It’s hard to argue that the Minnesota Vikings aren’t a premiere team in the NFL this year. Yet, it’s also hard to argue that they are. Their record thus far is 7-1, yet the total record of all teams they’ve played this year is 21-36; with three teams that have one win. Also, they aren’t even blowing these bad teams out. Their average margin of victory is eleven. Their first real test came in Week 4 when Brett Favre played his first game ever versus the Green Bay Packers. The Vikings sneaked by and won by seven. In Week 6 versus the Ravens, the luck was on their side. Dominating the first half offensively and defensively, the Vikings went into the half up 14-3. It wasn’t until a 21 point fourth quarter that Vikings fans were about to witness a 44-yard chip shot in a dome [...] Continue reading →

After another impressive win, the Cincinnati Bengals have improved to 6-2, and 4-0 in the AFC North. Last year, the Bengals ended with a 4-11-1 record and eight players that were in, or had been to, jail. The key components that have lead to this year’s success are the transactions they’ve made in the past two offseasons. In 2008, the Bengals signed former first round pick Cedric Benson. The Bears had given up on Benson due to poor performance. The Bengals had a huge hole in that position ever since Rudi Johnson’s numbers started to decline. A premiere running back will get somewhere around 350 carries a year. Last year as a Bengal, Benson had 214 attempts with 747 yards and two touchdowns. Benson was picked up on September 30th, three days after the third week. He then appeared [...] Continue reading →