FANTASY FURNACE

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

THE GOOD-

Darrius Heyward-Bey goes up for a reception. Photo: articles.sfgate-.com

RAIDERS over the TEXANS- We’ve been picking the Raiders for a few weeks now and last week was no exception. Oakland has won 2 out of 3 on the road and came within 3 points of the 4-1 Bills in week two. They scored more points vs Buffalo than any other team this year. Yesterday, just one day removed from the passing of Raider owner Al Davis, the Raiders put together an emotionally charged battle vs the Texans in their building. Hue Jackson, their coach said it best today… (Yesterday) “was a tough day, but I could see the gleam in their eyes. They weren’t going to stop fighting.” And they didn’t, knocking off Houston 25-20. Now at 3-2, they have Cleveland, K.C., and Denver coming up next…ALL at home!

THE BAD-

Roethlisberger ties career TD's at 5! Photo: zimbio.com

STEELERS over the TITANS- As we said last week, this was the hardest game to pick. The Titans had the momentum; the Steelers had a chip on their shoulder and home field advantage. Our pick, Tennessee, were never really in this one as the Steelers crushed them 38-17. And this was without RB Rashard Mendenhall! A little known RB, Jonathan Dwyer, in just his second NFL game, rushed for 107 yards on 11 carries for a stellar 9.7 yards per carry average. Ben Roethlisberger did a 180 and tied a career high 5 touchdowns on 228 yards passing and 1 pick. It now has made us wonder just how good the Titans really are. They play the next three at home against teams with a combined record of 6-9 so they have a chance to redeem themselves.

THE UGLY-

Eli Manning-3 picks and a fumble vs the Seahawks yesterday. Photo: Getty images

SEAHAWKS over the N.Y. GIANTS- Whether you’re a Giant fan or just a fan of professional football, this was an agonizing game to watch! It’s UGLY because the Giants, we’re embarrassed to say, were our pick. New York had come into this contest having won three in a row and so we assumed that since they were playing at home and against a team that was 1-3 (scoring an anemic total of just 30 points in their first three games) that they would have no problem taming the ‘Hawks! Instead, Eli Manning passes for 420 yards; more than Tom Brady, Drew Brees, or Aaron Rodgers, but those guys didn’t have 3 interceptions and a fumble. In the end it was the five turnovers and untimely penalties that did Big Blue in. The only upside in the game was an amazing catch by Victor Cruz who keeps adding to his resume week after week. It won’t get any easier for the Giants as three out of their next four games are against opponents with 4-1 records.