Two undefeated teams enter, one leaves with a win and the unquestioned title of NFC Favorite. This is what football is all about.
Brother Eli and the G-Men travel to the Superdome with Super aspirations in mind. Coach Sean Payton has put the "S" back in Saints, and New Orleans will look to extend a four-game winning streak that has been matched just three times in Saints history.
There's a very good chance (barring late-season mojo from Grandfather Time) that this Week 6 matchup will end up being a preview of the NFC Championship game in January, which makes it by all accounts the game of the week.
Think IDP leagues are the way to go? Then Ballhawkin' is for you. Here, we pick out a few Individual Defensive Players that could have huge weeks and are possibly sitting in your free-agent pool.
After Antwan Odom's monster day against the Packers, it's become pretty clear that you must start your defensive ends against Green Bay. Not that anyone was benching Jared Allen in the first place. The Minnesota monster was unstoppable, sacking quarterback Aaron Rodgers 4.5 times while forcing a fumble and scoring a safety. Now that's the kind of performance that can win you the week on its own. Unfortunately, that offensive Packer offensive line has a bye this week, but there are other matchups to exploit.
Because the NFL season never ends, we present our 2009 Offseason Roadmaps for front offices to navigate through the summer.
The New York Giants were an afterthought in 2007, but made their way to a Super Bowl title. In 2008, the Giants found a way to earn home-field advantage in the NFC playoffs, only to last one game. Their playoff loss to Philadelphia was certainly disappointing, but the fact that they earned the top seed after the drama they went through was impressive in itself. Now, it's time for the Giants to re-tool, reload, and get back to the Super Bowl.
Each week in the NFL, there are players that impress and players that distress. One week a certain quarterback might toss four touchdowns and run around with his finger in the air while the next he's laying on his back, holding his facemask as the other team returns one of his three interceptions for the game-winning score. With that in mind, here's Studs and Duds. Here's Week 9 at a glance, where we point out the horses destined for the Kentucky Derby and jeer those headed to the glue factory.
Studs
Tim Hightower, RB Arizona (22 rushes, 109 yards, 1 TD) -- Edgerrin James is a name that will be quickly forgotten in West Phoenix if Hightower continues these games. The rookie running back, in his first game as starter, averaged five yards per carry and made one of the worst rushing teams in the league relevant again on the ground. While James has pouted about his role in the offense, Hightower has quietly snagged carries, and Ken Whisenhunt took notice. Good news for Tim -- you have the 49ers and Seahawks the next two weeks. If Hightower is available in your fantasy league, you need to grab him and also get smarter friends.
See that picture to the right? That is Justin Tuck, and he is placed gingerly on top of Dallas quarterback Brad Johnson. If you watched the Giants beating today, you probably understand why this was the picture we picked.
Basically Wade Phillips, Jerry Jones and company are in serious trouble. Dallas looked as bad as the Giants looked good.
While Eli Manning and company were doing what they do, the Cowboys were throwing interceptions, fumbling the football and allowing guys like Brandon Jacobs and Derrick Ward to run all over them. If it wasn't for a second quarter interception by Mike Jenkins of the Cowboys, this game might have been called for the mercy rule.
While the quarterback position is a serious problem for Dallas, it appears the woes are deeper than that.
Marion Barber, who averaged a pitiful 2.8 yards per carry, bounced outside all day, which would have been a good idea if two or three Giants weren't sitting there waiting for him.
Lost amid all the breathless Brett Favre talk is the poor sap set to replace him. Sure, we've discussed Aaron Rodgers in passing, especially when he makes seemingly silly proclamations, but do we really know how he feels about succeeding easily the most popular player in Green Bay history?
Well, if we believe Rodgers, who spoke to the media yesterday, he's hanging in there.
"I don't need people to feel sorry for me," Rodgers said. "Playing quarterback is a tough job and there's a lot of scrutiny that goes along with that. You get too much blame some of the times, you get too much blame some of the times.
"You've just got to stay balanced. When you realize things happen for a reason, you don't question why they happen, you realize it's going to be an experience. The last three years, and this past off-season, have made me the person I am, and I wouldn't have changed it for anything."
Rodgers then added, "That said, I hate Brett Favre with every fiber of my being -- part of me hopes he goes to the Vikings so I can shove it up his a-- twice a season. Wait, did I say that out loud?*"
The Green Bay Packers took a 10-6 lead to the half, but the New York Giants controlled the time of possession during he first 30 minutes. And it was more of the same in the second half. Still, the 38:22 to 21:38 advantage notwithstanding, the two teams were all knotted up at 20 at the end of regulation.
I mentioned during halftime that despite the arctic conditions, the kickers for both teams were unaffected, going 3-for-3 on field-goal attempts. I also wondered if the game would ultimately come down to special teams. Well, kicker Lawrence Tynes twice had opportunities to give the Giants the lead in the second half -- once with four seconds to go in the fourth quarter -- and both times he pull-hooked it.
In overtime, the Packers got the ball first, which is usually a good thing. Two plays into the first series, though, Brett Favre threw an interception. And just like that, the Giants had the ball at the Green Bay 34 with three timeouts and more than 13 minutes on the clock.
When the Giants have the ball: After struggling late in the season, New York's offense turned it around at just the right time. The combination of Ahmad Bradshaw and Brandon Jacobs has been devastating, while Eli Manning finally established himself as a quality NFL quarterback. Add in better playcalling and you suddenly have a high quality offense.
Defensively, however, Green Bay is as good as they come. Their front seven can stop any rushing attack the league has to offer, while their secondary has to be considered one of the best around. They consistently play stress free and for the most part, mistake free.
When Tom Coughlin and the New York Giants refused to lie down for the undefeated New England Patriots, they knew and understood the potential consequences. Unfortunately, those consequences landed three key starters on the sidelines.
According to Mike Garafolo of the Star-Ledger, Madison didn't suffer an abdominal strain as previously reported; he actually suffered a pulled muscle in his rib cage. It's an injury that supposedly causes tremendous pain and has kept the veteran out of practice all week.
Should Madison and Dockery both find themselves on the sideline this weekend in Tampa Bay, the Giants will be forced to start Webster as they did in practice. And unfortunately, that's exactly what Buccaneers quarterback Jeff Garcia wants to hear.
Taking into account that it's the preseason, many of the players sitting on the sidelines tonight would normally be on the field if it was a meaningful game. With that said, I'm sure most fans would like to know who they should expect to see this evening. For that reason, I've done by best to create an accurate injury report -- official reports are not posted until week one of the regular season.
Two undefeated teams enter, one leaves with a win and the unquestioned title of NFC Favorite. This is what football is all about.
Think IDP leagues are the way to go? Then 
Because the NFL season never ends, we present our 
Each week in the NFL, there are players that impress and players that distress. One week a certain quarterback might toss four touchdowns and run around with his finger in the air while the next he's laying on his back, holding his facemask as the other team returns one of his three interceptions for the game-winning score. With that in mind, here's 
See that picture to the right? That is 
Lost amid all the breathless 
To get you ready for Championship Weekend, 
When 
Taking into account that it's the preseason, many of the players sitting on the sidelines tonight would normally be on the field if it was a meaningful game. With that said, I'm sure most fans would like to know who they should expect to see this evening. For that reason, I've done by best to create an accurate injury report -- official reports are not posted until week one of the regular season.
