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The Cold, Hard Football Facts – Metro US

The Cold, Hard Football Facts

A look at this weekend’s NFL action through the eyes of the football stat experts at

coldhardfootballfacts.com.

Curse of Doug Flutie strikes!

Buffalo Bills coach Wade Phillips benched QB Doug Flutie before the 1999 playoffs, despite the fact he had gone 10-5. The Flutie-less Bills then lost to Tennessee thanks to the controversial “Music City Miracle.” The Bills have never returned to the playoffs. And any team that has employed Phillips since then has suffered incredible misfortune. The Houston Texans, where Phillips is the defensive coordinator, is the latest victim of the Curse of Flutie.

Houston was enjoying the greatest season in its history: a franchise-best 7-3 record, on pace for its first playoff appearance and the AFC’s No. 1 seed, and the top scoring differential in the AFC (+107), a reliable indicator of Super Bowl potential. But on Monday we learned that the team had lost Pro Bowl-caliber QB Matt Schaub for the season. Some call it coincidence. We call it another triumph for the dreaded Curse of Flutie.

FFchamps.com’s ‘Start and Sit’

Start him

SEA RB Marshawn Lynch He averages 122 yards per game over last two weeks; St. Louis defense allows NFL-worst 150 yards per game and is No. 29 with 5.1 yards per rush attempt.

Sit him

ARZ RB Beanie Wells

Cardinals back averages just 55 yards per game in last three; San Francisco is No. 1 in run defense (73.2 yards per game).