NFL: NFC Contender/Pretender

By Jared Epstein

As we near the end of the season, 2011 has been a wild rollercoaster ride in the NFC. The Lions and 49ers finally decide to show up this season surprising everyone they can actually have winning records in the 21^st century.  The Giants looking great including a magnificent win against Brady and the Pats and yet losing to the Redskins and Seahawks. Green Bay is turning out to be one of the best teams in history, not losing a game since week 16 of last season. With the “dream team” Eagles choking, it gives teams like Dallas a chance to take advantage of an easy schedule. In the midst of all the controversy in the NFC, it’s time to separate the men from the boys. Lets take a closer look into the NFC and choose who’s a contender and who’s a pretender.

Green Bay Packers (9-0; 1^st place in NFC North):  The defending Super Bowl champs are the best team in the NFL, hands down.  They dominate every game they play whether it’s home or away and have scored a minimum of 24 points in every game.  There are no words to describe them except for perfection, at least so far.  In upcoming weeks, the only games I see them having little trouble with are: the Lions, Bears, and Giants but don’t be surprised if they end up going to the playoffs still unbeaten the way Rodgers is handling the ball.

Verdict: Contender

San Francisco 49ers (8-1; 1^st place in NFC West):  San Fran has come out this year fired up and tired of losing. The last time the Niners have finished a season with a winning record was 2002 going 10-6. With a great running back in Frank Gore, Alex Smith starting to wake up, and a number 1 ranked defense in opponent rushing yards, the question isn’t will they win the division, but how far in the playoffs will they go? With the second place teams in their division, Arizona Cardinals and Seattle Seahawks, at 3-6, there’s no doubt they will be in the post-season this year.

Verdict: Contender

New Orleans Saints (7-3; 1^st place in NFC South):  After a huge overtime win against Atlanta last week, the Saints stand alone in first with a two game lead. With six games left in the regular season and a bye week, the Saints play three struggling teams in Tennessee, Minnesota, and Carolina. Plus, the strong teams they play such as the Lions, Giants, and Falcons are all home games so they can have the “who dat” nation loud and right behind them. The Falcons can look real good at times but I see the Drew Brees and the Saints taking 1^st in the division with ease.

Verdict: Contender

New York Giants (6-3; 1^st place in NFC East):  Big blue has surprised everyone this season with being in 1^st place in the eastern conference after week 10. With both the defense and offense bombarded with injuries at the beginning of the year and the “dream team” Eagles in the same division, the season wasn’t going to be easy. Luckily, the Eagles are starting to look like the Heat by blowing five 4^th quarter leads and with Dallas playing up and down certain weeks, the Giants have taken advantage of the division.  On another note, the G-men have the toughest schedule in football ahead of them by playing the undefeated Packers, Saints, Cowboys twice, Eagles and the Jets.  If they can pull out five wins, they will be safe for making the playoffs but that will be an extremely difficult task to pull off.

Verdict: Contender

Chicago Bears (6-3; tied for 2^nd place in NFC North):  With the perfect Packers in the NFC North, 1^st place is out of the question so it’s wild card or nothing for these Bears. After losing to Detroit in week 5, Chicago has battled back and joined 2^nd place after defeating the Lions last week. With Jay Cutler not getting sacked as much as earlier in the season, teams still kicking to Devin Hester, and Matt Forte playing without an off button, the Bears are a team to be taken seriously, especially with a rather easy schedule for the remainder of the season.

Verdict: Contender

Dallas Cowboys (5-4; 2^nd place in NFC East):  This season there are two different Cowboy teams. One team that comes up short on big plays and the other is a dominant force to be reckoned with. With a fairly easy schedule playing the Redskins, Dolphins, Cardinals, and Buccaneers, the Cowboys look good for being playoff bound.  Now that Dallas is getting Dez Bryant move involved in the offense while Miles Austin is out, people can really see how dangerous Bryant is. As long as the defense can keep their future opponents from getting into the end zone too much, look for the Cowboys to be in the playoff picture and possibly get in as 1^st place from the NFC East.

Verdict: Contender

Detroit Lions (6-3; tied for 2^nd place in NFC North):  Let me start by saying bravo to the Detroit Lions. The Lions haven’t had a winning season since 2000 and only 3 years ago in 2008 they succeeded by being the worst team going 0-16. After a red hot 5-0 start this season with the help of the monstrous Calvin Johnson, the Lions have seemed to cool off by going 1-3 in their last four games. This Lions team has proved they can give a tough fight but with the Packers taking first place in the division and the Bears on a roll going 4-1 in their last five games, the road to the playoffs will not be easy. Also, Detroit still has to play the invincible Packers twice, the Saints in New Orleans, a score happy Charger team, and what can be an explosive Raider team at times. I take my hat off to these ferocious Lions and the season isn’t over yet but I see the Lions coming up short to the Bears for the wild card spot, leaving them watching football in January instead of playing themselves.

Verdict: Pretender

Atlanta Falcons (5-4; 2^nd place in NFC South):  Atlanta has had a mediocre start compared to last season finishing first in the division with a 13-3 record. Also, the Matt Ryan and Roddy White connection hasn’t been as strong as usual but fortunately for Atlanta, Michael Turner is still contributing big numbers. Despite getting big plays from rookie Julio Jones, look for the Falcons to perform like Turner on the 4^th and short run against the Saints in overtime- just short.  First place isn’t going to happen in the division at this point due to the Saints fairly easy record so the only hope they have is the wildcard.  Having said that, they will have to compete for that spot with a strong looking Cowboy team and possibly a solid 4^th quarter comeback Giants team depending on how the NFC East turns out.  Don’t get me wrong, the Falcons have a good chance with 6 games left in the season but I pick Atlanta to come up one or two games short of a wild card spot.

Verdict: Pretender

Predictions:

NFC North- Green Bay Packers (1 seed)

NFC West- San Francisco 49ers (2 seed)

NFC South- New Orleans Saints (3 seed)

NFC East- New York Giants (4 seed)

Wild Card- Dallas Cowboys (5 seed)

Wild Card- Chicago Bears (6 seed)

Wild Card Round- New Orleans over Chicago; New York over Dallas

Divisional Round- Green Bay over New York; New Orleans over San Francisco

Championship Round- Green Bay over New Orleans 

NFL: Week 11 Power Rankings

1. Green Bay Packers (9-0): Another victory for Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers. The Packers find themselves one win away from their regular season total of 2010. The Packers should continue to win handily, at least until facing off against the Detroit Lions on Thanksgiving and the New York Giants after that. 

Last Week: #1

2. San Francisco 49ers (8-1): The 49ers victory over the Giants on Sunday was probably the biggest test they’ve had all season. San Francisco’s defense held Eli Manning in check throughout the game, and Alex Smith did enough to help the offense as Frank Gore was unable to do nothing against the Giants defense. Sunday proved it, the 49ers are the second best team in the NFC.

Last Week: #2

3. Pittsburgh Steelers (7-3): The Steelers managed to jump back into first place of the AFC North after defeating the Bengals on Sunday. The Steelers were helped by the Jekyll & Hyde Ravens losing to the Seahawks. As of right now, the Steelers look like the best team in the AFC, but the way the conference has worked out this year, there’s no telling how they’ll look next week. 

Last Week: #5

4. New England Patriots (6-3): The Patriots do what they always do when the division is on the line, they win. Tom Brady and the New England no-huddle offense proved to be too much for the Jets defense. Looking at the Patriots schedule, they could run the table and be in the hunt for the #1 seed going into the playoffs. 

Last Week: #6

5. New Orleans Saints (7-3): Who knows what would have happened if Mike Smith had just decided to punt on fourth down in OT on their own 30-yard-line. We all know what transpired, Michael Turner got stuffed behind the line and the Saints kicked a field goal to take the victory. Now, the Saints are in the drivers seat in the NFC South. 

Last Week: #7

6. Baltimore Ravens (6-3): Who are the Ravens? I mean seriously, they look dominant against the Steelers one week, then on Sunday Baltimore loses to Seattle. It’s been the story of the Ravens season, inconsistent and a wishy-washy identity. The Ravens should make the playoffs, but who knows how Baltimore will play against the Bengals twice in the next seven weeks. 

Last Week: #3

7. New York Giants (6-3): The Giants had a chance to tie the game up on Sunday in San Francisco, but an Eli Manning batted-down pass at the line of scrimmage halted all of that. Now, the Giants are still in the division lead, but they have two December match-ups against the Cowboys and a Christmas Eve game with the Jets that could decide their playoff hopes. 

Last Week: #4

8. Houston Texans (7-3): This morning I had the Texans much higher than #8, but with the injury to Matt Schaub, the Texans are in a lot of trouble. Houston will have to turn to Matt Leinart for the foreseeable future, and with the Titans still in the thick of things in the AFC South, the Texans playoff hopes are now questionable. 

Last Week: #10

9. New York Jets (5-4): The Jets had a chance to control their own destiny and finally knock the Patriots off of the Division lead. Instead, the Jets came out totally soft and unprepared and lost to New England. The Jets will once again have to fight their way into the playoffs. The schedule is soft, with games against the Giants and Philadelphia as the only tough match-ups. 

Last Week: #8

10. Dallas Cowboys (5-4): Dallas and Tony Romo looked like a playoff team on Sunday against Buffalo. December will make or break the Cowboys playoff hopes, with two crucial games against the Giants. If DaMarco Murray continues to run like a wild-man, the Cowboys could end up being a very, very scary playoff team. 

Last Week: Not Ranked

NFL: Week Ten Power Rankings

1. Green Bay Packers (8-0): Many thought that the Chargers would be the team that finally knocked the Packers down and gave them their first loss. Those people must have forgotten that Aaron Rodgers is a superhuman. Rodgers threw as many touchdowns (four) as incompletions against the Chargers. The defense allowed four passing touchdowns by Philip Rivers (three to Vincent Jackson), but they can afford to give up points as long as Rodgers is leading the offense. 

Last Week: #1

2. San Francisco 49ers (7-1): Another east coast road trip, another victory for the 49ers. It seems the most obvious trend for the 49ers 2011 season is “defying the odds”. Whether it be a rookie head coach, a quarterback who has always been considered a bust, or playing four games on the east coast, San Francisco is defying all odds. What has to be the sweetest part, they could clinch the NFC West by Thanksgiving. 

Last Week: #3

3. Baltimore Ravens (6-2): Late Sunday night, I started to put my power rankings together and I had the Ravens below the Steelers, then Torrey Smith made that catch with eight seconds remaining. The Ravens seem to have the biggest monkey off their back’s, not being able to beat the Steelers. Sweeping the series has put Baltimore in the drivers seat in the AFC North, and finds them as the best team in the AFC. 

Last Week: #5

4. New York Giants (6-2): What a great game on Sunday at Foxborough. Eli Manning may have shown that you can’t spell “Elite” without E-L-I. I’m not ready to jump the shark and call Manning elite, but he proved that he can do what it takes in crunch time to lead his team to victory. With Philadelphia’s loss last night, the Giants are in prime position to win the division. It will all depend on how New York performs against Green Bay, the Jets, San Francisco, and New Orleans in the coming weeks. 

Last Week: #6

5. Pittsburgh Steelers (6-3): Tough loss for the Steelers. Just when it was looking like they were the team that went to the Super Bowl last year, Pittsburgh dropped a crucial game against Baltimore. They are only one game back in the division, but it will be important for them to bounce back next week and not lose any more ground to the Ravens. 

Last Week: #2

6. New England Patriots (5-3): Could it be that the Patriots aren’t as good as we all thought? I’m not ready to say that, not as long as #12 is still under center. However, New England showed Sunday that they can lose any game if it comes down to the defense in crunch time. The Patriots can play close games all they want, but the only way they’ll win is if it’s Brady and the offense going for the win, not the defense trying to hold it. 

Last Week: #4

7. New Orleans Saints (6-3): It just seemed all too predictable that the Saints and Drew Brees would bounce back against Tampa Bay after losing to the Rams last week. Brees is on pace to put up some crazy numbers this season, but the most exciting thing about the Saints is the division race between them and the Falcons as the season continues. 

Last Week: #7

8. New York Jets (5-3): The defense in green on Sunday in Buffalo was one that could win championships. The Jets and Rex Ryan completely dumbfounded the Bills offense, making Fred Jackson and Ryan Fitzpatrick completely irrelevant. Funny to think that three weeks ago the season looked lost to Gang Green, and now they can be in sole possession of first place with a victory over the Patriots this Sunday night. It should be a great one in New Jersey, so be sure to tune in. 

Last Week: #10

9. Detroit Lions (6-2): A bye week for the Lions this week (which really hurt my fantasy team. The schedule is soft for the time being, with Green Bay on Thanksgiving as the marquee matchup in the month of November. 

Last Week: #8

10. Houston Texans (6-3): I went back and forth between the Texans, Falcons, and Bengals for the number 10 spot in this weeks rankings. I went with the Texans because A) the Falcons dominated the Colts (big whoop), the Bengals smell more like a pretender than a contender this year, and B) the Texans are winning without their best player. Andre Johnson should be coming back this week, but the job that Arian Foster and Ben Tate have done shouldering the load on offense is very, very impressive. The Texans should make the playoffs out of the AFC South, and they’ll be a team to fear come January. 

Last Week: Not Ranked

NFL: Week Nine Power Rankings

1. Green Bay Packers (7-0): The bye week did nothing to knock the Packers off of the number one spot. If anything, the off week and extra time to rest and get the offensive line healthy will only make the Packers better from here on out. Beware though, most teams this season have come out flat after the bye week, most likely due to the new CBA stating players get four days off during the bye week. 

Last Week: #1

2. Pittsburgh Steelers (6-2): Pittsburgh’s victory over the Patriots launched them up four spots to the number two ranking. Big Ben and the Steelers offense looked great, utilizing Heath Miller and the tight ends to expose the Patriots depleted secondary. Crucial matchup this week against the Ravens, a rivalry game that could decide the division. 

Last Week: #6

3. San Francisco 49ers (6-1): The 49ers are six wins away from clinching the division. If they do get to 12 wins, they could be heading to a first round bye. Not enough words can be said about the job that Jim Harbaugh has done with this team and the offense. On defense, rookie Aldon Smith is making a strong Rookie of the Year campaign. 

Last Week: #5

4. New England Patriots (5-2): I have the Patriots higher than the Ravens by a hair. The Patriots schedule gets tough from here on out, with a home game against the Giants this week before playing the Jets in week 10, a game that could decide first place in the AFC East. 

Last Week: #2

5. Baltimore Ravens (5-2): Ravens. Steelers. Tied for first place in the division, playing eachother this Monday night. Does it get any better than that? The Ravens did not play well against Arizona on Sunday, and even though Joe Flacco led them back in the second half, I still don’t believe he’s the type of player that can lead this team deep into the playoffs. 

Last Week: #4

6. New York Giants (5-2): That was almost a huge letdown for the Giants if they had lost on Sunday against Miami before playing New England this week. Eli Manning did a great job in the comeback effort, but it will be detremental to the Giants for them to put the Miami game behind them and look to air it out against the Patriots defense. 

Last Week: #7

7. New Orleans Saints (5-3): One week the Saints look like the second best team in the league. Last week against the Rams, they looked horrible. Steven Jackson ran the Saints defense into the ground, and Drew Brees had his worst game of the season. With Atlanta getting hot, the Saints have to be looking over their shoulder in the division. 

Last Week: #3

8. Detroit Lions (5-2): Good losing streak ending game against Denver for the Lions. Matt Stafford and Calvin Johnson connected for 125 yards and a touchdown, a combination that needs to be consistent if the Lions want to make the playoffs this year. 

Last Week: #8

9. Buffalo Bills (5-2): Buffalo completely demolished the Redskins Sunday in Toronto, racking up 9 sacks in the process. Ryan Fitzpatrick got banged up but remained in the game. Huge divisional matchup with the Jets this week, a game that could make or break the Bills postseason run. 

Last Week: Not Ranked

10. New York Jets (4-3): A bye week for the Jets this week, with a huge game against Buffalo on the horizon this week. The Jets absolutey need to be able to run the ball against a poor Buffalo defense. If they do that and manage to take Fred Jackson out of the game, they should win. Look out for Bills wide receiver David Nelson against Antonio Cromartie this week as the prime matchup. 

Last Week: #10

NFL: Week Seven Power Rankings

1. Green Bay Packers (7-0): As you all know, I view Aaron Rodgers as the best quarterback in the NFL. The Packers have a serious chance at running the table for the rest of the season, with the only road blocks ahead being a Thanksgiving day showdown against the Detroit Lions, who have slowed down considerably after a strong start to the year. 

Last Week: #1

2. New England Patriots (5-1): The Patriots defense, which hasn’t been anything to brag about this season, will suffer dramatically with the losses of Leigh Bodden (released) and Ras-I Dowling (IR). I’ve been saying it all season, if you knock around Tom Brady you will beat the Patriots. The defense allows too many big plays, but the Patriots success is linked with the way Brady performs, and not many teams can ever apply the needed pressure to cool him down. 

Last Week: #3

3. New Orleans Saints (5-2): How about that slugfest last Sunday in New Orleans? 62-7, really Indianapolis? Drew Brees is in prime form this year, throwing for 2,477 yards and 18 touchdowns as we near the midway point of the season. More important than Brees has been the staggering performance of tight end Jimmy Graham, who has 5 touchdowns 674 yards receiving so far. 

Last Week: #4

4. Baltimore Ravens (4-2): How ugly was that game Monday night in Jacksonville? I was ranting my ass off at Joe Flacco. The hype he gets is ridiculous, no “elite” quarterback should ever throw for only 8 yards in an entire half like Flacco did in the first half of Monday night. As always, the defense is the heart and soul of the Ravens, but their quick start is getting to look like a time of the past as the Steelers continue to gain momentum within the division. 

Last Week: #2

5. San Francisco 49ers (5-1): San Fran may only need two more wins this year to capture the NFC West title. Instead, they may be heading towards eight more wins and a first round bye. Alex Smith seems to finally be getting it together, and NaVarro Bowman looks like the steal of the first round, he and Patrick Willis are easily the best interior lineman duo in the league. 

Last Week: #5

6. Pittsburgh Steelers (5-2): From unranked last week all the way to 6th this week, that’s been the theme of the Steelers entire season. Completely dominant in one game, flat in the next. The Steelers appear to be getting back on track, and with a huge game against the Patriots this week, they could solidify themselves as an even better team than the one that went to the Super Bowl last year. 

Last Week: Not Ranked

7. New York Giants (4-2): After this week against the Dolphins, the Giants have a stretch through hell in the schedule. Away against New England and San Francisco before playing Philadelphia, New Orleans, Green Bay, Dallas, and the Jets to round out the season. If the Giants can fight through the second half of the year, the Giants may be a top 2 or 3 team in the NFC. On the other hand, they could find themselves out of the playoff hunt all together. 

Last Week: #9

8. Detroit Lions (5-2): Two straight losses and the Lions may already be out of the NFC North race. I do believe that they’ll still make the playoffs, but it will only be if Matt Stafford can stay healthy and keep Calvin Johnson happy. He’s the best wide receiver in football, throw him the ball in the fourth quarter, its as simple as that. 

Last Week: #6

9. San Diego Chargers (4-2): I think the Chargers were truly exposed last week against the Jets. Phillip Rivers is not playing nearly up to his ability, and Ryan Matthews seems to be yet another injury prone running back. On the bright side, Antonio Gates looks to be back for good. Huge, huge game this week against the Chiefs, who have reeled off three straight wins and played the Chargers close in week 3. 

Last Week: #7

10. New York Jets (4-3): Looking back, the reaction to the three straight losses in the beginning of the season may have been a bit dramatic. The Jets got back to what they do best against San Diego, playing great defense and running the ball up the gut. Bye week this week, but then two crucial divisional games against Buffalo and New England. Oh yeah, if Darrelle Revis isn’t in the conversation for Defensive Player of the Year, then the entire award is a crock. 

Last Week: Not Ranked 

NFL: Week Six Power Rankings

1. Green Bay Packers (6-0): Aaron Rodgers and the Packers had the most deceiving 24-3 victory last week against the Rams. Rodgers threw for 300+ yards for the fourth time this season, but the defense gave up 424 total yards from St. Louis. Green Bay goes into week 7 as the best team in the league right now, gearing up for the 1-5 Minnesota Vikings, where rookie Christian Ponder makes his first pro start. 

Last Week: #1

2. Baltimore Ravens (4-1): Baltimore came out of their bye week and defeated the Houston Texans 29-14. Joe Flacco threw for 304 yards and Ray Rice rushed for another 101 yards, but the offense only put up one touchdown along with five field goals courtesy of Billy Cundiff. The Baltimore defense held Houston, who was without Andre Johnson again this week, to only 293 yards of total offense. The Baltimore defense remains the strong point of the team, and with the Patriots and Saints looking decent at best this week, the Ravens have leapfrogged back into the top-2. 

Last Week: #4

3. New England Patriots (5-1): If it weren’t for the most vanilla play calling on the Cowboys second to last offensive drive of the game, the Patriots may have suffered their second loss of the season. The New England defense looked spotty again this week, giving up 300 yards passing to Tony Romo. However, just as in years past, the Patriots won the battle in the two-minute drill, with Tom Brady driving the team down field before connecting with Aaron Hernandez on the game winning 8 yard touchdown pass. Dallas proved again that if you can knock down Brady and apply pressure, the Patriots are not as dominant as they seem. Unfortunately, that needs to happen for 60 minutes of play not 58, because if you put the Pats in position to win the game in the last two minutes, they’ll beat you every time. 

Last Week: #3

4. New Orleans Saints (4-2): How devastating could it be to lose your head coach in the first quarter to an MCL injury? In the case of the Saints, pretty devastating. Coach Sean Payton is the head signal caller for the Saints offense, and when he left the game the offense faltered. He was not responsible for the fourth down end zone interception Drew Brees threw into the arms of safety Quincy Black, but losing your head coach and play caller really does affect the performance of a team. The Saints loss to Tampa Bay was brutal, as now the two teams stand atop the NFC South at 4-2.

Last Week: #2

5. San Francisco 49ers (5-1): I’m not even going to get into the post-game shouting match between Jim Harbuagh and Jim Schwartz, just know that I would not want to go toe-to-toe with Harbaugh. The 49ers defense was spectacular on Sunday, holding Calvin Johnson to zero touchdown catches, and the Lions never even looked his way on their last two drives when it mattered most. When losing 10-0 early, the 49ers stuck to their guns and ran Frank Gore up and down the field. If the defense and running game can remain dominant and Alex Smith continue to play smart football, the 49ers could be on their way to a first round bye in the playoffs. 

Last Week: #9

6. Detroit Lions (5-1): How badly does America want to see the Lions and 49ers meet up again in the playoffs? The game was not pretty, sloppy play on offense by Matt Stafford and the rest of the Lions, but these two teams are good. The 49ers proved that if you can take Calvin Johnson out of the game, the Lions aren’t going to dominate you. If Johnson and Stafford can get back in a groove for the rest of the year, the Lions will be able to walk into the playoffs. 

Last Week: #5

7. San Diego Chargers (4-1): Week 7 will prove whether or not the Chargers are overrated. On the season, the San Diego four victories came against teams with a combined win total of four (Denver, Miami, Minnesota, and Kansas City). The Chargers were only able to beat those teams by an average margin of 6 points. This Sunday against the Jets could expose San Diego, especially if Vincent Jackson is on Revis Island and tight end Antonio Gates still nurses his toe injury. 

Last Week: #6

8. Oakland Raiders (4-2): The Raiders were so devastated by the collarbone injury to starting quarterback Jason Campbell that they traded away two first round picks to Cincinnati for Carson Palmer this morning. What this shows is that Hue Jackson and the silver and black are fighting to make the playoffs this season. If Palmer can come in and be accurate enough to make some plays when the Raiders aren’t running it with Darren McFadden, then they’ll be able to do just that. 

Last Week: #10

9. New York Giants (4-2): The Giants were able to bounce back nicely this week with a 27-24 victory over the Buffalo Bills after losing to Seattle last week. The emergence of Jason Pierre-Paul on the defensive line as allowed Giants fans to forget about all the injuries the unit has had this year. They now find themselves atop the mediocre NFC East at 4-2, with key games against New England and San Francisco on the horizon. 

Last Week: Not Ranked

10. Buffalo Bills (4-2): The slipper may be falling off the foot of the Bills this year. The defense got exposed Sunday against the Giants. All year we’ve seen them make big plays on interception returns for touchdowns in key moments, but the Buffalo defense just is not that good. They enter an extremely tough stretch in the coming weeks that could determine their playoff fates, with games against Washington, the Jets, Dallas, Miami and then the Jets again. 

Last Week: #8

Honorable Mentions: Pittsburgh Steelers (4-2, beat Jacksonville 17-10), Washington Redskins (3-2, lost to Philadelphia 20-13), New York Jets (3-3, beat Miami 24-6) Cincinnati Bengals (4-2, beat Indianapolis 27-17)