[stkelly52]

Week 8
Atlanta 5-1 @ San Francisco 6-1
Last week we had to face off against a cupcake of a team. We will not have that luxury this week. No one has scored as many points as have the 49ers this year. One of the big keys is the fact that have more takeaways and less giveaways than any other team. Even though Leland has only had one fumble this year, this is still a concern. They also have a great passing attack that will surly test my secondary. On defense, San Francisco holds strong against the run, so it may be difficult for Leland to average 4 yards.

The 'Niners may be the highest scoring team in the League, but we have the stingiest defense, and they held strong again. We gave up just two field goals, while scoring three TDs on offence. Nixon was again the MVP with 134 yards and 2 TDs on 35 carries. The average is a bit low, but he came through in the clutch, particularly on 3rd down, with several big conversions. Also, Leland was able to avoid any fumbles again this year, which is a feat against a team that averages to recoveries per game.

Week 9
St. Louis 1-7 @ Atlanta 6-1
When you see a team with a record of 1-7, you assume that they are a really bad team. The thing is that as I look at the players, and even the stats that the Rams have put up, they don't look like they should be this bad. At the beginning of the season, I would have thought that they had the kind of players that made for a team that could be found in the first round of the playoffs. For this reason we are not taking this game lightly. We know that this is still a good team and we do not want to give them any opportunity to topple us.

Once again, we have to give big props to our defense, who holds the Rams under 200 yards of offence, and only allows 3 points. Meanwhile our injured QB has a great day and leads us to an easy victory, 24-3. Nixon again failed to average 4 yards per carry. He did put up another 155 yards though, as well as his 6th TD of the year. That TD was a major career milestone for Leland. With that run, Leland surpasses Nicky Dexter for the most Rushing TDs in a career with 111. It was great for him to be able to break the record at home in front of all of his fans.

Mid Season review.
We are half way through the season, and we are having a great season. Our defense is incredible. Right now we are giving up an average of 8 points per game. The league's all time record was the Cincinnati Bengals of 2013 who gave up 11.4. If we can keep up this pace we would best that by over 3 points per game! On offence, we are about average. We are 13th in scoring, fifth in 3rd down conversions, 3rd in giveaways, and first in turnover margin. With a 7-1 record we are comfortably in the lead in the NFC south. Tampa is 2 games back, but we do have a crucial game against them in Florida next week. If we win that it will all but seal up the division title. We also hold the best record in the league, as the only team with just one loss.

Leland is having a solid season, though not as good as I would have liked.
His 3.85 yards average is a good amount below the 4 yards that I had hoped he would be able to attain. My goal was for him to score 15 TDs this season, but with only 6 so far, that seems unlikely. And yet, it is not too late for him to obtain both of these marks. He is will on pace to eclipse 2000 yards for the fourth time in his career. He leads the league with 1173 yards and 304 carries. That is over 100 carries more than anyone else in the league. He sure seems to be getting the ball a lot lately. One great number for Leland has been his fumbles. He has dropped the ball just one time this year. That is a great number for any QB, much less one who is known for having the dropsy's.

Now that Leland holds the record for most career TDs, the next major record that he may break would be most attempts in a career. He needs 514 more carries to reach this. Assuming Leland stays healthy, he should break this record next season.