subject: Nfl Tickets - Nfc Observations After Week 7 [print this page] There were several happenings in Week 7 of the regular season of the NFL that switched up the power rankings going into Week 8, and there are many teams around the league that have been making changes to adapt and improve their records. While NFL tickets continue to sell out like mad, here are a few things buzzing around the NFC this week that are heating things up in the league.
San Francisco 49ers: Rookie Michael Crabtree finally made his much-anticipated debut on the football field during the 49ers' Week 7 game against the Houston Texans, and the team's 21-24 last-minute loss was an absolute heartbreaker. Despite the loss, Crabtree performed above par, silencing critics of his prior holdout. Also in the Niners-Texans game, quarterback Shaun Hill was benched after the first half of the game, with Alex Smith coming in for him. It was announced this week that Smith (who hasn't started since 2007) will be San Francisco's new starting quarterback, giving the team a fresh start in Week 8.
Arizona Cardinals: The Week 7 Arizona Cardinals looked a lot more like the Cards that made it to the Super Bowl last season. Arizona beat the New York Giants 24-17 in last week's game, and quarterback Kurt Warner's 231 yards and a touchdown were the convincing stats the Cardinals needed to bolster their status. The 4-2 Cardinals face the 2-4 Carolina Panthers as the Sunday Night Football game for Week 8, and it's Kurt Warner vs. Jake Delhomme now as the NFC teams square off for the first time since last year's playoffs.
Minnesota Vikings: Brett Favre and the Vikings were brought back down to earth in Week 7 as the team suffered its first loss of the season to the Pittsburgh Steelers, but that doesn't mean this NFC North team is done for. Favre makes his much-anticipated return to Lambeau Field in Week 8 as the Vikings play the Green Bay Packers for the second time this season, and it's make-it-or-break-it time for No. 4 - not that he ever bows under pressure.
New Orleans Saints: Drew Brees and his Saints continue to be one of the strongest teams in the league after Week 7, and their undefeated record puts them in a three-way tie with the Indianapolis Colts and Denver Broncos going into Week 8. New Orleans' incredible offense is absolutely unstoppable, and even though Brees had his worst day of the season in Week 7's game against the Miami Dolphins (having three interceptions, a lost fumble and five sacks,) the rest of his offense held up the team, further proving this is going to be one tough NFC team to beat this season.
Carolina Panthers: The NFC South's Carolina Panthers are definitely not the 12-4 team they were last season, and that was proven again in Week 7 when the Panthers fell to the Buffalo Bills 20-9. Jake Delhomme fired another three interceptions in the game but went 24-of-44 passing for 325 yards - a season high for the quarterback. His 13 interceptions this season are a league high, however, and he is the lowest-rated quarterback in the league who hasn't yet been benched.
There was talk in the aftermath of Sunday's loss to the Bills that coach John Fox would bench Delhomme for Week 8, but Fox has again announced that Delhomme will start in Week 8, proving that he will, perhaps, be willing to go down with the ship. It's also worth noting that Carolina will face the Arizona Cardinals, the team credited with first dismantling Jake Delhomme during last year's playoffs, in Week 8. Stay tuned for how that plays out.
