O'Malley's Tallies: Week 14 -- Road to the Championship

It may have taken them 14 games, but my Phins finally won a game!! After seeing the always reliable Matt Stover miss a field goal in overtime to seal the win for the Ravens, it almost seemed destiny was on the sideline of the Aqua and Orange as Bob Griese and the 1972 Undefeated team looked on. In other news, Week 15 also featured one of the classier moves that the NFL has seen in a longtime by Eagles running back Brian Westbrook. On his way to an easy 20+ yard touchdown score, Westbrook fell to the ground at the one yard line, bringing the clock down to the 2 minute warning and all but sealing the 10-6 victory for the Eagles with the Cowboys out of timeouts. While fantasy owners may have been ready to pull their hair out, Westbrook’s move truly embodied all the good that professional sports in our country stand for. Here is the rest of the good and bad that Week 15 had to offer…

Studs

1. Jamal Lewis – Sunday in Cleveland featured a showdown of monumental proportions when the Bills visited the Browns for what would most likely be a game that allowed the winner to move onto into the playoffs as a wildcard. Despite conditions being horrible with a blizzard invading Cleveland, Jamal Lewis went about his business and put the Browns on his back. Carrying the rock a whopping 33 times, Lewis gained 163 yards and allowed Phil Dawson to add a few field goals to lead his team to an 8-0 victory.

2. Aaron Stecker – Who needs Reggie Bush and Deuce McAllister when you have Aaron Stecker?! With the Saints still on life support for the sixth and final playoff spot, Stecker was a huge part of New Orleans’ victory on Sunday vs. the Cardinals. Overall, Stecker carried it 22 times for 95 yards and scored two very important touchdowns in the 31-24 win.

3. Roydell Williams – Also in the thick of very tight AFC Playoff race, the Tennessee Titans needed a big second half to get the win in the always difficult Arrowhead Stadium. One major contributor to this win was Roydell Williams, who caught 4 balls for 94 yards in the 26-17 victory. The former Tulane Green Wave star scored two touchdowns as well to end the day as Vince Young’s number one target.

4. Clinton Portis – In typical New York Giants fashion, the team laid down when they needed a win the most Sunday night at home vs. Washington. With Todd Collins starting an NFL game for the first time in nearly a decade, Clinton Portis picked up the slack for the Skins and did everything the team needed him to do in the 22-10 victory. When it was all said and done, C.P. finished with 25 carries for 126 yards and a touchdown to help bring the Skins back to .500 at 7-7.

5. Tampa Bay Defense – For those that were smart enough to start Tampa Bay’s defense yesterday vs. the Falcons were definitely rewarded. With touchdowns coming from both the defense and special teams as well as intercepting Chris Redman twice, fantasy points were definitely piling up in Raymond James Stadium yesterday.

Duds

1. John Kitna – All the losses and the heartache seem to be piling up very quickly in the Motor City lately. Once the talk of the NFL at 6-2, John Kitna appeared to be ready to book a flight to Honolulu in February. Six straight losses later, the Lions have fallen back into their role as the league’s doormat. Flying cross country to play the Chargers, Kitna threw a whopping 5 interceptions with a few of them being returned the other way for a defensive touchdown.

2. Tony Romo – Whether it was the Eagles defense, a sprained thumb, or having Jessica Simpson wearing his jersey in the luxury box yesterday, Tony Romo did not get it done for the Cowboys yesterday. After leading his team and millions of fantasy owners to the top for the entire year, Romo struggled to lock up home field advantage for the Cowboys throughout the playoffs in the team’s 10-6 loss to the Eagles. On the day, Eastern Illinois’ finest finished 13-36 with 214 yards and 3 interceptions. Ouch..

3. Eli Manning – 18 out of 52?!?!? DID ELI MANNING REALLY COMPLETE ONLY 18 OUT OF 52 PASSES ON SUNDAY NIGHT?!? With a 34.6 completion percentage and only 184 yards passing, you must known that you are destined for the “Dud” list on Monday afternoon..

4. Sean Alexander – Seven carries for 17 yards is definitely NOT going to get it done. With the passing game beginning to flourish under Matt Hasselback and Alexander’s role beginning to clearly diminish, the Seahawks must seriously evaluate whether or not they plan on bringing #37 and his lofty salary number back next season.

SEE YA NEXT TIME FOR FANTASY CHAMPIONSHIP WEEK!

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