Touchdown Dance: Confidence Picks Challenge & Spread Selections (Week 12)

It finally happened. Somebody (Dean) beat me at the Confidence Picks Challenge. It took awhile, but I will be wearing a dress (as promised) on my Confidence Picks Challenge fancast coming to you in the next couple of days via FanvsFan. I was planning on doing it today, but preparations for Turkey Day tomorrow has slowed my role a bit and I want to make sure Dean gets his money worth in humiliating me. That brings us to Week 12 of the NFL season and our picks here at Touchdown Dance. Since most have little time this weekend lets get to it.

• Confidence Picks Challenge (Week 12)

16- Kansas City @ San Diego (San Diego Wins)

15- Cleveland @ Cincinnati (Cincinnati Wins)

14- Tampa Bay @ Atlanta (Atlanta Wins)

13- Oakland @ Dallas (Dallas Wins)

12- Chicago @ Minnesota (Minnesota Wins)

11- NY Giants @ Denver (NY Giants Win)

10- Arizona @ Tennessee (Tennessee Wins)

9- Washington @ Philadelphia (Philadelphia Wins)

8- Carolina @ NY Jets (NY Jets Win)

7- Seattle @ St. Louis (Seattle Wins)

6- Jacksonville @ San Francisco (San Francisco Wins)

5- Pittsburgh @ Baltimore (Pittsburgh Wins)

4- Miami @ Buffalo (Buffalo Wins)

3- Indianapolis @ Houston (Houston Wins)

2- New England @ New Orleans (New England Wins)

1- Green Bay @ Detroit (Green Bay Wins)

Remember to join the fun here at Touchdown Dance and throw your picks at us in the comments section of this post or email them to me at mcspazz@tddance.com. Number your selection 16-1, 16 being your most confident pick and 1 your least confident. Next week on my fancast at FanvsFan.com I'll give myself purple nurples if somebody beats me in the Confidence Picks Challenge.

• Spread Selections (Week 12)

Green Bay 2 Detroit (+11) (47.5) Take the Lions (+11) and the under.

Oakland @ Dallas (-13.5) (40) Take the Raiders (+13.5) and the under.

NY Giants @ Denver (+6) (42) Take the Broncos (+6) and the under.

Miami @ Buffalo (+3) (40) Take the Bills (+3) and the under.

Carolina @ NY Jets (-3) (41.5) Take the Jets (-3) and the over.

Cleveland @ Cincinnati (-14) (39) Take the Bengals (-14) and the over.

Indianapolis @ Houston (+3.5) (48) Take the Texans (+3.5) and the under.

Tampa Bay @ Atlanta (-12) (46) Take the Buccaneers (+12) and the over.

Washington @ Philadelphia (-9) (40.5) Take the Redskins and the under.

Seattle @ St. Louis (+3) (42.5) Take the Seahawks and the under.

Kansas City @ San Diego (-14) (45) Take the Chiefs (+14) and the over.

Jacksonville @ San Francisco (-3) (41.5) Take the Jaguars (+3) and the over.

Chicago @ Minnesota (-11) (47) Take the Bears (+11) and the under.

Arizona @ Tennessee (-3) (47) Take the Titans (-3) and the over.

Pittsburgh @ Baltimore (-2) (42) Take the Steelers (+2) and the over.

New England @ New Orleans (-3) (56) Take the Patriots (+3) and the under.

Touchdown Dance: NFL Power Rankings & Week 11 Round-Up

Getting closer and closer to the truly nitty-gritty time of the schedule. Nothing has changed amongst the top three, but after that there has been some significant movement. Lets check out this week's Power Rankings and how teams ended up where there at after a surprising weekend of NFL football.

1. Minnesota Vikings (9-1) (-) The Vikings looked much more interested from the start this weekend. Favre is making a strong case for league MVP thus far and had another good game with the Vikings beating the Seahawks 35-9.


2. Indianapolis Colts (10-0) (-) Very good road win against a team that desperately needed the game more than them. The most impressive part was that the defense played very well despite having to deal with a ton of injuries in the secondary. The Colts went into Baltimore and snuck out with a 17-15 victory.


3. New Orleans Saints (10-0) (-) After four straight games of difficult to downright close calls the Saints easily kept their perfect record intact with a 38-7 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.


4. New England Patriots (7-3) (5) Moving up one spot, the Patriots gave a little payback to the Jets for a early season loss. The game was relatively close until Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez decided to do his best Jay Cutler impersonation. The final score made the game a lot less competitive than it really was, 31-14.


5. San Diego Chargers (7-3) (7) Well it's about time the Real Chargers stood up. After a dismal start to the season the Chargers have leaped into fist place in the AFC West with a convincing victory in the Mile High City over the Broncos 32-3.


6. Arizona Cardinals (7-3) (8) The game was a much closer than it should have been, but that's the way division match-ups usually end up. Even though the game was tight the Cardinals managed to pull out another road victory in beating the Rams 21-13.


7. Dallas Cowboys (7-3) (10) Tony Romo and the Cowboys offense had a nice 3-4 game rhythm going, but they have lost their way the past couple of weeks. Luckily for them they were playing the Redskins and the Cowboys defense came to play. The Cowboys sneak out of the Billion Dollar Bio-Dome with a narrow 7-6 victory over the Redskins.


8. Cincinnati Bengals (7-3) (4) The Bengals were very fortunate that the Steelers decided to wet the bed in Kansas City before they to piddle themselves in Oakland. The Bengals come away from Cali still in 1st place in the AFC North, but are a tad bit embarrased in losing to the Raiders 20-17.


9. NY Giants (6-4) (12) The Giants needed a victory in the worst way and they got it. Eli played his best game of the season, but the defense is still missing something it once had. The victory over the Falcons 34-31 in OT was big, but that defense needs to finds its way back to the field otherwise there is no shot for the Giants to make it to the playoffs.


10. Pittsburgh Steelers (6-4) (6) Who abducted the Steelers and where did they put them. This team looks far from the defending champs as they have found multiple ways to lose winnable games. This weekend's loss to the Chiefs was the biggest shocker of Week 11 as the Chiefs came back for the OT win 27-24.


11. Philadelphia Eagles (6-4) (-) The Eagles are explosive and can score at any time from anywhere on the field, but that lack of consistency and running game may just cost them a playoff spot. Fortunately for the Eagles they played a team in the Bears who loves to shoot themselves more than Plaxico. The Eagles come out of the Windy City keeping pace with the rest of the NFC East with a 24-20 victory.


12. Miami Dolphins (5-5) (17) This team just competes and has now found a way to win all those close games. Chad Henne is still a work in progress and the loss of Ronnie Brown will catch up to them, but this team will rarely be out of a game from here on out. This week they took the show to Nashville and came out winners 24-17 over the Panthers.


13. Jacksonville Jaguars (6-4) (18) This team is far from complete or great, but they have found a way to win and as of right now own a wildcard slot. This weekend they played down to their competition, but came away a winner beating the Bills 18-15.


14. Green Bay Packers (6-4) (19) If this team had an average offensive line it would be competing for the NFC North title, but even with a horrible line they find themselves in the mix for a wildcard spot. This is thanks to the arm and toughness of quarterback Aaron Rodgers who should be considered for NFL MVP for what he has done and gone through this season. This weekend the Packers beat the visiting 49ers 30-24.


15. Atlanta Falcons (5-5) (-) Tough OT loss to the Giants 34-31, but at least Matty Ice decided to show up and have his best game in over a month. The Falcons are fading fast and now the defense looks to be fading which can't be good.


16. Houston Texans (5-5) (9) Just when you thought this team was going to breakthrough their field goal kicker blows two games in a row. Kris Brown has cost the Texans a chance at winning the past two games and now the Texans must dig deep in order to get back to playoff talk. The loss at home to the Titans 20-17 was a big blow to this young team.


17. Tennessee Titans (4-6) (20) The Titans have won four straight and are hell bent on making it back to .500 semi-salvaging this season. Another quality victory in Houston as they beat the Texans 20-17. Vince Young has looked very good and may have learned a thing or two while sitting on the sidelines watching.


18. Baltimore Ravens (5-5) (15) The Ravens defense pretty much held in check the powerful and explosive Colts offense, but their own offense failed to show up for the second week in a row. A must win at home came up short as they lost to the Colts 17-15.


19. Denver Broncos (6-4) (13) This looks more like the team everyone thought they would be at the beginning of the season. The Broncos have lost four in a row, this time not only losing but falling out of first place in the AFC West. The 32-3 loss to the Chargers showed some definite weaknesses that were always there at the quarterback position.


20. Carolina Panthers (4-6) (16) Every time the Panthers have a chance to get back to .500 they curl up in the fetal position and get beat down. This past weekend there was no change, the loss to the Dolphins at home 24-17 in reality squashes any hope of the playoffs.


21. Washington Redskins (3-7) (23) This Redskins defense is very, very good. Only if Daniel Snyder spent as much money on the offense they would be in contention for one of the NFC'S best. Another close loss to a division opponent as they visited Dallas this past weekend losing 7-6.


22. San Francisco 49ers (4-6) (21) So much for Mike Singletary being a great motivator. The 49ers just don't have the horses on offense to make a run at the playoffs. This weekend they went into Green Bay and played competitively, but came up short 30-24.


23. NY Jets (4-6) (22) It is tough to win with young quarterbacks, especially in a tough division like the AFC East. Mark Sanchez had a tough game this past weekend as the Patriots beat them in Foxboro 31-14.


24. Buffalo Bills (3-7) (26) They don't have all the talent in the world, but this team does play hard. Unfortunately playing hard doesn't equal victories or keeping the head coach's job safe. Another hard fought battle that came up short in Jacksonville as the lose to the Jaguars 18-15.


25. Chicago Bears (4-6) (-) In Chicago all the teams woes are being throw at the feet at Jay Cutler. While he has been far from Pro Bowl form, but he has little to work with both with skill position talent along with short on smart coaching. This week the defense started slow and the offense couldn't punch it into the endzone coming up short at home, losing to the Eagles 24-20.


26. Seattle Seahawks (3-7) (24) We all knew it would be tough for the Seahawks to win in Minnesota, but to lay such a huge egg might just mean complete rebuilding time for the team from the Pacific Northwest. The Vikings man handled the aging club 35-9 this past weekend.


27. Kansas City Chiefs (3-7) (-) The Chiefs picked up their most impressive victory this weekend beating the Steelers 27-24 in overtime. The team has been playing much better as of late, but Todd Haley still looks like a stick in the mud.


28. Oakland Raiders (3-7) (31) The Raiders pulled off the second biggest upset of the weekend beating the visiting Bengals 20-17. The Raiders defense has been fairly strong all year, now only if they had a real quarterback. At least we didn't have to witness the JeMarcus Russell experiment again.


29. Detroit Lions (2-8) (30) The Lions picked up their second victory in the weekend most entertaining game as they beat the Browns 38-37 on a no time left touchdown pass from Stafford to Pettigrew. The win gets an assist from the refs for calling pass interference on a last second hail mary pass and an even larger assist from Browns coach Eric Manmoron who called a timeout to complain about the penalty call. Which led to the injured Matthew Stafford return to the field who was injured on the previous play. The loss could be costly for this coming Thanksgiving Day game as both Stafford and Calvin Johnson maybe unavailable.


30. St. Louis Rams (1-9) (28) The Rams played tough against division opponent Arizona Cardinals, but injuries to the brittle Marc Bulger cost them any chance of winning the game. The Rams lost to the visiting Cardinals 21-13.


31. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1-9) (29) Rookie quarterback Josh Freeman met himself a real NFL defense this past weekend and then got to watch a very good quarterback as Drew Brees and the Saints walloped the Bucs 38-7.


32. Cleveland Browns (1-9) (-) Who was that masked man playing quarterback for the Browns? Was it really Brady Quinn, because after the debacle he was last week he actually looked like a real quarterback. Even with the career game from Quinn the Browns still found a way to lose to the Lions 38-37.

Touchdown Dance: Week 11 Confidence Picks Challenge & Spread Selections Re-Cap

Week 11 of the NFL season is now over and now it's time to Re-Cap the Confidence Picks Challenge and the spread selections made here at Touchdown Dance.


Here's the Touchdown Dance selections for NFL Week 11.

Confidence Picks Challenge (Week 11)
16- Pittsburgh @ Kansas City (Pittsburgh Wins)
15- Seattle @ Minnesota (Minnesota Wins)
14- New Orleans @ Tampa Bay (New Orleans Wins)
13- Cincinnati @ Oakland (Cincinnati Wins)
12- Arizona @ St. Louis (Arizona Wins)
11- NY Jets @ New England (New England Wins)
10- Buffalo @ Jacksonville (Jacksonville Wins)
9- San Francisco @ Green Bay (Green Bay Wins)
8- Washington @ Dallas (Dallas Wins)
7- Cleveland @ Detroit (Detroit Wins)
6- Tennessee @ Houston (Houston Wins)
5- Atlanta @ NY Giants (NY Giants Win)
4- Indianapolis @ Baltimore (Indianapolis Wins)
3- Miami @ Carolina (Carolina Wins)
2- San Diego @ Denver (San Diego Wins)
1- Philadelphia @ Chicago (Chicago Wins)



Well it happened. My big mouth caught up with me and I lost this week's Confidence Picks Challenge. Yes, I know what that means! Come tomorrow on FanvsFan.com I'll be wearing a dress on the Confidence Picks Challenge fancast. I owe my humiliation to my brother-in-law Dean, who I will now call "Dirty Sanchez". Not just because of his Latin ethnicity, but he is the dirty bastard responsible for me humiliating myself for the world to see. I guess it really isn't that bad as I do a fine job of that myself on a daily basis anyways. Congrats to Dean, I mean Dirty Sanchez. Enjoy the moment now and tomorrow as I don't plan on losing for the rest of the year.


Spread Selections (Week 11)


Miami @ Carolina (-3) (43) Take the Panthers (-3) and the under. Miami- 24 Carolina- 17 Total- 41 Rough start to the NFL weekend for me, but at least I split. Losing against the spread, but taking the slim win on the under. (0-1-0), (1-0-0)


Indianapolis @ Baltimore (-1) (44.5) Take the Colts (+1) and the over. Indianapolis- 17 Baltimore- 15 Total- 32 Just snuck by on the spread, but missed big time on the over. (1-1-0), (1-1-0)


Washington @ Dallas (-11) (41.5) Take the Redskins (+11) and the over. Dallas- 7 Washington- 6 Total- 13 The defensive battle gave me another split. A win on the spread and anothe loss on the over. (2-1-0), (1-2-0)


Cleveland @ Detroit (-3.5) (38.5) Take the Lions (-3.5) and the under. Detroit- 38 Cleveland- 37 Total- 75 Who knew these teams actually employed offenses which cost me the spread and the under. (2-2-0), (1-3-0)


San Francisco @ Green Bay (-6.5) (42.5) Take the 49ers (+6.5) and the under. Green Bay- 30 San Francisco- 24 Total- 54 I narrowly escaped here with a split, a win against the spread and another loss on the under. (3-2-0), (1-4-0)


Buffalo @ Jacksonville (-8.5) (42.5) Take the Bills (+8.5) and the over. Jacksonville- 18 Buffalo- 15 Total- 33 The Bills play tough eventhough they are bad which netted me a win against the spread, but another loss on the over. (4-2-0), (1-5-0)


Pittsburgh @ Kansas City (+10) (40) Take the Steelers (-10) and the under. Kansas City- 27 Pittsburgh- 24 Total- 51 One of two big upsets this weekend, but this was a bigger surprise with a high scoring Chiefs offense which cost me the apread and the under. (4-3-0), (1-6-0)


Seattle @ Minnesota (-11) (46) Take the Vikings (-11) and the over. Minnesota- 35 Seattle- 9 Total- 44 The Vikings made it look easy giving me the win against the spread, but the Seahawks couldn't muster enough points which caused another loss on the over. (5-3-0), (1-7-0)


Atlanta @ NY Giants (-6.5) (46.5) Take the Falcons (+6.5) and the over. NY Giants- 34 Atlanta- 31 Total- 65 Finally a sweep as I win both against the spread and the over. (6-3-0), (2-7-0)


New Orleans @ Tampa Bay (+11) (51) Take the Saints (-11) and the over. New Orleans- 38 Tampa Bay- 7 Total- 45 Tampa fell back to earth too fast costing me the over, but I did hit on the spread. (7-3-0), (2-8-0)


Arizona @ St. Louis (+9) (46.5) Take the Rams (+9) and the over. Arizona- 21 St. Louis- 13 Total- 34 The Rams kept it close enough to net me the spread, but injuries on both offenses cost me the over. (8-3-0), (2-9-0)


San Diego @ Denver (Pick Em) Take the Chargers to win. San Diego- 32 Denver- 3 Total- 35 Only one number to worry about here and that was the Chargers win. (9-3-0), (2-9-0)


NY Jets @ New England (-10.5) (45) Take the Jets (+10.5) and the under. New England- 31 NY Jets- 14 Total- 45 It looked good for until the 4th quarter hit and Mark Sanchez decided to throw even more interceptions. Luckily, I pushed on the under. (9-4-0), (2-9-1)


Cincinnati @ Oakland (+9.5) (36) Take the Raiders (+9.5) and the under. Oakland- 20 Cincinnati- 17 Total- 37 I felt the Raiders could keep it close, but not close enough to make me miss on the over. I did hit on the spread though. (10-4-0), (2-10-1)


Philadelphia @ Chicago (+3) (45) Take the Eagles (-3) and the under. Philadelphia- 24 Chicago- 20 Total- 44 Hooray for Jay Cutler interceptions which secured both the spread and the under for me. (11-4-0), (3-10-1)


Tennessee @ Houston (-4.5) (48) Take the Texans (-4.5) and the over. Tennessee- 20 Houston- 17 Total- 37 Looks as if the Texans aren't ready to be better than mediocre and the Titans are on their way back to .500. Whatever the case is I lost on both the spread and the over. (11-5-0), (3-11-1)

Final Phantasy: Week 11 Round-Up

Back to more of the same for me as far as fantasy football goes. A win in one league and a loss in another. Not all is lost though as in both league I am tied for first place in my respective divisions. As for the rest of the league, here is how everything turned out for Week 11.

• ESPN League (Week 11)

L Street Lunatics- 79 I'm Butt Headed- 69

The Lunatics (6-5) got back on the winning track and into a four way tie for first place with some prudent waiver wire pick-ups in Jason Snelling (20) and Justin Forsett with (14) points. Team Butt Headed (6-5) fell back to the rest of the other Division one squads with no help from the Broncos D/ST (-2), Roddy White (4) or Jason Witten with another bad fantasy day with only (4) points.

Nick Bruiser- 123 Psychopathic Eagles- 47

Team Bruiser (6-5) racked up this week's high score and a win behind two Packers, Aaron Rodgers (22) and a Greg Jennings siting with (18) points. The Eagles (6-5), who is also tied for first place in Division 1 fell to injury and lack of roster adjustments. The Eagles started Clinton Portis, Chris Cooley and diuretic taking Dwayne Bowe who all missed their games.

Team Chenette- 111 Dirty Sanchez- 90

Team Chenette (6-4-1) won their third straight with this week's hero being Eli Manning (25) and Hines Ward with (18) points. Team Sanchez (6-5) missed the boat on taking over sole possession of Division 1 first place and wasn't helped by either Brent Celek (3) or Donal Driver who only had (4) points.

Gator Bait- 120 Chicago PackerKillerz- 73

Team Bait (4-6-1) returned to the win column under the legs of Ricky Williams with (30), on the arm of Tom Brady with (16) and upon the foot of Nate Kaeding with a big (15) points. The PackerKillerz (2-9) had their two game winning streak halted with no help from Tashard Choice (0) and two hometown favorites Devin Hester (1) and Greg Olsen with (4) points.

Bama Pride- 110 Northside Knuckleheads- 91

Team Pride (5-6) kept slim playoffs aspirations alive with big games from Ryan Grant (19) and Heath Miller (15) points. The Knuckleheads (7-4) even with the loss hold a game lead in Division 2, but this week was stumped by two cowboys, Roy Williams (0) and Marion Barber with (7) points.

• Week 12 (ESPN League)

Northside Knuckleheads (7-4) vs Dirty Sanchez (6-5)

Team Chenette (6-4-1) vs Psychopathic Eagles (6-5)

Gator Bait (4-6-1) vs I'm Butt Headed (6-5)

Chicago PackerKillerz (2-9) vs Bama Pride (5-6)

L Street Lunatics (6-5) vs Nick Bruiser (6-5)

• Yahoo League (Week 11)

Cleveland Steamers- 88.26 Saints- 80.92

The Steamers (7-4) snuck back into a tie for first place in Division 1 with big time help from Calvin Johnson (27.10) and (14) points from kicker Robbie Gould. The Saints (4-7) fell further from the playoffs with no help from either the Panthers D/ST (0) or John Carlson who also managed zero points.

Free Plaxico- 104.50 Team BB- 89.96

Team Plaxico managed to hold a part of 1st place in Division 1 with major help coming from Ricky Williams (31.80), Steve "Panthers" Smith (14.70) and rookie Percy Harvin with (13.90) points. Team BB (1-10) dismal season got worse with bad games from Brent Celek (3.50) and Knowshon Moreno with (6.60) points.

Bowdoin Hitmen III- 110.22 Stuffed Dogs- 101.02

The Hitmen (6-5) are the story of the league after losing their first five have rallied to win six straight and in contention for a playoff spot. This week the team was led by his receiving corps with Calvin Johnson (20.10), Derrick Mason (19.20) and Mario Manningham with (17.60) points. Team Stuffed Dogs (4-7) fell again with another mediocre Tony Romo (8.72) performance and little help from big-mouth Chad Ochocinco with (6.70) points.

Spartans- 112.08 WonderTwinPowers- 91.00

The Spartans (7-4) joined a three way tie for first place in Division 2. This week the team was led by Kevin Smith with (20.90), Drew Brees (19.48) and Anquan Boldin with (16.30) points. Team WTP (5-6) fell back under .500 with little support from Braylon Edwards (1.00) or Ahmad Bradshaw with (3.40) points.

I'm Number 6- 114.26 Three T- 96.70

Team Number 6 (7-4) was led to a tie for first place in Division 2 behind Aaron Rodgers (26.06), Hines Ward (23.80) and Vernon Davis with (16.80) points. Team Three T (7-4) lost their #1 overall league rank and was most hurt by the injured Michael Turner in his line-up who did not play.

• Week 12 (Yahoo League)

Cleveland Steamers (7-4) vs I'm Number 6 (7-4)

Stuffed Dogs (4-7) vs Spartans (7-4)

Saints (4-7) vs Free Plaxico (7-4)

Bowdoin Hitmen III (6-5) vs Three T (7-4)

WonderTwinPowers (5-6) vs Team BB (1-10)

More Than a Hobby?

Recently, I've been reading a book (Committed) about one man's obsession with winning his fantasy football league. So much so he quit his day job and dedicated his time solely to winning the league with writing a book about his quest as a secondary project. The author Mark St. Amant dives into fantasy football from its origins way back in the 50's to its tremendous current popularity now.

The book is a very good read with some very interesting information about where fantasy football actually started. The book has me asking myself, how much does fantasy football mean to me? I like it, but it is definitely just a hobby to me that I spend little time on. As with anything competitive I would love to win, but being the fantasy football champion is far less important to me than my favorite football team making it to the promiseland.

Fantasy football has raised the popularity to the NFL to even higher heights than it already was, but the kind of popularity is troublesome to me. The people that now love fantasy football more than the actual game itself just rubs me the wrong way. Its fine to want to win, but fantasy players cheering both ways during one game, because they have a fantasy player on each side just spits in the face of true team fandom. While I try my best to win my fantasy leagues I will never be more concerned about my rosters points than cheering on my favorite team or the team I want to win.

How important is fantasy football to you? How has it changed the way you look, watch and cheer for games? Does fantasy football rub you the wrong way?

Touchdown Dance: Injury Issues (Week 11)

Plenty of injuries to go around these days. This week's list has plenty of big names that could not only effect the real outcomes of certain games, but for fantasy and monetary investors these could also spell trouble. Check out the Week 11 list of Injury Issues (except for Carolina and Miami who played Thursday night.

• Arizona Cardinals

Out- Chike Okeafor (Back)- Out, Questionable- (CB) Michael Adams (Hamstring), (LB) Karlos Dansby, (CB) Bryant McFadden (Ankle)

• Atlanta Falcons

Out- (WR) Brian Finneran (Knee), Doubtful- (RB) Michael Turner (Ankle), Questionable- (S) Erik Coleman (Knee), (RB) Jerrious Norwood (Hip), (WR) Roddy White (Knee)

• Baltimore Ravens

Out- (RB) Matt Lawrence (Knee), (LB) Terrell Suggs (Knee), Questionable- (TE) Todd Heap (Chest), (DT) Haloti Ngata (Ankle)

• Buffalo Bills

Out- (T) Demetrius Bell (Knee), (LB) Keith Ellison (Thigh), (TE) Derek Fine (Knee), (DT) Marcus Stroud (Knee), (CB) Ashton Youboty (Ankle), Questionable- (S) Jarius Byrd (Groin), (WR) James Hardy (Groin), (CB) Terrance McGee (Knee), (DT) Kyle Williams (Knee)

• Carolina Panthers

Played Thursday Night

• Chicago Bears

Doubtful- (TE) Desmond Clark (Neck), (S) Kevin Payne (Back)

• Cincinnati Bengals

Doubtful- (RB) Cedric Benson (Hip), (LB) Keith Rivers, (G) Evan Mathis (Ankle) Questionable- (CB) Morgan Trent (Knee), (S) Chris Crocker (Calf)

• Cleveland Browns

Questionable- (WR) Joshua Cribbs (Neck), (G) Rex Hadnot (Knee), (RB) Jamal Lewis (Ankle), (RB) Lawrence Vickers (Shoulder)

• Dallas Cowboys

Out- (T) Marc Columbo (Ankle), (S) Ken Hamlin (Ankle), (CB) Allen Rossum (Hamstring)

• Denver Broncos

Out- (T) Ryan Harris (Toe), (RB) Lamont Jordan (Back), Questionable- (QB) Kyle Orton (Ankle), (S) Josh Barrett (Hamstring)

• Detroit Lions

Out- (S) Kalvin Pearson (Hamstring), (G) Stephen Peterman (Ankle), (LB) Ernie Sims (Hamstring), Questionable- (LB) Zack Follett (Neck), (DE) Dewayne White (Toe), (WR) Derrick Williams (Hip)

• Green Bay Packers

Doubtful- (T) Allen Barbre (Ankle), Questionable- (G) Evan Dietrich-Smith (Ankle), (RB) Ahman Green (Hamstring)

• Houston Texans

Out- (CB) Antwaun Molden (Quadricep), Doubtful- (S) Domonique Barber (Ankle), Questionable- (WR) Jacoby Jones (Calf)

• Indianapolis Colts

Out- (T) Daniel Federkell (Head), (CB) Aaron Francisco (Ankle), (WR) Anthony Gonzalez (Knee), (CB) Kelvin Hayden (Knee), (K) Adam Vinitieri (Knee), Questionable- (CB) Antoine Bethea (Foot), (DT) Eric Foster (Back), (DE) Dwight Freeney (Hip), (TE) Gijon Robinson (Head), (QB) Jim Sorgi (Shoulder)

• Jacksonville Jaguars

Out- (CB) Rashean Mathis (Groin), Doubtful- (LB) Justin Durant (Head)

• Kansas City Chiefs

Doubtful- (G) Allen Allerman (Knee), (RB) Dantrell Savage (Ankle), (LB) Mike Vrabel (Knee), (LB) Justin Rogers (Thigh), Questionable- (LB) David Herron (Knee)

• Miami Dolphins

Played Thursday Night

• Minnesota Vikings

Doubtful- (CB) Antoine Winfield (Foot), Questionable- (WR) Bernard Berrian (Hamstring), (CB) Karl Paymah (Ankle)

• New England Patriots

Out- (RB) Fred Taylor (Ankle), Questionable- (G) Steve Neal (Head), (LB) Rob Ninkovich (Knee), (WR) Sam Aiken (Hip), (LB) Eric Alexander (Groin), (TE) Chris Baker (Shoulder), (LB) Tully Banta-Cain (Abdomen), (DT) Ron Brace (Ankle), (WR) Julian Edelman (Forearm), (DE) Jarvis Green (Knee), (C) Dan Koppen (Knee), (T) Matt Light (Knee), (RB) Sammy Morris (Knee), (DE) Ty Warren (Ankle)

• New Orleans Saints

Out- (CB) Jabari Greer (Groin), (WR) Lance Moore (Ankle), (CB) Tracy Porter (Knee), (RB) Reggie Bush (Knee), (DT) Sedrick Ellis (Knee)

• New York Giants

Questionable- (CB) Aaron Ross (Hamstring)

• New York Jets

Out- (LB) Vernon Gholston (Hamstring), Questionable- (S) Jim Leonhard (Thumb)

• Oakland Raiders

Out- (LB) Ricky Brown (Ankle), (WR) Nick Mille (Shin), (WR) Javon Walker (Hamstring), Questionable- (LB) Isaiah Ekejiuba (Ankle), (DE) Greg Ellis (Knee)

• Philadelphia Eagles

Out- (S) Quentin Demps (Ankle), (LB) Akeem Jordan (Knee), (WR) Kevin Curtis (Knee), (RB) Brian Westbrook (Head) Questionable- (CB) Sheldon Brown (Hamstring)

• Pittsburgh Steelers

Out- (DE) Travis Kirschke (Calf), (S) Troy Polamalu (Knee)

• San Diego Chargers

Out- (C) Nick Hardwick (Ankle), Questionable- (T) Jeromey Clary (Ankle), (DT) Ogemdi Nwagbuo (Ankle)

• San Francisco 49ers

Out- (CB) Nate Clements (Shoulder), (T) Joe Staley (Knee), Questionable- (LB) Takeo Spikes (Hamstring)

• Seattle Seahawks

Out- (RB0 Julius Jones (Chest), Doubtful- (S) Josh Wilson (Head), Questionable- (DT) Craig Terrill (Shoulder)

• St. Louis Rams

Out- (G) Richie Incognito (Foot), (DE) CJ Ah You (Knee), Questionable- (DE) Chris Long (Knee)

• Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Questionable- (CB) Elbert Mack (Ankle)

• Tennessee Titans

Out- (LB) Colin Allred (Hamstring), (WR) Justin Gage (Back), Questionable- (DT) Jason Jones (Shoulder), (LB) David Thornton (Hip)

• Washington Redskins

Out- (TE) Chris Coooley (Ankle), (RB) Clinton Portis (Head), (RB) Eddie Williams (Ankle), Questionable- (DT) Albert Haynesworth (Ankle), (T) Mike Williams (Ankle), (T) Stephon Hoyer (Knee)

Touchdown Dance: Game of the Week (Week 11)

This week was another first for the "Game of the Week" pick. It was the first week we had a tie for first place, so I let my two year old son have the final vote and this was the outcome. San Diego Chargers at the Denver Broncos, a classic AFC West division battle for first place. The Chargers are on a roll and looking for some redemption for an earlier loss to the Broncos. The Broncos have slipped badly since their (6-0) start losing three straight and now will most likely be without their starting quarterback for this game. This football battle surely leans towards the way of the Chargers, but we still can't sleep on the Broncos defense, because no matter how bad the offense is right now the defense is for real. Lets look at the breakdown for the game and see how we at Touchdown Dance feel it will end up.

• Quarterback (Chargers)

1. Even if Kyle Orton makes it to the field or not, Phillip Rivers is by far the superior signal caller in this match-up. Rivers has played solidly all season long and the Chargers could be in a much better situation if the running game could have be located early on this season. He is accurate, tough and moves well enough in the pocket to by himself a few extra milliseconds. With his very tall group of receivers Rivers has the luxury of throwing the ball up and having great confidence his guys will come down with it.

• Running Backs (Chargers)

1. Though LT is far from being the player he once was he has found a little rhythm and the Broncos have seemed to have lost their run game within this three game losing streak. Then you add in Darren Sproles who is very effective on third down and the slight advantage goes to the Chargers in this match-up.

• Wide Receivers (Even)

1. Both sides have a multitude of talented receivers. The Chargers have a group of very tall and fast receivers who have learned to take advantage of those attributes. At this point in the season Brandon Marshall has proved himself to just maybe the next best receiver in the league. Not only is he fast, big, and great hands. He almost impossible to bring down in the open field. Whether or not he can keep his mouth in check as the Broncos slide backwards is yet to be seen.

• Tight Ends (Chargers)

1. Antonio Gates is still one of the best in the league and he is Phillip Rivers favorite target when the game is on the line. Gates is having a nice season and should continue to do so against the smallish backers and secondary of the Broncos.

• Offensive Line (Broncos)

1. I'll give this spot to the Broncos and mainly because of one guy, (LT) Ryan Clady. Who is by far one of the best in the league and will be for a very, very long time. The rest of the Broncos offensive line is solid and will need to plow the road for the running game this weekend if the Broncos have any chance of remaining in first place.

• Defensive Line (Even)

1. The front line in the 3-4 is mostly overlooked by fans and press, because though their jobs may be the most important part of this defense it is far from glamorous. The Broncos front started the year very strong stuffing the opponents running game and eating up double teams to the point where newly converted (OLB) Elvis Dumervil is a league leader in sacks. The Chargers front took a huge hit when they lost (NT) Jamal Williams for the season, but have improved their play as of late during their winning streak and rise back a top the AFC West.

• Linebackers (Broncos)

1. The switch to the 3-4 scheme this season actually fit the Broncos remaining backers from last season very well. Elvis Dumervil has become an even better pass rusher from the (OLB) spot. DJ Williams feels at home playing the inside and the addition of 3-4 veterans like Andra Davis have been a perfect match.

• Secondary (Broncos)

1. Both teams have talent that covers the receivers, but only one has Champ Bailey. Though Bailey has been throw at more than usual he is still very dangerous and one of the best cover corners in the league. Brian Dawkins is still playing at a high level and have Philly fans seething with anger that the Eagles ever let him go. Andre Goodman (CB) and Renaldo Hill are also having productive seasons. The addition of wily veteran Ty Law as a 3rd corner bolsters this unit even further.

• Final Score

San Diego- 23 Denver- 13