Games to Watch - Week 10 Paul Joyce, Fantasy Football Senior Staff Writer Nov 7, 2003 | More

Last week was kind of odd.  There were a couple of top-tier games that couldn’t miss, and they didn’t.  The Colts-Fins and Packers-Vikings games were great.  But beyond that, there were several games that had the potential to be either really, really good…or really, really bad.  The Giants-Jets game was eventually chosen as the Game to Watch and it proved to be perhaps the most entertaining game of the week.  How often do you see a missed field goal in overtime followed by a blocked field goal in overtime?  In a game between two teams from the same city, I guarantee nobody was using their whole seat at the Meadowlands. 

The Patriots-Broncos game would’ve passed in last week’s column too.  It turned out to be a much better Game to Watch than I expected.  Houston’s upset win over Carolina would’ve filled the bill too.  Mostly, however, I’m just glad I didn’t pick the Cowboys-Redskins game for last week’s column.  The tone was set early in this one…with turnovers on its first 3 possessions, the Cowboys were determined to see how many mistakes they could make and still win.  Well, that’s part of Cowboys-Redskins history now.  Let’s see which games will keep us on the edge of our seats this week …

Top Shelf

Miami at Tennessee                                    Sun. November 9 @ 1:00pm ET on CBS

Summary:  Jeff Fisher has never beaten the Dolphins, who are 4-0 on the road this year.  These two facts and $2.00 will buy you a beer at the Beacon Hill Pub.

Hot Tip:  It’s not the QB or the RB on either team…watch Derrick Mason for the show this week.

Miami was in this same spot last week.  It was a great game, but they came up on the short end of the stick when Dwight Freeney sacked Brian Griese for the 3^rd time, forcing his 2^nd fumble.  This week, they go back on the road, where they’ve had a lot more success this year.  The bad news is that they’re headed to Nashville.  The Titans tend to play well at home in the Coliseum (27-8 since 1999).  The Titans are also coming off a bye week that they went into looking as strong as ever.  Steve McNair with a week of rest and recuperation will be a tough test for the Dolphins D.  On the other hand, the Dolphins secondary will be a tough test for Steve McNair.  The winner of this match up wins the game.

Also on Tap

Tampa Bay at Carolina                               Sun. November 9 @ 1:00pm ET on Fox

Summary:  If necessary, refresh your memory by looking at the Week 2 results.

Hot Tip: Look for Michael Pittman to put some yards under his belt in this one.

You don’t need to look very far for the incentive in this one.  In week 2, Carolina completely upset the entire pirate ship by blocking a PAT and going on to win in OT.  Fast forward to week 10 and we find Carolina still atop the AFC South at 6-2 while Tampa Bay is 2 games back at an even .500 (4-4).  What’s up with that?  I don’t know but I think Tampa Bay is blaming Carolina for making them walk the plank and now they’re back.  Both teams are coming off tough losses last week but I get the sense the Bucs have more emotion going into this one. 

Stephen Davis, who rushed for 153 yards in week 2, is listed as Questionable with a sore ankle but you can expect him to be on the field.  You know the Bucs D will be looking for him.  You don’t want to miss this one.

Baltimore at St. Louis                                 Sun. November 9 @ 8:30pm ET on ESPN

Summary:  The real return of Marshall Faulk.

Hot Tip: Let’s go out on a limb and call out Marshall Faulk.  Who knows how much action he’ll see but we may never get the opportunity to put him in this spot again.

Both of these teams are 5-3 and playing well.  They both look exactly like we want to see them too.  St. Louis has an explosive, big-play offense and Baltimore is winning with defense…for the most part.  The Ravens D is in the top 10 in all defensive rankings but they’ve also got the league’s leading rusher and have scored at least 24 points in their last 4 games.  Did I mention that Marshall Faulk is back?