(Updated) The BEST defenses for Weeks 14-17

My list of the top-10 defenses for the fantasy playoffs broken down by each team’s schedule for weeks 14-17. Every team’s overall performance for weeks 1-10 was cross-referenced with their performances during weeks 6-10 to see how teams have changed throughout the season.

The overall ability of each defense, and how many fantasy-points teams give away to opposing defenses was taken into account.

Don’t forget to check out our Week-11 contest where you can win some fabulous prizes from Bridgford Jerky!

If contests are not your thing you should still check out the store. Use the promotional code,”fantasy“, during checkout and receive Free Shipping on any order.

Key:

Green = Good

Orange = Bad

Red = Ugly

The numbers beside each team represent how favorable of a match-up I view it to be. (1 = Good, 10=Ugly)

1. Eagles – 14, 15, 16, 17

14: Dallas (5) 15: Giants (5)

16: Vikings (3) 17: Dallas (5)

2. Redskins – 14, 15, 16, 17

14: Bucs (6) 15: Dallas (5)

16: Jaguars (6) 17: Giants (5)

3. Cardinals – 14, 15, 16, 17

14: Broncos (10) 15: Panthers (2)

16: Dallas (5) 17: 49ers (7)

4. Packers – 14, 15, 16, 17

14: Lions (8) 15: Patriots (10)

16: Giants (5) 17: Bears (4)

5. Steelers – 14, 15, 16, 17

14: Bengals (6) 15: Jets (8)

16: Panthers (2) 17: Browns (9)

6. Cowboys – 14, 15, 16, 17

14: Eagles (10) 15: Redskins (2)

16: Cardinals (1) 17: Eagles (10)

7. Giants – 14, 15, 16, 17

14: Vikings (3) 15: Eagles (10)

16: Packers (10) 17: Redskins (2)

8. Bucs – 14, 15, 16, 17

14: Redskins (2) 15: Lions (8)

16: Seahawks (6) 17: Saints (7)

9. Seahawks – 14, 15, 16, 17

14: 49ers (7) 15: Chargers (6)

16: Rams (9) 17: Cardinals (1)

10. Bears – 14, 15, 16, 17

14: Patriots (10) 15: Vikings (3)

16: Jets (8) 17: Packers (10)

The BEST defenses for Weeks 14-17

My list of the top-10 defenses for the fantasy playoffs broken down by each team’s schedule for weeks 14-17. Every team’s overall performance for weeks 1-10 was cross-referenced with their performances during weeks 6-10 to see how teams have changed throughout the season.

The overall ability of each defense, and how many fantasy-points teams give away to opposing defenses was taken into account.

Don’t forget to check out our Week-11 contest where you can win some fabulous prizes from Bridgford Jerky!

If contests are not your thing you should still check out the store. Use the promotional code,”fantasy“, during checkout and receive Free Shipping on any order.

Key:

Green = Good

Orange = Bad

Red = Ugly

The numbers beside each team represent how favorable of a match-up I view it to be.  (1 = Good, 10=Ugly)

1. Eagles – 14, 15, 16, 17

14: Dallas (4)         15: Giants (5)

16: Vikings (3)       17: Dallas (4)

2. Redskins – 14, 15, 16, 17

14: Bucs (6)             15: Dallas (5)

16: Jaguars (6)      17: Giants (5)

3. Cardinals – 14, 15, 16, 17

14: Broncos (10)     15: Panthers (2)

16: Dallas (4)           17: 49ers (7)

4. Packers – 14, 15, 16, 17

14: Lions (8)            15: Patriots (10)

16: Giants (5)           17: Bears (4)

5. Steelers – 14, 15, 16, 17

14: Bengals (6)                 15: Jets (8)

16: Panthers (2)               17: Browns (9)

6. Cowboys – 14, 15, 16, 17

14: Eagles (10)                 15: Redskins (2)

16: Cardinals (1)              17: Eagles (10)

7. Giants – 14, 15, 16, 17

14: Vikings (3)                          15: Eagles (10)

16:  Packers (10)                      17: Redskins (2)

8. Bucs – 14, 15, 16, 17

14: Redskins (2)                15: Lions (8)

16: Seahawks (6)              17: Saints (7)

9. Seahawks – 14, 15, 16, 17

14: 49ers (7)                       15: Chargers (6)

16: Rams (9)                       17: Cardinals (1)

10. Bears – 14, 15, 16, 17

14:  Patriots (10)               15: Vikings (3)

16: Jets (8)                           17: Packers (10)

Cowboys Well Rested As They Welcome Titans To Cowboys Stadium

No NFL betting franchise has ever made it to the Super Bowl in its own stadium. The Dallas Cowboys entered the 2010-11 season looking to break that trend, and on a team loaded with Pro Bowl talent on both sides of the ball, it appeared as though the idea that they would be the franchise that did it was legitimate. Consecutive losses to the NFC East division rival Washington Redskins and at home to the Chicago Bears had prognosticators quickly recalling their projection of the Cowboys as NFC favorites.

Head coach Wade Phillips had his team much more prepared for the next week’s contest at the Houston Texans, and the Cowboys prevailed in the Battle of Texas with a huge 27-13 online sports betting victory to ensure that they didn’t go in to the bye week winless. That win may have very well saved Phillips his job, as three straight losses entering the bye week would have surely pushed owner Jerry Jones to react. Ironically, the biggest reason for the Cowboys’ struggles through the first two games of the year was the offensive play calls, which Phillips isn’t even in charge of. That job is in the hands of offensive coordinator Jason Garrett, who is actually regarded as the man who will succeed Phillips when the latter eventually does move on. The Dallas offense responded with a much better effort week three however, securing the win, and that allowed fans in Texas to put the Cowboys’ season outlook in much better perspective than they had been doing when it seemed as though all was lost after two games.

The Cowboys went over plenty of betting on NFL film during the bye week, preparing for a crucial three week span that sees them playing the Titans at home, then making a road trip against the equally desperate Minnesota Vikings, before hosting the division rival New York Giants. While the early season bye was seen as somewhat of a curse before the year got underway, it may very well be a blessing in disguise for a team that was reeling early on. Dallas has one of the toughest schedule in the league, and will need to capitalize on the chances they get against relatively weaker teams in order to avoid falling out of the playoff race. In a month-long period from late November through December, the Cowboys will play the defending Super Bowl champion New Orleans Saints, then travel to take on the Indianapolis Colts, before welcoming two division rivals in successive weeks with the Philadelphia Eagles and Washington Redskins both coming to town. Given the team’s football betting struggles in latter months over the past couple of years, it will be crucial to capitalize on chances over the next couple of weeks to put themselves in position to succeed. If not, the Cowboys could be one of the major disappointments of the year. The path continues this Sunday, when Dallas welcomes the Titans to the home of the Super Bowl.

NFL Week 1: Dallas Cowboys vs Washington Redskins

The Dallas Cowboys will face the new look Washington Redskins, who now have Mike Shanahan at the helm. However Mike Shanahan seems to have adopted the Dan Snyder’s mentality of only signing players who are past their prime. If this was 2005 the Redskins would have one of the best offenses in the league, but it is 2010. The Redskins acquired Donovon McNabb from the Eagles via trade this offseason, and Donavan is already nursing an injury.

On the other hand you have our beloved Cowboys who looked pathetic in the preseason, squandering pretty much all of their scoring opportunities. Hopefully they were just being conservative in the preseason, however last years stats say otherwise. Think about this, the Cowboys ranked 2nd right behind the Saints in yards per game with just under 400. However when you look at points per game the Saints maintain the #1 spot with 31 points per game, the Cowboys on the other hand ranked #14 with 22.6 points per game. The offense was inefficient last year, and it looks inefficient this year. I think Seth Eisenburg’s quote that “If it looks like $h@t, smells like $h@t, and feels like $h@t, you don’t have to actually eat it to know it’s $h@t.” applies here. Don’t get me wrong I think the Cowboys are still going to win some games, I just question keeping Jason Garrett around if the offense is so inefficient it needs almost 200 yards per 7 points.

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Dallas Cowboys at Washington Redskins Preview

The Dallas Cowboys won in December and we are all back on the bandwagon (myself included) after holding on to beat the New Orleans Saints. The game would have been a lock, but Nick Folk missed another chip shot that would have put the Cowboys up by 10. So instead we all had to bite are nails while Drew Brees and the Saints tried to tie the game up, but the Dallas defense was up to the task. This week the Cowboys told Nick to Folk off and have replaced him with Shaun Suisham who was cut from the Washington Redskins after missing a kick against the Saints in week 13. Have no fear though he is 18 of 21 on the season unlike Folk who is 18 of 28. And all of you Romo haters out there, you must realize that the jedi powers have returned, seriously would you want to even play real money poker with him right now? I think not.

This Week
The Cowboys will play the hated Washington Redskins at FedEx Field, and it will be interesting to see which Redskins team shows up on Sunday. Will it be the team that was blown out by the Giants or the team that lost to New Orleans by only 3? The Dallas Cowboys need to win regardless, because if they lose the win over New Orleans will be meaningless. Hopefully the Cowboys can play the way they did last week, which is the best I have witnessed for a long time.

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Cowboy Corner – Week 16 Betting Advice

COWBOY CORNER – WEEK 16

Week 16

Dallas Cowboys @ Washington Redskins

Sunday, December 27, 1:00 p.m. ET

Sports Handicapping Favorite: NO LINE

Cowboys offense vs Redskins defense

The Dallas Cowboys offense shredded the New Orleans Saints last week and with an extra day to prepare for the feeble Redskins, the Cowboys should have plenty more success. Playing back-to-back road games is tough for any team but considering the Cowboys have one more day to prepare and the Redskins have one less day to prepare (they played on Monday Night Football), the Cowboys likely won’t have much trouble.

They’ll take a good look at the blueprint the New York Giants left them from Monday night. The Redskins defense was picked apart and the Cowboys will aim to do a lot of the same.

While most sports betting pundits just want to blindly rip Tony Romo because it’s the month of December, the reality is that he has played great in recent weeks. Romo has four straight games with a quarterback rating of 100 or better.

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Cowboy Corner Week 11 | Betting Odds Spread

COWBOY CORNER – WEEK 11

The strange NFL betting trend continues, as my endorsement of the Cowboys against Green Bay last week once again amounted to a Dallas loss. Time for a change; I once again like the Cowboys’ chances this week but, against Washington, the Cowboys will make good and end my football predictions slump.

Week 11

WASHINGTON REDSKINS @ DALLAS COWBOYS

Sunday, November 22, 1:00 p.m. ET

Favorite: Cowboys -11

Cowboys offense vs Redskins defense

Facing an elite Packers pass defense last week, Tony Romo and the Cowboys showed that they’re beatable. Now, facing the Redskins’ league-leading pass defense, the Cowboys have their work cut out for them again. Don’t be surprised if America’s team doesn’t do a ton in the passing game.  It seems Romo can’t get Miles Austin and Roy Williams going in the same week; when one flourishes, the other disappears.

The Cowboy coaching staff hinted at committing to the run more this week; that would boost their sportsbook prospects, as the Redskins are weak against the run. Felix Jones seems to be losing snaps because of his pass protection woes but Marion Barber and/or Tashard Choice will get the job done.

Cowboys defense vs Redskins offense

Jason Campbell may be losing sleep as this week’s game approaches. He’s settled back into acceptable caretaker status after a horrible start, posting a quarterback rating of 90 or better in three straight contests. However, Campbell has taken 15 sacks over his last four games; he still gets rattled in the pocket and never seems to hang there long enough to unleash a deep throw. You can therefore expect the Cowboys to bring the pressure with DaMarcus Ware and Jay Ratliff, who’ve combined for 11 sacks this season.

Washington’s running game is in shambles with Clinton Portis sidelined by a concussion and the offensive line both ineffective and banged up. A bright spot for Washington in recent weeks, however, has been Laddell Betts. In rushing for 114 yards on 26 carries against a tough Denver run defense last week, he showed he can handle feature back duties.

Outlook

As long as the Cowboys get an early lead, they should remain in the driver’s seat for this contest. If the Redskins fall behind, they’ll put the ball in Campbell’s hands and that should amount to multiple three-and-outs. That will send the Redskins’ defense out again and again and tire it out, softening it up for some Dallas scores. Happy to be home for the first time in a few weeks, the Cowboys will win on Sunday. Sports betting sharps and Cowboy fans alike will agree.

Dallas Cowboys vs Washington Redskins

Dallas Cowboys Last Week: The Cowboys played one of the sloppiest games of the season on Sunday, the turnovers and injuries were too much to overcome. The Dallas Cowboys offense lost 2 fumbles and Romo was intercepted near the Packers goal line. The worst thing that happened on Sunday was no doubt offensive lineman Marc Colombo breaking his left fibula, in Colombo’s absence Romo was sacked 5 times. To read more about the Cowboy’s sloppy play against the Packers read the Cowboys Recap.

Cowboys-Redskins This Week: This week the Cowboys will play the Redskins at home after 2 weeks on the road. The Boys were able to beat the Eagles in Philadelphia, but couldn’t overcome mistakes and injuries to beat the Packers.

The Cowboys will need to beat the Redskins in order to ensure they stay alone atop the NFC East standings. The Redskins have been terrible this year, their front office has been a mess for most of the season, but last week the Washington Redskins beat the Denver Broncos. So what does this mean? The Redskins won the game after getting the momentum from a touchdown on a fake punt, and an injury kept Denver QB Kyle Orton sidelined in the second half, so not much. The Cowboys should beat the Redskins if they can sort out the offense, mainly the offensive line. Prediction: Cowboys 21 Redskins 17

Cowboys-Redskins Game Information
Cowboys-Redskins Game Time: 12:00 Noon – Central Time
Cowboys-Redskins Day / Date: Sunday – November 22 2009
Cowboys-Redskins Location: Cowboys Stadium – Arlington TX
Cowboys-Redskins TV Channel: FOX
Cowboys-Redskins Broadcast Announcers: Joe Buck, Troy Aikman

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