the Marlins.

The Yanks should just have too much lumber for them, though. With the exception of Josh Beckett, the Cubbies' offense gave the Marlins' starters fits, and they'll be seeing a much stronger lineup in this series than their two offensively challenged counterparts in the NLDS and NLCS. As scrappy a bunch as the Marlins have been all year, and as good as their starting pitching can be at times, George Steinbrenner seems to have bought himself another World Series title. It really pains me to say this, but.... Yanks in 6

(Last Week in Parentheses)
On the Year: 49-23 (9-5)
Game(s) of the Week: 3-4 (0-1)
Lock of the Week: 3-2 (1-0)
Upset Special: 1-4 (0-1)

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