A Look Ahead: Fourth Quarter Killers For Week Two

Follow@cimini Having players on bad teams has an advantage in one quarter. The fourth. Roster depth is usually on the field defensively, if a team is up significantly. That gives the team losing plenty of opportunities to pad their stats. There have been quite a few athletes that have made a living doing gaining the majority of their stats in the fourth quarter. Brandon Myers of Oakland last season was one who relished in this role. You should know going into each week who are the potential fourth quarter killers. It gives you options for the tough starting positions on your team, and also gives you a vantage point of a few players your opponent may have. Best Matchups Oakland vs Jacksonville- The Jags were rocked at home, and now will have to go to Chad Henne like they did last year, as Blaine Gabbert has been declared out with injury. Raiders fans will surely be hyped up after watching Terrelle Pryor show better than advertised presence for the Raiders offense. Oakland fans have a sharp memory and do not forget. Just last year Jacksonville traveled to Oakland in a game that went to overtime. Chad Henne stepped in that game and blew a lead that Jacksonville had. Oakland’s defense looked fantastic against the Colts last week. Pressure was constantly on Andrew Luck, and they really settled down after two opening drives for scores by the Colts. They’ll have to be better on third down which is where Indianapolis did most of their damage. Players to be fourth quarter killers for Jacksonville: Marcedes Lewis, Cecil Shorts, MJD. Dallas vs Kansas City- Dallas somehow made a game in which they controlled the turnover margin more interesting that it should be. There were holes all over the defense, and pressure is still squarely on Tony Romo’s shoulders due to a ground game that looks like it’ll be mediocre again. Kansas City is one of the toughest places to play. Andy Reid came to a Chiefs team with an already great defense, and now gets to tinker with the offense. Many will jump on the Cowboys bandwagon after week one’s big victory. But I believe out of all week one teams, the Chiefs look like they are the most prepared on both sides of the football. Andy Reid dialed back the offense once the Chiefs had a three touchdown lead in the first half. Expect the Chiefs to grab a big lead and Tony Romo to have his usual distraught face late in the game. Players to be fourth quarter killers for Dallas: Dez Bryant, Miles Austin, Jason Witten Carolina vs Buffalo- If New England did not have the play calling capabilities that they have and Tom Brady, Buffalo would have grabbed a high caliber win week one. Buffalo is always a tricky place for quarterbacks to play. The home crowd and variable winds are something to keep on eye on. Buffalo’s defense is one of the better teams at creating turnovers, and will be able to capitalize on a highly vulnerable Cam Newton. If the Panthers have an early miscue or turnover watch out. Offensively I think the Bills have enough playmakers at receiver and with skill backs Spiller/Jackson to put up better numbers than the Seahawks did a week ago. Players to be fourth quarter killers for Carolina: Cam Newton, Greg Olsen, Steve Smith, and Ted Ginn Jr. Pittsburgh vs Cincinnati For all the butt whippings the Steelers laid on the Bengals throughout the years, this could be a reversal Monday night. Pittsburgh’s had glaring issues from last season, this preseason, and now week one’s loss to the Titans. Cincinnati has more balance in every facet of the game than Pittsburgh does. Big Ben use to be able to make up for the Steelers deficiencies with his scrambling and pocket presence, but even that isn’t there for the Steelers right now. He just does not have enough time to make sound decisions. Players to be fourth quarter killers for Pittsburgh: Emmanuel Sanders, Antonio Brown, and David Johnson

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