PFF Week: Down South, Week 14

It’s your last chance to get caught up on the happenings at PFF before the next slate of games is upon us, and our new ‘PFF Week’ posts provide quick access to the week that was. The ‘Down South’ edition covers all things pertaining to the AFC and NFC South divisions for a one-stop Saturday shop built to keep you in the loop and on top of your football-watching game.

In the NFL you have to have a plan, have backup plan and then be prepared for that plan to fail. Even the best of plans are subject to random variables that can ruin tens of hours of planning and end up changing the course of an entire season for good and bad. At this point in the season the teams are what they are and there is very little in the way of secrets that haven’t already been uncovered by film study. That means the coaching staff can play to the strengths of their team and focus on putting their players in the right place at the right time. Unfortunately, no gameplan survives once kickoff occurs and as we’ve found out recently if things go wrong enough that changes are made to good people.

Week 13 Wrap

In the AFC South the Colts have the edge in the race for the division title thanks to the stellar work of Andrew Luck who’s making up for some of the shortcomings around him. The Titans playoff hopes took a major hit with their loss to those Indianapolis last week while the Jaguars pulled off a stunning win in the cold over the Browns. The Texans…well there is a reason they are owning the #32 spot in the PFF Power Rankings after last week even with a valiant effort vs. the Patriots. In the NFC South the Panthers mauled the Buccaneers as they stalk the division leading Saints who took a massive pounding in inclement weather at the Seahawks. The Falcons rallied in a shootout to beat the Bills up in Toronto for a much needed win. Here are your ReFocused articles on the Week 13 games.

Jacksonville at Cleveland | Tennessee at Indianapolis | New England at Houston

Tampa Bay at Carolina | Atlanta at Buffalo | New Orleans at Seattle (MNF)

With another set of games wrapped up that means Khaled Elsayed has an updated edition of the PFF Team of the Week featuring the good as well as the PFF ‘Had a Bad Day’ Team with the bad of Week 13. Also available is the respected PFF Race for Rookie of the Year award with a trio of players from the NFC South leading the charge. With November having now come to a close Ben Stockwell hands out his awards for Team of the Month which recognizes the third quarter of play in the league. Ben also measures the biggest risers and fallers for the same third quarter of games in the game with the AFC Stock Report and the NFC Stock Report as well.

Looking Ahead to Week 14

The Texans and Jaguars started this week off on Thursday with a game that many fans expected to be little more than background noise compared to the rest of the week. However, the Jaguars would establish the longest current winning streak and the Texans have already made significant changes to the team as a result. The Titans travel to Denver for what promises to be a frigid game as they still haven’t been mathematically eliminated yet. The Colts take a short trip to Cincinnati in a game with big AFC seeding implications in potential poor weather as well. In the NFC South the Falcons are looking to endure a brutally cold forecast to try and earn a win vs. Green Bay starting Matt Flynn once again. The Buccaneers welcome in the Bills as they try to straighten the ship after getting thumped by the Panthers. Speaking of Carolina, they square off against the Saints who are looking to put their best foot forward with little preparation time here. The 3TFO’s are listed here for you along with the Thursday Night ReFocused article.

Houston at Jacksonville (TNF) | Indianapolis at Cincinnati | Tennessee at Denver

Buffalo at Tampa Bay | Atlanta at Green Bay | Carolina at New Orleans (SNF)

ReFocused:  Houston at Jacksonville

Additionally…

This week marks the triumphant return of Palazolo’s Pitch which marks his Dark Horse for Defensive Rookie of the Year as well as good plays that have gone bad. Neil Hornsby continues his look at special teams across the league in his The Third Phase series and Nathan Jahnke has his 32 Observations piece which focuses on a player from the 2011 draft from each team. The latest Secret Superstars piece by Gordon McGuinness features a rare pairing of players from the same team as well as wide receiver from a team one wouldn’t think would be featured in the series and a solid effort by a rookie on a high profile team. Lastly, don’t forget to check out the PFF Selections for Week 14 which may prove to be the breaking point for several analysts hunting for the title.