Sunday Scorecard: Indy's horsepower; Pats' firepower

Our NFL experts provide analysis on this week's action around the league.

Week 8 -- Sunday, Oct. 28, 2007 (Following 1 p.m. ET games)
Questions:	Prisco Analysis	Judge Analysis	Richard Analysis	Newsroom analysis
First down: No Marvin, no Ugoh ... impressed by the Colts win over Carolina?	Not only that, it was a sandwich game. They were coming off a big division victory against the Jaguars and have the Patriots on tap. Winning the way they did says something about this team. They fell behind 7-0 and then turned it on. They are truly an elite team.	I'm always impressed with the Colts. This is a team that was missing six starters against Tampa Bay earlier this month, and walloped the Buccaneers. The Colts are one of the game's two elite teams. What's not to like?	Sort of. It doesn't take much to beat the Panthers, especially with David Carr under center, and the Panthers weren't going to compete with Indianapolis' offense. Think of this as a nice warm up win for Indy.	It's a good week for Peyton: He passes Unitas on the team's all-time TD list, he beats the only team he hadn't and his Vols somehow stay in the SEC East race. But can we really say this is a Peyton win? Jim Sorgi did complete a pass. Yeah, I'm impressed.
Second down: How good is this Titans backfield combination?	It has to be good. They can't pass. But I think LenDale White is really coming on. He has the power to run over people, but he can also make people miss. Chris Henry is a nice change-of-pace back and Chris Brown didn't even play. They better be able to run it, though.	Hey, all I know is the Titans keep winning. So Vince Young doesn't produce Steve McNair-like numbers. Who cares? Young can run the ball, and so can any of the three backs. There's a reason they're a playoff threat.	Remember that they've beaten up on the Texans and Raiders in consecutive weeks. They get the Panthers next week (eh) but then have a rematch with the Jaguars after that. Let's see how the Titans do there, and let's see if Vince Young can be relied upon for anything by then, too.	Today I'd like to talk to you about Vince Young, who's become the oddest entity in the NFL. He does almost nothing statistically a game except hand off to this duo, yet wins. I have absolutely no idea what to make of him, but I do like that backfield ... very thunder & lightning-esque.
Third down: Big Ben: Glorified game manager or QB who can carry a team to a win?	He can certainly carry a team. He has a strong arm and he's grown as a pocket passer. They've given him more freedom, which helps. He's on his way to being a real quality QB. To think he is just a game manager is a big mistake. By season's end, he will have huge numbers.	He's a quarterback who can carry a team to a win. He demonstrated that last weekend when he rallied the Steelers from a 14-point deficit to tie Denver with over a minute left. Now look at Sunday: He was near-perfect in the Steelers' dissection of Cincinnati.	I say he's a legit NFL quarterback. It's not like he's running a 20-play offense, and it's clear that the Steelers trust in his arm at the red zone. His Fantasy owners are loving him these days.	Eli Manning is still a game manager. Philip Rivers is still a game manager. Big Ben is still a game manager, but he won't be for much longer. He's getting the first promotion of the '04 crop, and it's coming soon.
Fourth down: Buying or selling the Lions as a playoff team?	Buying. They have the offense to score on anybody, but the best thing is their defense is improving. There are a lot of young players on that defense and they seem to be growing. That was a huge road victory at Chicago against a team that was coming off a big road victory of its own.	I'm buying, and here's why: There are six teams in the NFC playoffs, which means we're looking for two wild cards. OK, so one comes from the NFC East. Where's the other? The NFC South? No. The NFC West? Please. One problem: Of the Lions' nine remaining opponents, seven are above .500.	Defense wins championships and I still have yet to be convinced that they have a formidable unit. I say they choke en route to an 8-8 or 9-7 season.	What in the name of Wayne Fontes is happening? If this team goes to playoffs it will be the worst thing that ever happened to Motown. Matt Millen backers will always have a (legit) excuse to keep him!

Week 8 -- Sunday, Oct. 28, 2007 (Following 4 p.m. ET games)
Questions:	Prisco Analysis	Judge Analysis	Richard Fantasy Analysis	Couch potato
First down: Hyperbole time: Is this Patriots offense the best you've ever seen?	It's getting up there. But it's still early to tell. There have been some great offenses, like the Colts a few years back. But if they keep playing at this level, they will be right up there with the best. They're on a pace to score the most points in league history. That speaks volumes.	No. It's one of three. I covered the Air Coryell teams with Kellen Winslow, Wes Chandler, Chuck Muncie and Dan Fouts. They could score in bunches. They just couldn't play defense. Then there were the 1999-2000 St. Louis Rams. They were just as impressive ... and they could play defense.	I have long believed that the 1999 Rams were the best offense I'd ever seen. These Patriots would cream them in a game on Playstation, and that's without any sort of good running game! So long as New England doesn't learn how to run the ball, Tom Brady will break some records.	I've been on this planet 26 years, watched football for most of that time, and I can't think of an offense that made scoring seem as easy as these guys do. It's like they're playing Madden on junior varsity, Tecmo Bowl with all their players on Excellent ... that's all I've got.
Second down: Which resurgence is more legit: Saints or the Chargers?	Both. But I'll go with the Chargers. We thought their slow start was an aberration, and they're showing it was. They have too much talent to miss out on the playoffs. Once they fixed the passing game, they got it going. The defense is back to its swarming ways.	The Chargers. These guys are loaded, and they will win the division. But that's not to diminish what's happening in New Orleans. The Saints finally seem to have found something, and their division is wide open. If I were Carolina or Tampa Bay, I'd be looking over my shoulder.	I have to pick one? I'll say the Chargers because they have a strong defense to go with their ludicrous offense. They might not be far behind Indianapolis as the second-best offense in the AFC.	Despite Norv Turner at the helm, it's the Chargers. Their defense is solid, their offense is now dynamic with Chris Chambers and they now have a cause thanks to the SoCal fires. Plus, no players have been shot, arrested or caught trafficking cough syrup in several months.
Third down: How far can the Jags go with Quinn Gray at the helm?	They have two more road games with him as the quarterback at least, one a big divisional game against at Tennessee. They seemed to protect him early in the game, but he came on as the game went on. They need to at least get a split of the next two or they could be in trouble in the division.	They're in trouble, and here's why. Their next three games are at New Orleans, at Tennessee and at San Diego, and they'll struggle against all three. New Orleans and San Diego can produce lots of points, which means Gray must, too. I'm not sure that happens, though give the guy credit: He pulled off a big one today.	As far as Fred Taylor and Maurice Jones-Drew can take them. Actually, they have the defense and running attack to be a playoff contender, but a lot depends on their ability to land a wild-card berth in the AFC since they have no shot at winning the division.	Hopefully he's out of there before Chris Berman whips out a Quinn the Eska-throw/Dr. Quinn, Medicine Man/Gray Day or Gray's (insert your own joke ____) Anatomy pun because the Jags clearly don't have faith in him to be anything more than a handoff machine.
Fourth down: Tell me something I don't know about Week 8.	That Vince Young is way overrated. Until he learns to become a better passer, the Titans will struggle on offense. At some point, he has to throw more to the receivers. He can't wait until the third quarter to find one like he did against the Raiders.	The San Diego Chargers did not overpay for Chris Chambers, and today's game was the evidence. The Chargers figured Chambers would open up things for others, like tight end Antonio Gates, and put Philip Rivers back on the map. After one game, I'd say they were right.	Cleveland is for real. One of the teams that might knock the Jaguars out of the playoffs is the Browns, who are doing better defensively and are strong offensively. Browns and playoffs: When's the last time you saw those words together in a sentence without "not" in there?	Mike Vrabal should have Fantasy eligbility at TE or FB. He has as many career touchdowns (8) as highly owned tight ends Vernon Davis (3) and Donald Lee (5) combined. The only question is: Can he top Tek as Boston's cult hero?

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