Andy Richardson

It's starting to become clear who the best teams are, who the worst teams are, and which teams are exactly the same as they've been for years. We won't talk much about those latter teams unless we have to. But there's a common thread in a lot of yesterday's winners: they had a really good quarterback who made plays either early or late.

It's a quarterback league; that's why those guys get the biggest contracts, why they get drafted high or traded up for when there's a chance at a franchise one, and why they get dragged out of retirement even when they're almost 40, stitched together with duct tape and bailing wire, and spending offseasons making commercials rather than practicing. OK, on to the games I saw the most of yesterday....

49ers at Vikings: Every once in a while, a football game that's supposed to be a pretty good game actually IS a really good game. And this one was not only that, but it had a little bit of everything. A 10-point swing before the half when the 49ers blocked a field goal for a touchdown, turning a possibly 16-7 deficit into a 14-13 lead. A kickoff return touchdown by Percy Harvin, something that seemed inevitable: 3 TDs now in three games for the rookie. A couple of pretty TDs over the middle from Shaun Hill, who maybe I've been too harsh on this season, to Vernon Davis, who looks like he's finally arrived as a player in this league.

And oh yeah, one of the better game-winning touchdown passes and catches you'll ever see. Everyone's seen it and it will be talked about all week, but I've got to say, everything about it, from Brett Favre eluding a blitzer to making the throw a beat before getting leveled, to the catch by Greg Lewis (!) to somehow having the concentration to get both feet in -- remarkable. Fantasy tidbits: Favre is a viable fantasy QB, Harvin a startable wideout, and Favre and Bernard Berrian are simply not on the same page -- Favre's throws to him were either off-target, dropped, or the opposite way that Berrian was cutting.

Titans at Jets: Both teams wore throwback uniforms, so the Jets were the Titans (their previous name) and the Titans were the Oilers. Kind of makes me sad there's no Oilers anymore. Anyway, the prevailing talk about this game all week was that the Jets would lose because the Titans couldn't go to 0-3. Huh? Of course they could. And did. I'm not sure what's wrong with the Titans, but their defense seemingly really misses Albert Haynesworth and DC Jim Schwartz; not sure what else the problem is, but it appears in order to stop the run, they've given up all the other things that make a defense good. And I just think that although Kerry Collins makes some nice throws, he doesn't make enough of them, so when the team has to win by passing the ball, they're not going to do it enough. I do need to mention Kenny Britt, who looks like he's for real; Nate Washington, who alternated big catches with drops; and Chris Johnson, whose speed is evident on every play -- every yard he gets, and every time he's just inches away from busting a big one. Titans also fumbled a couple of kicks which sure didn't help, either.

As for the Jets, you really can't say enough about Mark Sanchez. It looked like the Titans wanted to take away Dustin Keller, so he went to Jerricho Cotchery. With no running game, he took off for a touchdown himself. (There was a nice trick play where Leon Washington completed a pass to Sanchez, erased by a holding penalty.) Kid can take a hit, too.

Giants at Buccaneers: Starting to think Ahmad Bradshaw is the next Michael Turner, except the Giants might realize it too and find a way to keep him. He looked much better than Brandon Jacobs out there; one particularly impressive tackle-breaking run. If Jacobs gets hurt, which he often does, Bradshaw will be huge.

As for the Bucs, I'll spare you the ugliness. We knew they'd be bad, and they really are. Hopeless on defense; take a look at the highlight of Brandon Jacobs' touchdown run. Bucs defenders look like they're enjoying a cup of coffee as he lopes on by. The team has some pieces on offense; this is a decent line, here. But its weak at quarterback and receiver (and there you go). It won't always be this bad, but if you can get anything of value for your Bucs, do it.

Saints at Bills: This is because I spend so much time praising Drew Brees, isn't it? Turns out he's not invincible; the Bills brought a lot of pressure, getting defenders in Brees' face and forcing the Saints to emphasize the run. Which made for a close game until Pierre Thomas reminded everyone that he's New Orleans' best running back with a huge second half. Not sure what Mike Bell will be doing when he comes back from his knee injury, but Thomas is the guy to own here. Another good game, at least in PPR formats, for Shockey and Colston, even with Brees not doing much.

As for the Bills, well, they've got a pretty good defense. And their offense looks really good against Tampa Bay. And Terrell Owens didn't catch a pass for the first time in 12 years and reportedly got hit with a bucket of popcorn as he went to the locker room. And appeared to trash the coaching after the game. Can you blame him? Five balls thrown his way, and most of them not thrown very well; once he got behind the defense and was badly overthrown by Trent Edwards. Probably won't see him being too critical of Edwards, though, since backup Ryan Fitzpatrick wouldn't be an upgrade.

Colts at Cardinals: Wow, the Cardinals have issues. Tough sequence right before the half, with Kurt Warner leading the team down the field, throwing a near TD to Steve Breaston at the goal line, and then getting picked on the next play (I'm thinking a running play might have been a good idea). It was like that much of the night: Almost a long completion to Boldin (off his hands), almost a 65-yard TD to a wide-open Fitzgerald (overthrown). First down completion to Fitzgerald (wiped out by penalty; punt two plays later). Just not happening for them right now. Plus Warner was getting crushed out there. Late in the game he took about a 30-yard sack that was as painful to watch as to experience. Well OK, not that painful, but it was pretty bad.

As for the Colts, doesn't look like anyone can cover Dallas Clark these days -- certainly not Miami or Arizona, anyway. One long pass play to Donald Brown was just goofy; one of the most poorly defended pass plays I've seen. He ran like he was looking for someone to tackle him, which didn't happen for a long time. I was impressed by Pierre Garcon in this one. Made a couple of nice grabs and had an impressive run on an endraound, including flattening Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie. And this was BEFORE he beat Rodgers-Cromartie for a long touchdown, which I realize isn't exactly a select group these days. Anyway. Looks like he's emerged as the No. 2 here and if he's available in your league, put in your claims this week.

Other random notes: Chris Brown lost a critical goal-line fumble. Keep your fingers crossed, Steve Slaton owners. ... The rapport between Philip Rivers and Vincent Jackson is incredible. They're just playing pitch and catch on downfield throws right now. ... As usual, people love to write off the Patriots after a bad outing. As usual, it's a mistake. Nice game for Fred Taylor; maybe he'll start to get most of the carries there. He's better than Laurence Maroney. ... I couldn't understand why nobody else was as high on Brent Celek in the preseason as Fantasy Index was. This guy was a last round pick in my drafts. It's not like he didn't show he could play in the postseason last year. ... You don't want to rush young quarterbacks out of the lineup, but how long are the Raiders actually supposed to send JaMarcus Russell out there? I actually think Bruce Gradkowski would be an upgrade; how can he not be? Expect Zach Miller to be on the waiver wire in a lot of leagues this week. ... Not that anyone cares, but I did think the Bengals could knock off Pittsburgh. It's not a Super Bowl hangover for the Steelers, necessarily. Their offensive line has problems (although, nice game for Willie Parker), they miss Troy Polamalu, and most importantly, the Bengals are for real. Carson Palmer, Cedric Benson, and Chad Ochocinco are all in line for nice seasons.

Monday, Monday: Assuming Marion Barber (he's not expected to) doesn't play, this could be a huge game for Felix Jones and Tashard Choice. Tough to know what to think of Dallas' defense, which got run off the field by Tampa Bay but shut down the Giants running game (although it also got lit up by the pass). Let's just say I expect there to be a lot of points in this one. And I'll give the edge to Tony Romo and the Cowboys, because, you know, it's a quarterback league.

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