INDIANAPOLIS -- You expect the Colts to throw, and throw a lot, but even for Peyton Manning and his band of merry, pass-happy men this was a little bit nuts. Indy ran nine plays -- eight of them passes -- in the first two minutes of the game, averaging one every 14 seconds, completely disregarding the play clock and leaving their star offensive players more than a little bit tuckered out.
"I wouldn't call it fun," said tight end Dallas Clark, who caught 11 passes in the first half and 14 -- for 119 yards -- in the game. "When you run 60 plays in the first half, you're going to feel that on Wednesday and Thursday. But the win makes it feel a lot better."
This weekend's AFC South showdown appeared, at the beginning of the week, to be one of those strength vs. strength matchups. The Colts have the NFL's seventh-ranked pass defense and they have only allowed three passing touchdowns all season (making them the stingiest in the NFL). The Houston Texans are the NFL's third-best passing team and have thrown 16 touchdown passes in eight games.
This week, only Brett Favre gets a seat on the bench in terms of QBs you'd want to use in normal-sized leagues. Next week, you just have to make it without Matt Schaub. For owners of the seven QBs in the previous paragraph, it's smooth sailing unless an injury strikes.
Much has been made about the Indianapolis Colts and their 7-0 start. As I pointed out in the power rankings, they are actually 82-21 in the regular season since the beginning of 2003. They are an absolute juggernaut. Thus far this season, we've heard lots of talk about how Peyton Manning looks better than ever and the Colts are firing on all cylinders. This week, we're bound to hear a lot about how the Colts are the biggest test yet for a Houston Texans team looking to visit the playoffs for the first time in franchise history.
The funny thing is, in a movement worthy of Bizarro-World status, the Texans are actually the first big test for the Colts.
If you write about the Houston Texans, the No. 1 question you get from fans and fantasy football types is what's up with Steve Slaton? In the last game against the atrocious run defense of the Buffalo Bills, Slaton was benched after only one catch and carry because he fumbled the ball. Yet again. Slaton has a league-high seven fumbles for the year.
Coach Gary Kubiak was up front about the benching, talking about it to Slaton and the team: "I told Steve in the locker room to get his chin up. This team needs him playing well and making plays and I'm expecting him to come right back next week and help us."
Sunday Evening Wrap checks out players who increased or decreased their value during the Sunday afternoon games. Faller of the Week: Steve Slaton was most likely a first-round pick, the centerpiece of your fantasy football squad. Obviously, his being benched after just three touches and a lost fumble had a huge impact on your fantasy game this week, but looking to the future, it's much more scary. Ryan Moats was impressive with Slaton out, which does not bode well for Slaton's future. The Texans are in the midst of chasing their first-ever playoff berth, so they aren't going to run someone out there who repeatedly gives the ball away. It's entirely possible Slaton loses his job at some point this season. Thus, he easily takes the biggest hit in fantasy value for this week.
With attention spans dwindling, we forgo full game-by-game previews to give you the essentials you need to know about every contest this glorious NFL weekend. We call it The Once-Over.
The Early Games
New York Giants (5-2) at Philadelphia (4-2): The Giants are supposed to have one of the best pass rushes in the league, but they just haven't shown up in the past two games, with zero sacks over that time. They must get pressure on Donovan McNabb to have a chance on Sunday. Eli Manning also must figure out how to rebound from his four interceptions over the past two games.
Stash or Trash tells you whether a prospective fantasy football pickup (or drop) is worthy of your roster spot.
It's getting to be that time of the football season when depth charts are rewritten in pencil, with an eraser handy, due to a plethora of circumstances. A player outside of the limelight may just be turning it on to become a force to be reckoned with. Or maybe injuries are beginning to take their toll and players who weren't counted on early will need to step up and perform.
Whatever the reason for a players' rise to prominence, if he's going to perform he needs to be on your fantasy football roster. It's that time of year to start stashing these upstart weapons -- one may turn into fantasy gold.
NFL Coaches Fight Club: the Tournament. Because we have nothing better to do than predict what might happen if head coaches started punching each other in the face.
Sorry, owners of Tom Brady, Ben Roethlisberger and Carson Palmer -- you'll have to look elsewhere, and Matt Cassel ain't gonna help. A number of quarterback controversies and injuries are also making like difficult looking for a spot-starter, and the bottom half of this week's set of rankings are pretty ugly.
For some, this might be the right time to execute a trade to bring a quality signal-caller into the fold. There should be teams in your league with two quality QBs, and if you can trade a Palmer or Cassel along with another piece for one of those two QBs, it's going to help you now and in the long run.
INDIANAPOLIS -- You expect the Colts to throw, and throw a lot, but even for Peyton Manning and his band of merry, pass-happy men this was a little bit nuts. Indy ran nine plays -- eight of them passes -- in the first two minutes of the game, averaging one every 14 seconds, completely disregarding the play clock and leaving their star offensive players more than a little bit tuckered out.
It's been a tough stretch of games for owners of elite quarterbacks, starting with a Week 5 that saw 
Much has been made about the 
If you write about the 
Sunday Evening Wrap checks out players who increased or decreased their value during the Sunday afternoon games.
With attention spans dwindling, we forgo full game-by-game previews to give you the essentials you need to know about every contest this glorious 
Stash or Trash tells you whether a prospective 
Sorry, owners of 
