Games to Watch - Week 13 Paul Joyce, Fantasy Football Senior Staff Writer Nov 28, 2003 | More

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone.  Hope yours was a good one.  It certainly was for Detroit and Miami.  Both games, by the way, were fun to watch.  I had a feeling the Packers-Lions game would be the better of the two.  The Miami win makes our Top Shelf game even more interesting and makes next week’s Cowboys-Eagles showdown an early favorite for Top Shelf honors. 

Sitting here on Thursday night, I’m feeling a bit teased.  After a day of great food and great football, (and the time with family, yatta, yatta), we now have to wait two more days before the NFL and fantasy week 13 continues.  It’s like someone hit a giant Pause button.  Let’s see which games will be worth waiting for the giant Play button to get pushed on Sunday …

Top Shelf

New England at Indianapolis                     Sun. November 30 @ 1:00pm ET on CBS

Summary:  Two AFC Division leaders look to keep pace with their respective pursuers.

Hot Tip:  Kevin Faulk caught over 100 yards last week.  Not bad for the Patriots RB.  With almost 200 total yards last week, he might be a little tired.  If he isn’t, watch out.

This is going to be a great game.  The Patriots have won 7 straight, including a week 5 drubbing of the Tennessee Titans.  Those Titans are now 9-2 themselves, tied with the Colts for the AFC South lead, and considered one of the best teams in the league.  The Patriots will draw confidence from that win (and the other 6 in a row) this week when they face another potential Super Bowl contender in Indianapolis.

The NFL’s second rated offense will certainly test the Patriots’ D.  They seem able to score at will and have shown us already that no lead is safe.  The Patriots have been winning ugly lately.  A team that can always find a way to win, despite mistakes and penalties, is a great team…but the Patriots are anxious to quit proving that each and every week.  This one will definitely be won by the team that executes the game plan with the least mistakes.

Also on Tap

Philadelphia at Carolina                 Sun. November 30 @ 1:00pm ET on Fox

Summary:  Two NFC Division leaders look to keep pace with their respective pursuers…well, Philadelphia looks to do that.  Carolina can’t even see their closest pursuer.

Hot Tip: Donovan McNabb is the Man, once again.  So far this month, he’s thrown for 1083 yards and scored 6 touchdowns (including 1 rushing) without throwing a pick.

The Cowboys loss yesterday put the Eagles in the NFC East lead.  It’s up to them to stay there.  They can either face Dallas next week leading by 1 game or tied.  To go in with the lead, they’ll have to beat the Panthers, who lost to the Cowboys last week.

Stephen Davis and company might not be worried about losing the NFC South lead but they will be looking to get back on track and reaffirm their position among the NFC elite.  These two teams have a lot of quality on both sides of the ball.  This game could determine a lot more than who goes to 9-3 and who goes to 8-4.

Minnesota at St. Louis                                Sun. November 30 @ 1:00pm ET on Fox

Summary:  The two other NFC Division leaders look to hold off their respective pursuers.  Is this a great week of football or what?!

Hot Tip: Both defenses are playing Lights Out these days.  I’m not saying this will be a defensive battle but they’ll play a key role in this one.

Last week, the Minnesota defense forced 4 interceptions in their win over Detroit.  At the same time, St. Louis QB Marc Bulger threw 4 interceptions (and lost a fumble) yet the Rams still beat the Cardinals.  While neither of these opponents is very scary, the point is that the Vikings D and the Rams D are playing great football these days.  We’re all used to hearing about the explosive Vikings offense and the Greatest Show on Turf so it’s nice to hear about these two teams winning with defense.

That’s not to say the offenses are sputtering.  Both teams are playing very well (if you overlook Bulger’s 4 picks and a fumble).  All of this means that we should be in for a treat in this one.  A more balanced offering on both sides of the field will make this one even more fun to watch than usual.