Games to Watch - Week 14 Paul Joyce, Fantasy Football Senior Staff Writer Dec 5, 2003 | More

It’s unmistakenly December, folks.  And with December comes the prospect of snow games and the beginning of those long-winded, far-fetched playoff scenarios.  You know the ones…if these 6 teams tank and this team wins by 182 points while this other team shows up wearing Catholic school girls’ field hockey uniforms and still beats the Chargers, they’re in!

Well, I don’t know if it’s gonna snow this week and I don’t know who’ll show up wearing skirts, but I do know the schedule makers really hit a home run with this week.  There are awesome games all over the place.  So zip up your snorkel coat and start doing your snow dance while we see which games will create the most complex playoff scenarios this week…

Top Shelf

Indianapolis at Tennessee             Sun. December 7 @ 1:00pm ET on CBS

Summary:  It doesn’t get much better than this.

Hot Tip:  Is Justin McCareins still considered a Hot Tip?  This guy is becoming a stud WR.  If you feel cheated by this pick, watch Troy Walters pick up the slack with Dallas Clark out.

Both of these teams lost last week, so with all the great games this week, why do they get Top Shelf honors?  Because either one of these teams could be going to Disney World after the Super Bowl.  For these two 9-3 teams, this is as big as a playoff game.  They’re not just playing for the AFC South lead, they’re jockeying for that coveted #2 seed that comes with a week off.

Indianapolis lost to New England (who currently occupies that #2 spot) while everyone saw Tennessee fall to the Jets on MNF.  Both teams need to dust themselves off and get back to work.  Tennessee has the advantage of being at home where they’ve won 10 straight.  Jevon Kearse and Drew Bennett may be back but Steve McNair is still very beat up.  He didn’t look good Monday Night but he actually took some snaps in practice this week.  Indy lost Dallas Clark (broken leg) but they still have no shortage of weapons.  This one will definitely earn its Top Shelf status and get this December off to a worthy start.

Also on Tap

Dallas at Philadelphia                                 Sun. December 7 @ 1:00pm ET on Fox

Summary:  Another battle for Division supremacy.

Hot Tip:  Terry Glenn leading a team in receptions, yardage, and receiving touchdowns?  If you don’t believe it, tune in to see for yourself.

At the beginning of the season, this Week 14 match up looked meaningless.  Philadelphia was filled with Super Bowl promise while the Cowboys were…well, the Cowboys.  When the Cowboys and Eagles met in Week 6, the Cowboys stepped up to a 4-1 record while the Eagles dropped to 2-3.  Things were upside down.  This Week 14 match up still looked meaningless but for the opposite reasons.  Now here we are.  The Eagles haven’t lost since that game and the Cowboys are still right there.

The Eagles are playing as well as any team in the league right now.  However, their porous rushing defense could be just what the doctor ordered for Dallas’s struggling rushing offense.  Either way, this is another one that you won’t want to miss.

Cincinnati at Baltimore                               Sun. December 7 @ 1:00pm ET on CBS

Summary:  Not your typical tied-for-the-division-lead showdown.

Hot Tip: Jon Kitna has gotten the job done while the Bengals deal with the whole RB situation.

I don’t even know what to say about the Bengals.  They’re not supposed to be in first place…  They’re not supposed to win… they’re not supposed to be in this column!  Corey Dillon is back and now that Rudi Johnson has proven himself, they could be an impressive 1-2 punch.  With Kitna playing so well (22 TD’s vs. 9 Int’s), I guess you might say this is a well rounded offense.  They’ll need to be firing on all cylinders against the 4^th ranked defense in the league.

The only problem with this game, or any of these games, is that they’re all on at the same time.  The sports bars should be hopping this Sunday afternoon.  After taking in all you can of the early games, tune in to the national television game of the week… New England at Miami at 4:15ET on CBS.  On any other week, it could’ve been Top Shelf, but this week, it gets this honorable mention since they’re neither tied nor playing for a tie at the top of the AFC East.