Finally... a MOTW

While there are tons of matchups this week that are intriguing (the undefeated teams take each other on, two 2-1 teams face each other as well as two 1-2 teams), the most important one might be the one featured in this week's MOTW.

MOTW
12. Cry Me a Rivers (JY) vs. 11. Ben There Raped That (Paul)
These two teams are the only teams left without a win in this young season. Now at 0-3, their chances at making the playoffs hovers somewhere around 16% (according to some Yahoo blogger based on last year's data). While 0-4 isn't an impossible hole to dig out of, as shown by myself and Paul in past seasons, it drops your chances of making the playoffs to 8%. With a win, you put yourself on the right track and get closer to 25%. So this game isn't just about which team is the most pathetic; it's about which team can actually hope to play past week 13.

Key players lost to bye:
JY - None
Paul - Emmanuel Sanders, Cincinnati Defense

At first glance, I definitely would have given the edge to Paul's team as he showed in the past week that he can put up points with the best of them. However, these are three crucial players on bye. Sanders has emerged as one of Peyton's favorite targets. Cincinnati's defense has grounded every team they've played, including the vaunted Falcons offense. Looks like we're going to have to do a position breakdown for a verdict on this MOTW.

QB: Like I said in the short draft preview, Tom Brady was taken way too high. He's look terrible in his first three starts but KC could be where he finds his bearings unless he's reminded of the time they tore his ACL (this is not a jinx...). Romo on the other hand has had some up and down weeks but he should be in a shootout against a leaky Saints defense. Edge: Paul
WR: Both sets of WRs are pretty weak but one stands out: Mr. Jones. He might single-handedly beat the entire WR corp of JY's team. Edge: Paul
RB: If you noticed, I didn't put Montee Ball as a key player on a bye. This is because Montee Ball has done nothing but waste starting space for better players like Joique Bell and Terrance West. Having him and West on bye makes the decision easy for Paul. But Bell plays a Jets defense that nobody seems to be able to run on and KC, while not as great as last year, shouldn't get destroyed by Vereen, who doesn't even have the RB1 job secured in New England. Meanwhile, JY has the inconsistent Martin and Lamar Miller, who has been getting more reps in recent days. The two don't face any stiff competition in the middle of the field. Edge; JY
TE: Paul has done nothing but pick the wrong TE to play from week to week. Between two 30+ players, he's having a hard time figuring out which one will break out. This week isn't much easier as Gates plays a horrendous Jaguars defense and Witten should be involved in a shootout. Hopefully he'll make the right choice as JY has only Fleener after trading away Walker for Julius Thomas (who is on a bye). Edge: Paul
K/DEF: Neither Kicker figures to make a significantly larger impact than the other but Chicago has continued their turnover forcing ways. Not only that, they keep scoring more than some offenses do (looking at you Oakland). Paul's gotta pick up somebody from the free agent pool but nothing is as enticing as the Bengals defense that has been so dominant to this point but is unfortunately on a bye. It looks like he'll have to cede this battle this week. Edge: JY

Winner: Ben There Raped That (Paul)
Paul climbs out to join at least a few teams at 1-3 and stay in the hunt for a playoff spot. JY makes a trade for an elite tight end, but his team is still in a tight spot with an ignominious end to the season fast approaching.

Good luck to all!

Simon Kim