The Tecmo Bowl: Looking Ahead: Week Ten

After Week 9 sent some harsh blows to a few early-week Cinderella teams, Week 10 brings them a chance for redemption. Teams like Philadelphia, Tampa Bay and Cincinnati have some ground to make up, and with only 7 weeks left in this drawn-out Tecmo season they'll need to turn it around quickly. While the usual favorites are clawing their way out from the muck, the battle for wild cards is still in play, as is the battle for what's left of Bobby Humphrey's dignity.

Just run, Duke! Run!

San Francisco kicks the week off after a hot win at home against Philly. They're back in their division, and headed to Atlanta to face a Falcons' team that's, by all stretches, out of it, but still hungry to play spoiler. Mike Rozier's been stellar so far for the dirty birds, but the 49ers tout a strong rush defense that made QB Eagles look like Randall Cunningham -- by that, we mean the shamed US representative from California, not the All-Star Eagles quarterback. Miami and Buffalo will continue their dead heat to the top against the AFC East's hidden-in-the-attic stepbrothers, while two meaningful NFC Central bouts round out the early games as Chicago tries to move forward and the Bucs attempt to halt the Vikings' hot streak. Oh yeah, and the Browns and Bengals will attempt to play a successful football game, too.

In the afternoon, Phoenix will try to get their second win of the year in a game against the Dallas Cowboys, who are trying to keep up with their big brothers in the NFC East. The Cardinals are hoping for at least one more win to keep Johnny Johnson from quitting to become a road salesperson for Ace Hardware, and you know it will have to come against one of their division-mates to keep the race muddled, in true Tecmo fashion.

Or, like O.Brien, "Plays
Almost Like a Quarterback"

Speaking of the Big East, the Giants look for their sixth in a row against the fading Eagles, two teams that were in very different places in the beginning of the year. With a win, New York could move into sole position of first place just weeks after dusting cobwebs in the cellar, if just until Monday night. With a loss, the Eagles will have gone from 4-1 to 4-5 faster than Black Sunshine's rapping in the Superbowl Shuffle. The afternoon comes to a close with Denver trying to end a 1-game losing streak against a hot and determined Bubby Brister, in that particular order, and his Pittsburgh Steelers. The Jets also visit Green Bay, in an attempt to totally not look foolish as Don Majkowski carves up their 23rd-ranked pass defense like a Thanksgiving turkey--or, perhaps more fitting, a can of Indian Packaging Company meat.

The featured game on Monday Night brings back the AFC Central-leading Oilers, playing suave and cool amidst the turmoil of their division, as they travel to the nation's capital to play a football game with the Washington Redksins. Mark Rypien's team leads the very undecided NFC East and, depending on what happens in Philly, may need to know which Charles Mann to run out on the field; the moderately talented defensive end, or the man-eating bear-tiger with no regard for another human's life or ability to lob 85-yard bombs.