Atlanta at New Orleans
The Falcons are fighting for their playoff lives in the Big Easy on Monday Night. Matt Ryan, Michael Turner, Roddy White, Julio Jones and a slew of other possible pro-bowl candidates head in to New Orleans hoping to go another step in the right direction for their playoff dreams. If Ryan can hit some big passes over the top Atlanta will have a good chance in Prime Time. Drew Brees has been great on Prime Time this season though, and I don’t think he’s going to let that fall off in week 16 of the regular season. Brees and friends are out for blood against division rival Falcons, and I don’t think they are going to fall aside easily. With one of the most dangerous offensive attacks in football I think the Saints should be just fine at home.
New Orleans wins 35-28
Saturday, December 24, 2011
Week 16 - Sunday Night Football
Chicago at Green Bay
No Jay Cutler and no Matt Forte absolutely demolishes any chance that this Bears team once had. They still have a good defense, but their offense is just completely horrendous now. The Packers got their loss out of the way, and now they can focus on more important things, like the playoffs and the Super Bowl. Sure an undefeated season would be great, but I think they’d rather have another ring. A slap in the face from the Chiefs Tamba Hali might be all they needed to wake them up from whatever 19-0 daze they were in. Aaron Rodgers gets back on track at home on Saturday.
Packers win 31-16
No Jay Cutler and no Matt Forte absolutely demolishes any chance that this Bears team once had. They still have a good defense, but their offense is just completely horrendous now. The Packers got their loss out of the way, and now they can focus on more important things, like the playoffs and the Super Bowl. Sure an undefeated season would be great, but I think they’d rather have another ring. A slap in the face from the Chiefs Tamba Hali might be all they needed to wake them up from whatever 19-0 daze they were in. Aaron Rodgers gets back on track at home on Saturday.
Packers win 31-16
Week 16 - 4 O'Clock
San Diego at Detroit
San Diego is doing some serious damage lately. They’re playing like the team that everyone expected them to play at the start of the season. It might be late in the year, but luckily they are playing in one of the most confusing divisions in all of football right now. I think Rivers is finally back on, and Ryan Matthews has gotten a few touchdowns over the last few weeks which must be raising his confidence. The Lions have Suh, they have Stafford, and they have an incredible amount of talent at the wide receiver position. Every week you can expect to see some good stuff from this Lions team, but this week I think it’s not going to be as easy as a come back as it has been in weeks prior for this Detroit team.
San Diego 31 Detroit 27
Philadelphia at Dallas
Philly is another team that is figuring it all out late in the year. The team is finally coming together and playing like they want to win. The defense looked great against the Jets offense last week, and they have one of the best running backs in the game with LeSean “Shady” McCoy. I think if this team can play how they did last week they shouldn’t have any trouble against the Cowboys. Romo is hot lately and he’s been getting touchdown after touchdown, but the absence of a great running back again is going to hurt him down the stretch. DeMarco Murray provided something that Romo hasn’t had in his career – balance. That balance made him a million times better than he has been, and now he’s back to his former self. It’s going to be a team that thinks they need to win through the air, and it’s not going to work.
Philly wins on the road 31-21
San Francisco at Seattle
San Francisco shut down Big Ben and the Steelers. San Francisco hasn’t given up a rushing touchdown all year. San Francisco has Frank Gore. The 49ers look absolutely incredible on the defensive side of the ball this year, maybe one of the best. If they could develop some corners, and stop allowing touchdowns through the air, they’d be a team that could ride their defense through the Super Bowl. It’s their offense that scares me. Sure they have Frank Gore and he is an absolute monster, but what happens when the niners start throwing against a good defense. I’m not saying Seattle’s defense is elite, but last week they looked pretty darn good. If the Seahawks want to win it’s going to be how they won last week, with defensive touchdowns. In the end, Frank Gore is too much.
San Francisco wins 21-17
San Diego is doing some serious damage lately. They’re playing like the team that everyone expected them to play at the start of the season. It might be late in the year, but luckily they are playing in one of the most confusing divisions in all of football right now. I think Rivers is finally back on, and Ryan Matthews has gotten a few touchdowns over the last few weeks which must be raising his confidence. The Lions have Suh, they have Stafford, and they have an incredible amount of talent at the wide receiver position. Every week you can expect to see some good stuff from this Lions team, but this week I think it’s not going to be as easy as a come back as it has been in weeks prior for this Detroit team.
San Diego 31 Detroit 27
Philadelphia at Dallas
Philly is another team that is figuring it all out late in the year. The team is finally coming together and playing like they want to win. The defense looked great against the Jets offense last week, and they have one of the best running backs in the game with LeSean “Shady” McCoy. I think if this team can play how they did last week they shouldn’t have any trouble against the Cowboys. Romo is hot lately and he’s been getting touchdown after touchdown, but the absence of a great running back again is going to hurt him down the stretch. DeMarco Murray provided something that Romo hasn’t had in his career – balance. That balance made him a million times better than he has been, and now he’s back to his former self. It’s going to be a team that thinks they need to win through the air, and it’s not going to work.
Philly wins on the road 31-21
San Francisco at Seattle
San Francisco shut down Big Ben and the Steelers. San Francisco hasn’t given up a rushing touchdown all year. San Francisco has Frank Gore. The 49ers look absolutely incredible on the defensive side of the ball this year, maybe one of the best. If they could develop some corners, and stop allowing touchdowns through the air, they’d be a team that could ride their defense through the Super Bowl. It’s their offense that scares me. Sure they have Frank Gore and he is an absolute monster, but what happens when the niners start throwing against a good defense. I’m not saying Seattle’s defense is elite, but last week they looked pretty darn good. If the Seahawks want to win it’s going to be how they won last week, with defensive touchdowns. In the end, Frank Gore is too much.
San Francisco wins 21-17
Week 16 - 1 O'Clock
Miami at New England
I think this game is going to be a lot closer than a lot of people are expecting. The Dolphins have been hot over these past few weeks and Reggie Bush had over 200 rushing last week against Buffalo. This game could be dangerous for the Patriots, who have lost to the Dolphins a number of times in December in years past. Gronkowski and the Patriots don’t look at history though, they’ll come out and play their best, and I think their best is better than anyone else in the AFC right now. I think it’s going to be close, but with Tom Brady I like the Patriots.
Pats win 31-24
Jacksonville at Tennessee
Jacksonville is riding the shoulders of Maurice Jones-Drew for as far as they can this season, the rest of their offense and defense hasn’t done anything that great, and really nothing to mention. Tennessee sometimes can rely on Hasselbeck and other times can rely on Chris Johnson but it has become very inconsistent. I think the fact that the Jags have a player that they can funnel things through actually gives them the edge here. Tennessee could be angry, being the first team to lose to the Colts all year, but I think that anger isn’t going to do too much and is actually going to hurt them more than help them.
MJD and the Jaguars win on the road 21-16
New York Giants at New York Jets
Both of these teams look like they’ve lost their way. I think that the Giants defense, although pretty beat up, is good enough to cause some damage against an ailing Jets offense. Sanchez hasn’t done too much lately, and I think that players are finally starting to figure out that this offense really isn’t all that great. As long as the Giants pass rush can get to Sanchez I think that the Jets aren’t going to have much hope. With Nicks, Manningham and Cruz on there for the offense sets in the Giants offense I think that they should be able to have some big plays over the Jets defense too.
Giants win on the road at home 27-17
Tampa Bay at Carolina
A few weeks ago I said that Tampa Bay was battling against the Panthers to determine that they weren’t the worst team in the NFC South. I was wrong. The Panthers have proven at least to me that they are the number three team in that division. The Buccaneers with guys like Blount and Freeman do have a very strong future, but this year just hasn’t been their year. I think Cam Newton, DeAngelo Williams, and Steve Smith have a field day over this secondary and walk away victorious.
Panthers win 31-21
St. Louis at Pittsburgh
Again, I can talk about St. Louis ailing offense, or how bad their defense is, but it’s just old news. If the Rams want to win there is one man that needs to get the ball or be involved at least half of the plays and that is Steven Jackson. The Rams need to use him as much as possible. The Steelers may be a beat up offense, but they still have one of the better defenses in the league, and with a bad Rams offense this game shouldn’t be all that difficult to handle.
Steelers rebound and win 21-13
Cleveland at Baltimore
Cleveland has a pretty good defense this year, and it looks like Peyton Hillis is waking up for these last few weeks which could spell trouble for whatever defense start to get in the Browns way. Cleveland has the potential to be good in the next few years, especially with the Ravens and the Steelers both getting older, but this year still belongs to those two. Joe Flacco is going to need to get a lot better very quickly if he wants to close out this season and have a good playoff run, Ray Rice can only do so much. I think it’s the Ravens defense that wins this one in a low scoring affair.
Ravens win 17-13
Arizona at Cincinnati
Arizona has looked too questionable for too long. I’ve liked them in some games because I figured they would go down to the wire and the Cardinals have been exceptional in clutch situations this year. But I think despite how good they’ve been with the game on the line late, they aren’t going to have that opportunity against the Bengals. Cincinnati is too good on both sides of the ball right now, and I think that Green and Dalton are going to both have big days. The scariest thing about the Bengals is their balance of attack. They’ll hit you with a fifty yard bomb to Green and the next three plays let Benson rush it up the gut. The Bengals are good this year.
Cincy wins 28-17
Minnesota at Washington
Minnesota is an odd team. Adrian Peterson is amazing when he plays, and he always elevates the team to a new level, but he can only do so much for that franchise. I think that the Vikings still have some great players on offense, but lately they just aren’t doing everything they need to be doing as a complete team. Washington may be beat up, but they are figuring some things out. I like Grossman and I really like Santana Moss. I think Grossman is going to come out firing here today, and I think it’s going to pay off and pave the way for some big rushing yards for Helu in the second half.
Washington wins at home 27-20
Denver at Buffalo
Tebow time only exists when the Broncos play mediocre teams. Good news for Denver fans is that the majority of the teams that they play are all mediocre teams. I think that once the Broncos organization takes the reins off of Tebow and they start letting him go for those big throws earlier in the game then the Denver Broncos are finally going to be a team that can beat some of the better ones, but they’ve got this safety net on him and it’s killing them against teams like the Lions and Patriots. Buffalo has some deep threats, some great players, and a secondary that early in the year was considered one of the better ones, lately though none of this has really shown up. I think the Bills are spent after having such a good first half, and they’re going to continue to fall.
Tebow Time wins over another mediocre team 20-17
Oakland at Kansas City
Oakland is beat up. McFadden is still out with a foot injury, and now Michael Bush is listed as questionable with a beat up shoulder. They have Carson Palmer who has been an anomaly coming in late in this season, and they just look like they are a very beat up team right now. Kansas City just beat a team that was 13-0 and their spirits have to be soaring. The team is fighting for interim head coach Romeo Crennel, and a couple of wins over these last two weeks could land him the job. I think the defensive line that the Chiefs have with Tamba Hali leading the charge is a vicious one, and if they get to Palmer enough it is going to lead the way for a little winning streak for this Kansas City team.
Kansas City takes two in a row 21-17
I think this game is going to be a lot closer than a lot of people are expecting. The Dolphins have been hot over these past few weeks and Reggie Bush had over 200 rushing last week against Buffalo. This game could be dangerous for the Patriots, who have lost to the Dolphins a number of times in December in years past. Gronkowski and the Patriots don’t look at history though, they’ll come out and play their best, and I think their best is better than anyone else in the AFC right now. I think it’s going to be close, but with Tom Brady I like the Patriots.
Pats win 31-24
Jacksonville at Tennessee
Jacksonville is riding the shoulders of Maurice Jones-Drew for as far as they can this season, the rest of their offense and defense hasn’t done anything that great, and really nothing to mention. Tennessee sometimes can rely on Hasselbeck and other times can rely on Chris Johnson but it has become very inconsistent. I think the fact that the Jags have a player that they can funnel things through actually gives them the edge here. Tennessee could be angry, being the first team to lose to the Colts all year, but I think that anger isn’t going to do too much and is actually going to hurt them more than help them.
MJD and the Jaguars win on the road 21-16
New York Giants at New York Jets
Both of these teams look like they’ve lost their way. I think that the Giants defense, although pretty beat up, is good enough to cause some damage against an ailing Jets offense. Sanchez hasn’t done too much lately, and I think that players are finally starting to figure out that this offense really isn’t all that great. As long as the Giants pass rush can get to Sanchez I think that the Jets aren’t going to have much hope. With Nicks, Manningham and Cruz on there for the offense sets in the Giants offense I think that they should be able to have some big plays over the Jets defense too.
Giants win on the road at home 27-17
Tampa Bay at Carolina
A few weeks ago I said that Tampa Bay was battling against the Panthers to determine that they weren’t the worst team in the NFC South. I was wrong. The Panthers have proven at least to me that they are the number three team in that division. The Buccaneers with guys like Blount and Freeman do have a very strong future, but this year just hasn’t been their year. I think Cam Newton, DeAngelo Williams, and Steve Smith have a field day over this secondary and walk away victorious.
Panthers win 31-21
St. Louis at Pittsburgh
Again, I can talk about St. Louis ailing offense, or how bad their defense is, but it’s just old news. If the Rams want to win there is one man that needs to get the ball or be involved at least half of the plays and that is Steven Jackson. The Rams need to use him as much as possible. The Steelers may be a beat up offense, but they still have one of the better defenses in the league, and with a bad Rams offense this game shouldn’t be all that difficult to handle.
Steelers rebound and win 21-13
Cleveland at Baltimore
Cleveland has a pretty good defense this year, and it looks like Peyton Hillis is waking up for these last few weeks which could spell trouble for whatever defense start to get in the Browns way. Cleveland has the potential to be good in the next few years, especially with the Ravens and the Steelers both getting older, but this year still belongs to those two. Joe Flacco is going to need to get a lot better very quickly if he wants to close out this season and have a good playoff run, Ray Rice can only do so much. I think it’s the Ravens defense that wins this one in a low scoring affair.
Ravens win 17-13
Arizona at Cincinnati
Arizona has looked too questionable for too long. I’ve liked them in some games because I figured they would go down to the wire and the Cardinals have been exceptional in clutch situations this year. But I think despite how good they’ve been with the game on the line late, they aren’t going to have that opportunity against the Bengals. Cincinnati is too good on both sides of the ball right now, and I think that Green and Dalton are going to both have big days. The scariest thing about the Bengals is their balance of attack. They’ll hit you with a fifty yard bomb to Green and the next three plays let Benson rush it up the gut. The Bengals are good this year.
Cincy wins 28-17
Minnesota at Washington
Minnesota is an odd team. Adrian Peterson is amazing when he plays, and he always elevates the team to a new level, but he can only do so much for that franchise. I think that the Vikings still have some great players on offense, but lately they just aren’t doing everything they need to be doing as a complete team. Washington may be beat up, but they are figuring some things out. I like Grossman and I really like Santana Moss. I think Grossman is going to come out firing here today, and I think it’s going to pay off and pave the way for some big rushing yards for Helu in the second half.
Washington wins at home 27-20
Denver at Buffalo
Tebow time only exists when the Broncos play mediocre teams. Good news for Denver fans is that the majority of the teams that they play are all mediocre teams. I think that once the Broncos organization takes the reins off of Tebow and they start letting him go for those big throws earlier in the game then the Denver Broncos are finally going to be a team that can beat some of the better ones, but they’ve got this safety net on him and it’s killing them against teams like the Lions and Patriots. Buffalo has some deep threats, some great players, and a secondary that early in the year was considered one of the better ones, lately though none of this has really shown up. I think the Bills are spent after having such a good first half, and they’re going to continue to fall.
Tebow Time wins over another mediocre team 20-17
Oakland at Kansas City
Oakland is beat up. McFadden is still out with a foot injury, and now Michael Bush is listed as questionable with a beat up shoulder. They have Carson Palmer who has been an anomaly coming in late in this season, and they just look like they are a very beat up team right now. Kansas City just beat a team that was 13-0 and their spirits have to be soaring. The team is fighting for interim head coach Romeo Crennel, and a couple of wins over these last two weeks could land him the job. I think the defensive line that the Chiefs have with Tamba Hali leading the charge is a vicious one, and if they get to Palmer enough it is going to lead the way for a little winning streak for this Kansas City team.
Kansas City takes two in a row 21-17
Thursday, December 22, 2011
Week 16 - Thursday Night Football
Houston at Indianapolis
Houston may have a back up quarterback and they may have lost to a young Panthers team last week, but they still have Arian Foster. Each and every week if Houston has Arian Foster running the ball I am confident that they are going to move the ball and put up points. Andre Johnson is still out with a hamstring injury which definitely hurts how productive Yates is going to be this game. But with an offense that is completely focused around their running game, I think that the Texans should be just fine. The Colts finally picked up their first win of the season, and I would say it’s mostly due to the fact that they shut down Chris Johnson, but hey, but teams this year have done the same thing. If the Colts can shut down Arian Foster today and limit him to as little carries for as little yards as possible then maybe they can make a small little winning streak to end the season on. However, I don’t think this is going to happen. The Texans are too good this year, and the Colts have been far too disappointing.
Texans win at Indy 28-17
Houston may have a back up quarterback and they may have lost to a young Panthers team last week, but they still have Arian Foster. Each and every week if Houston has Arian Foster running the ball I am confident that they are going to move the ball and put up points. Andre Johnson is still out with a hamstring injury which definitely hurts how productive Yates is going to be this game. But with an offense that is completely focused around their running game, I think that the Texans should be just fine. The Colts finally picked up their first win of the season, and I would say it’s mostly due to the fact that they shut down Chris Johnson, but hey, but teams this year have done the same thing. If the Colts can shut down Arian Foster today and limit him to as little carries for as little yards as possible then maybe they can make a small little winning streak to end the season on. However, I don’t think this is going to happen. The Texans are too good this year, and the Colts have been far too disappointing.
Texans win at Indy 28-17
Sunday, December 18, 2011
Week 15 - Monday Night Football
Pittsburgh has a hurt Big Ben which a lot of people would probably think is a bad thing for Steelers Nation, but Ben has actually had some great games over the years when he has been hurt. I think Mendenhall and the Steelers running game is going to hit a brick wall here and not have much room to work with, but I think this is going to open up the passing game and Mike Wallace is going to have a very big game. The 49ers have depended on Frank Gore and their defense to win games this whole season, and it has worked for the most part. But for this one I think the Steelers are going to strike too fast and too often for the 49ers to really play their game how they like to. I still think Gore is going to have a really good game, but I think the Steelers offense outplays San Francisco’s defense and stuns the 49ers crowd on the road.
Pittsburgh wins at San Francisco 28-24
Pittsburgh wins at San Francisco 28-24
Week 15 - Sunday Night Football
Baltimore at San Diego
Baltimore is a great team, they have a great offense that is still growing, and they are anchored by a defense that can still hold some of the best offenses in check. This season Baltimore has consistently held off strong opponents, and failed to overcome their weakest opponents. Flacco has been good at times, and awful at others. It should be interesting seeing what the Ravens do against a team that is on as big of an upswing as the Chargers. I actually really like how the Chargers have been playing for these past few weeks. They’ve finally taken all of the potential weapons they have and learned how to mold them together to make one unstoppable force. Rivers is finally looking good again, which is allowing Matthews and Tolbert to have pretty good running games. I like Baltimore a lot, but I think San Diego’s momentum carries them through on prime time at home.
San Diego wins 27-24
Baltimore is a great team, they have a great offense that is still growing, and they are anchored by a defense that can still hold some of the best offenses in check. This season Baltimore has consistently held off strong opponents, and failed to overcome their weakest opponents. Flacco has been good at times, and awful at others. It should be interesting seeing what the Ravens do against a team that is on as big of an upswing as the Chargers. I actually really like how the Chargers have been playing for these past few weeks. They’ve finally taken all of the potential weapons they have and learned how to mold them together to make one unstoppable force. Rivers is finally looking good again, which is allowing Matthews and Tolbert to have pretty good running games. I like Baltimore a lot, but I think San Diego’s momentum carries them through on prime time at home.
San Diego wins 27-24
Week 15 - 4 O'Clock
Detroit at Oakland
Detroit is still a team that I think is great. Calvin Johnson may not have caught a touchdown for a few weeks now, but I think he will get at least one in this game. The return of Suh is going to be probably the biggest exclamation point of the day for the Lions and we will remember how big of an impact he can make against any given team. On Thanksgiving the Lions were giving the Packers a pretty good run, until Suh got ejected and then it all fell apart. Suh brings dominance to the table, and against a struggling Palmer it could spell disaster for the Raiders.
Detroit wins on the road 35-21
Cleveland at Arizona
Cleveland is a team that I’ve completely lost hope in. They don’t have a running game this year, and they haven’t had a passing game all season. Now with Colt McCoy out with a concussion they Browns are going to be relying on their backup Seneca Wallace. If Wallace hasn’t been able to beat out Colt for the starting job this is going to be ugly. Skelton has led the Cardinals to some pretty nice wins, and with Beanie Wells in the backfield, and Larry Fitzgerald running any route its not hard to see why. As long as all of these guys play their games right the Cardinals should be fine.
Arizona 21 Cleveland 10
New York Jets at Philadelphia
I don’t think Mark Sanchez is a great quarterback. I think Sanchez has a cast of great players around him that can sometimes make him look much better than he actually is. The receiving core in place is surprisingly good, and running backs like Tomlinson and Greene can make any offense look a lot better than it really is. The best thing the Jets have going for them is their defense, and they are going up against one tough offense. The Eagles are dangerous. They’ve got a wide variety of plays they can throw at you through a stellar running game, a great passing game, and a quarterback that can keep the ball himself. Although the Jets defense has been good, I think LeSean McCoy is going to open up and exploit this them, and then Vick is going to throw it over the top through some nice play action passes.
Philly enjoys a win at home 34-20
New England at Denver
I’m sick of the Tebow talk and I’m glad that it is finally going to get a good stomping this week. If you look at the teams Tim Tebow has played, the only one that has been truly good was the Detroit Lions who beat them 42-10. Now I think that the Patriots offense is better than the Lions offense, and I think that they’re defenses are actually pretty comparable. Tebow has been glorified by a fairly weak schedule, and a great defense that is taking weak offenses and holding them to low points. Don’t get me wrong, what Tebow has done in the last quarter of almost every game has been incredible, but I just feel like the one good team he played against he got walloped, and I think that is what is going to finally happen again here.
Patriots win 31-13
Detroit is still a team that I think is great. Calvin Johnson may not have caught a touchdown for a few weeks now, but I think he will get at least one in this game. The return of Suh is going to be probably the biggest exclamation point of the day for the Lions and we will remember how big of an impact he can make against any given team. On Thanksgiving the Lions were giving the Packers a pretty good run, until Suh got ejected and then it all fell apart. Suh brings dominance to the table, and against a struggling Palmer it could spell disaster for the Raiders.
Detroit wins on the road 35-21
Cleveland at Arizona
Cleveland is a team that I’ve completely lost hope in. They don’t have a running game this year, and they haven’t had a passing game all season. Now with Colt McCoy out with a concussion they Browns are going to be relying on their backup Seneca Wallace. If Wallace hasn’t been able to beat out Colt for the starting job this is going to be ugly. Skelton has led the Cardinals to some pretty nice wins, and with Beanie Wells in the backfield, and Larry Fitzgerald running any route its not hard to see why. As long as all of these guys play their games right the Cardinals should be fine.
Arizona 21 Cleveland 10
New York Jets at Philadelphia
I don’t think Mark Sanchez is a great quarterback. I think Sanchez has a cast of great players around him that can sometimes make him look much better than he actually is. The receiving core in place is surprisingly good, and running backs like Tomlinson and Greene can make any offense look a lot better than it really is. The best thing the Jets have going for them is their defense, and they are going up against one tough offense. The Eagles are dangerous. They’ve got a wide variety of plays they can throw at you through a stellar running game, a great passing game, and a quarterback that can keep the ball himself. Although the Jets defense has been good, I think LeSean McCoy is going to open up and exploit this them, and then Vick is going to throw it over the top through some nice play action passes.
Philly enjoys a win at home 34-20
New England at Denver
I’m sick of the Tebow talk and I’m glad that it is finally going to get a good stomping this week. If you look at the teams Tim Tebow has played, the only one that has been truly good was the Detroit Lions who beat them 42-10. Now I think that the Patriots offense is better than the Lions offense, and I think that they’re defenses are actually pretty comparable. Tebow has been glorified by a fairly weak schedule, and a great defense that is taking weak offenses and holding them to low points. Don’t get me wrong, what Tebow has done in the last quarter of almost every game has been incredible, but I just feel like the one good team he played against he got walloped, and I think that is what is going to finally happen again here.
Patriots win 31-13
Week 15 - 1 O'Clock
Cincinnati at St. Louis
Cincinnati is having a pretty great season. Andy Dalton and AJ Green have continued to do just about everything right throughout their rookie campaigns together. Dalton has really come together and I think shocked the majority of the NFL viewers in what looks to be one of the strongest rookie seasons that I’ve seen. It helps that Dalton has weapons around him like Green, Gresham, and Benson, but Dalton looks like a strong candidate for a great player for years to come. St. Louis looked awful against Seattle last week. They have one of the best running backs in the league, and the refused to use him in countless situations. At one point St. Louis had around ten plays on Seattle’s one yard line, and not until the last play did they give the ball to Jackson with a lead blocker. If St. Louis can’t get something as simple as that in order how are they supposed to win games in the National Football League.
Cincinnati wins 27-10
New Orleans at Minnesota
New Orleans is one of the strongest offenses in the league with Drew Brees leading the way. There isn’t much to say that everyone doesn’t already know about the Saints offense, Ingram is out this week so expect the carries to be split between Thomas, Ivory, and Sproles. The various receivers will still be there, and Jimmy Graham is still one of the most dangerous weapons the Saints have. Peterson is probably going to be back for this one luckily for the Vikings. Peterson on the field makes the entire offense exponentially better. The question is whether or not Peterson can carry this team against such a strong opponent.
Saints win on the road 34-24
Green Bay at Kansas City
Green Bay is absolutely incredible. Aaron Rogers continues to light up any defense that stands in his way. Rogers doesn’t care which receiver is running down the field, and he can look through his progressions quickly enough that as long as someone is getting open he is going to find them. Jennings being hurt definitely does not help their cause, but with a number of viable back-ups the Packers should be just fine. Kansas City is simply not good right now. They have far too many injuries that are plaguing their season, and firing their head coach is going to possibly hurt their chances even more. The Chiefs are in for a rough ending of their season, with Green Bay being just another painful weekend along the way.
Green Bay wins big 45-10
Seattle at Chicago
This is a game that I’m actually pretty excited for. I know the Rams team that Seattle played against last week was far from good but Seattle’s defense has looked surprisingly good for a few games now. They’ve gotten some good turnovers against a lot of different opponents, and this week going against a back-up quarterback, with a back up running back behind him and not a great core of receivers, I think that Seattle’s defense might make some surprising plays. They have a good young secondary crew, but I think it’s going to work out pretty well in this one.
Seahawks defense wins on the road 20-10
Tennessee at Indianapolis
Chris Johnson has finally turned it on. I’ve been on him all season saying that he’s not the CJ of old, saying he isn’t good this season, and for the past few weeks he has absolutely proven me wrong. Hasselbeck and Locker are both great quarterbacks and no matter which one is under center the Titans will still stand a great chance in this one. Why? Let’s look at the other side of the game. It’s the Indianapolis Colts. There really isn’t much to say. With Peyton Manning gone this team is just is absolutely awful. Chris Johnson is going to run all over this Colts team.
Tennessee wins 27-10
Washington at New York Giants
The Redskins have Santana Moss back which is a big plus, and Helu ran really well against an okay Patriots rush defense last week. Washington could be in an okay place for the rest of the season. I don’t think that they have all of the weapons that they need you to be a great contender in such a strong division. The New York Giants on the other hand have all of the weapons that they could need. Eli Manning is turning it on late in the season, and with receivers like Cruz, Manningham, and Nicks it would be hard not to. The return of Bradshaw is going to help balance this offense out and give them some more clock management.
The Giants win at home 31-21
Carolina at Houston
Carolina can be great at times. They have a diverse group of weapons that can attack a defense from a number of different angles. Cam Newton is probably the best offensive rookie this year, and when he’s on and hitting his targets downfield it makes for a dangerous attack. If DeAngelo Williams can have a good game it could be the deciding factor for this one. On the other side we’ve got rookie quarter back Yates who has done surprisingly well. It helps that the young man has guys like Arian Foster and Andre Johnson on his side, but even with the absence of Johnson again this week I think the Texans are a handful. I don’t think the Panthers defense is going to have what it takes to slow down Arian.
Texans win 28-24
Miami at Buffalo
Matt Moore and Reggie Bush have become the life of this offense. When these two guys are on this team can be a very difficult one to plan against. They have had some great plays since their bye week, and they could push to make a statement for the next few seasons over these next few weeks. I think the Bills want to make sure they aren’t considered the laughing stock of the AFC East and they take this game very seriously. I think Stevie Johnson is going to have a pretty big week, and CJ Spiller is going to run for a surprisingly good number off yards. I think Buffalo wants to prove to their home crowd that they’ve still got some gas left in the tank.
Bills win 24-17
Cincinnati is having a pretty great season. Andy Dalton and AJ Green have continued to do just about everything right throughout their rookie campaigns together. Dalton has really come together and I think shocked the majority of the NFL viewers in what looks to be one of the strongest rookie seasons that I’ve seen. It helps that Dalton has weapons around him like Green, Gresham, and Benson, but Dalton looks like a strong candidate for a great player for years to come. St. Louis looked awful against Seattle last week. They have one of the best running backs in the league, and the refused to use him in countless situations. At one point St. Louis had around ten plays on Seattle’s one yard line, and not until the last play did they give the ball to Jackson with a lead blocker. If St. Louis can’t get something as simple as that in order how are they supposed to win games in the National Football League.
Cincinnati wins 27-10
New Orleans at Minnesota
New Orleans is one of the strongest offenses in the league with Drew Brees leading the way. There isn’t much to say that everyone doesn’t already know about the Saints offense, Ingram is out this week so expect the carries to be split between Thomas, Ivory, and Sproles. The various receivers will still be there, and Jimmy Graham is still one of the most dangerous weapons the Saints have. Peterson is probably going to be back for this one luckily for the Vikings. Peterson on the field makes the entire offense exponentially better. The question is whether or not Peterson can carry this team against such a strong opponent.
Saints win on the road 34-24
Green Bay at Kansas City
Green Bay is absolutely incredible. Aaron Rogers continues to light up any defense that stands in his way. Rogers doesn’t care which receiver is running down the field, and he can look through his progressions quickly enough that as long as someone is getting open he is going to find them. Jennings being hurt definitely does not help their cause, but with a number of viable back-ups the Packers should be just fine. Kansas City is simply not good right now. They have far too many injuries that are plaguing their season, and firing their head coach is going to possibly hurt their chances even more. The Chiefs are in for a rough ending of their season, with Green Bay being just another painful weekend along the way.
Green Bay wins big 45-10
Seattle at Chicago
This is a game that I’m actually pretty excited for. I know the Rams team that Seattle played against last week was far from good but Seattle’s defense has looked surprisingly good for a few games now. They’ve gotten some good turnovers against a lot of different opponents, and this week going against a back-up quarterback, with a back up running back behind him and not a great core of receivers, I think that Seattle’s defense might make some surprising plays. They have a good young secondary crew, but I think it’s going to work out pretty well in this one.
Seahawks defense wins on the road 20-10
Tennessee at Indianapolis
Chris Johnson has finally turned it on. I’ve been on him all season saying that he’s not the CJ of old, saying he isn’t good this season, and for the past few weeks he has absolutely proven me wrong. Hasselbeck and Locker are both great quarterbacks and no matter which one is under center the Titans will still stand a great chance in this one. Why? Let’s look at the other side of the game. It’s the Indianapolis Colts. There really isn’t much to say. With Peyton Manning gone this team is just is absolutely awful. Chris Johnson is going to run all over this Colts team.
Tennessee wins 27-10
Washington at New York Giants
The Redskins have Santana Moss back which is a big plus, and Helu ran really well against an okay Patriots rush defense last week. Washington could be in an okay place for the rest of the season. I don’t think that they have all of the weapons that they need you to be a great contender in such a strong division. The New York Giants on the other hand have all of the weapons that they could need. Eli Manning is turning it on late in the season, and with receivers like Cruz, Manningham, and Nicks it would be hard not to. The return of Bradshaw is going to help balance this offense out and give them some more clock management.
The Giants win at home 31-21
Carolina at Houston
Carolina can be great at times. They have a diverse group of weapons that can attack a defense from a number of different angles. Cam Newton is probably the best offensive rookie this year, and when he’s on and hitting his targets downfield it makes for a dangerous attack. If DeAngelo Williams can have a good game it could be the deciding factor for this one. On the other side we’ve got rookie quarter back Yates who has done surprisingly well. It helps that the young man has guys like Arian Foster and Andre Johnson on his side, but even with the absence of Johnson again this week I think the Texans are a handful. I don’t think the Panthers defense is going to have what it takes to slow down Arian.
Texans win 28-24
Miami at Buffalo
Matt Moore and Reggie Bush have become the life of this offense. When these two guys are on this team can be a very difficult one to plan against. They have had some great plays since their bye week, and they could push to make a statement for the next few seasons over these next few weeks. I think the Bills want to make sure they aren’t considered the laughing stock of the AFC East and they take this game very seriously. I think Stevie Johnson is going to have a pretty big week, and CJ Spiller is going to run for a surprisingly good number off yards. I think Buffalo wants to prove to their home crowd that they’ve still got some gas left in the tank.
Bills win 24-17
Saturday, December 17, 2011
Week 15 - Saturday Night Football
Dallas at Tampa Bay
Dallas has had the game won two weeks in a row, and has been destroyed by icing the kicker calls. The best thing going for Dallas right now is Tony Romo. The man has had fifteen touchdowns in the last six games, and it has led the Cowboys to being in great positions throughout their games. I do think that Romo has been a lot better due to the incredible running back that he had playing behind him in DeMarco Murray and unfortunately for any Dallas fan the rookie running back went down with a broken leg last week. Good news for them is that they are getting Miles Austin back at wide receiver and that could definitely open the game up. The Buccaneers got dominated by a Jaguars team that has been anything but good this season. Tampa Bay was the only team to allow Jacksonville to score over 20 points so far this season. The brightest star on this Tampa Bay team is Blount. He can run like a truck, and make any linebacker look like a corner back trying to tackle him. If the Bucs want to have any chance of winning this one it is going to be through clock management and letting Blount run the ball, while their defense holds Dallas’ offense to doing very little on very few drives.
Romo’s hot right now, and Dallas needs to win. Cowboys win on the road 31-14
Dallas has had the game won two weeks in a row, and has been destroyed by icing the kicker calls. The best thing going for Dallas right now is Tony Romo. The man has had fifteen touchdowns in the last six games, and it has led the Cowboys to being in great positions throughout their games. I do think that Romo has been a lot better due to the incredible running back that he had playing behind him in DeMarco Murray and unfortunately for any Dallas fan the rookie running back went down with a broken leg last week. Good news for them is that they are getting Miles Austin back at wide receiver and that could definitely open the game up. The Buccaneers got dominated by a Jaguars team that has been anything but good this season. Tampa Bay was the only team to allow Jacksonville to score over 20 points so far this season. The brightest star on this Tampa Bay team is Blount. He can run like a truck, and make any linebacker look like a corner back trying to tackle him. If the Bucs want to have any chance of winning this one it is going to be through clock management and letting Blount run the ball, while their defense holds Dallas’ offense to doing very little on very few drives.
Romo’s hot right now, and Dallas needs to win. Cowboys win on the road 31-14
Thursday, December 15, 2011
Week 15 - Thursday Night Football
Jacksonville at Atlanta
Jacksonville had a huge win last week as they rode on the shoulders of Maurice Jones-Drew to four touchdowns. MJD is clearly one of the better players in the league at the running back position, but how many times can the Jags rely on solely him to lead the team to victory? The Atlanta Falcons have one of the more explosive weapons in the NFL on the offensive side of the ball. Julio Jones had two long touchdown receptions last week which helped seal a great game for Matt Ryan. I think the Jags are hot right now, and they’re playing with nothing to lose, so the game could be dangerous. But on the other side of the ball the Falcons are playing with everything to lose. Only two games behind the Saints in the NFC South with just three games left the Falcons have to win out for the remainder of their schedule to feel even remotely comfortable.
The Falcons win a must-win at home 28-17
Jacksonville had a huge win last week as they rode on the shoulders of Maurice Jones-Drew to four touchdowns. MJD is clearly one of the better players in the league at the running back position, but how many times can the Jags rely on solely him to lead the team to victory? The Atlanta Falcons have one of the more explosive weapons in the NFL on the offensive side of the ball. Julio Jones had two long touchdown receptions last week which helped seal a great game for Matt Ryan. I think the Jags are hot right now, and they’re playing with nothing to lose, so the game could be dangerous. But on the other side of the ball the Falcons are playing with everything to lose. Only two games behind the Saints in the NFC South with just three games left the Falcons have to win out for the remainder of their schedule to feel even remotely comfortable.
The Falcons win a must-win at home 28-17
Sunday, December 11, 2011
Week 14 - Monday Night Football
St. Louis at Seattle
St. Louis is a continuing letdown. St. Louis can do great things if they could block for Steven Jackson but for years they just haven’t been able to give him the holes that he needs to be a consistency. Teams know to plan for him, because that’s all that they have, and when that happens St. Louis needs to start throwing the ball. Seattle has been surprisingly good on defense when they know that the pass is coming. I think that this game is going to be won by Seattle’s defense, with some big plays stopping the rush coupled with a couple of pick sixes to really tie this one off. I don’t have much to say about the Rams defense or the Seahawks offense because neither of them are really that great. Expect Seattle’s defense to do big things and win this one.
Seattle takes one in prime time 21-13
St. Louis is a continuing letdown. St. Louis can do great things if they could block for Steven Jackson but for years they just haven’t been able to give him the holes that he needs to be a consistency. Teams know to plan for him, because that’s all that they have, and when that happens St. Louis needs to start throwing the ball. Seattle has been surprisingly good on defense when they know that the pass is coming. I think that this game is going to be won by Seattle’s defense, with some big plays stopping the rush coupled with a couple of pick sixes to really tie this one off. I don’t have much to say about the Rams defense or the Seahawks offense because neither of them are really that great. Expect Seattle’s defense to do big things and win this one.
Seattle takes one in prime time 21-13
Week 14 - Sunday Night Football
New York Giants at Dallas
Eli Manning and the Giants are a team that has been doing things really well throughout the season despite playing against two of the best teams in the league over the last two weeks. They’ve given up eight touchdowns in two week and this week they are going up against Tony Romo who could possibly do the same thing. I think this game is going to come down to who can run the ball more effectively. Ahmad Bradshaw is back, and DeMarco Murray is still there for the Cowboys. I think Bradshaw is going to come in to the game hot and looking to do a lot for the Giants, and Demarco is going to do what he’s done in weeks past and give Tony the versatility that he needs to play well. I think both running backs come very close to one hundred yards but DeMarco has the edge at home. Tony Romo and Dez hook up for a touchdown or two, and the Cowboys outgun the Giants.
Cowboys win a good one 24-21
Eli Manning and the Giants are a team that has been doing things really well throughout the season despite playing against two of the best teams in the league over the last two weeks. They’ve given up eight touchdowns in two week and this week they are going up against Tony Romo who could possibly do the same thing. I think this game is going to come down to who can run the ball more effectively. Ahmad Bradshaw is back, and DeMarco Murray is still there for the Cowboys. I think Bradshaw is going to come in to the game hot and looking to do a lot for the Giants, and Demarco is going to do what he’s done in weeks past and give Tony the versatility that he needs to play well. I think both running backs come very close to one hundred yards but DeMarco has the edge at home. Tony Romo and Dez hook up for a touchdown or two, and the Cowboys outgun the Giants.
Cowboys win a good one 24-21
Week 14 - 4 O'Clock
Chicago at Denver
Chicago is very beat up. They are without their starting quarterback which definitely hurts their team, but more importantly they are without the best player on their team in Matt Forte. A Bears team without Forte is going to really need to step up defensively to make sure the other team is not putting up points to beat the little amount that they are going to accrue. The Denver Broncos defense is going to do what they have done for the past month – make sure that they don’t give up too many points. The Broncos have relied on their defense to give Tebow the ball in the last drive of the game just losing by enough points where they can still win with one drive. That’s what is going to happen again today, and everyone will credit Tebow for the work that the Broncos defense did.
Broncos defense wins 16-13
San Francisco at Arizona
San Francisco has been a great team this season, despite a couple of small hiccups that have lead to a just a couple of losses. San Fran knows what it takes to win, and they have done everything right the majority of the time. Their defense has done very well at stopping plays, and Alex Smith and Gore have done well getting the points that they need. Arizona has a great running back in Beanie Wells and they walked away with a long Stephens-Howling reception touchdown, but they have not been consistent throughout the season. I don’t trust putting my faith in them this game based on a couple of great game ending plays. IF Arizona can get the game to overtime I’d go with them, but I don’t think it will get that far.
San Fran wins 17-10
Buffalo at San Diego
Buffalo is another one of those teams that was great early in the year, but this much later they haven’t been doing that well. They still have Fitzpatrick and they still have a lot of good receivers that can spread the field, but after that their running game has hit a huge speed bump and their overall offense hasn’t been nearly as good. The takeaways haven’t been there like they were before, and the defense isn’t putting their team in position to win. San Diego looks like they hit a huge spark last week and I think that it actually might carry over here. I think Rivers is going to have a decent game and throw for a few scores in this one. Ryan Matthews is going to balance out the attack and the Chargers are going to look good winning at home.
San Diego wins 27-20
Oakland at Green Bay
Oakland is without McFadden again, and they are still being led by Carson Palmer. Palmer seems to have fixed a few things in his game from when he first back this season, but he’s still not perfect. With Michael Bush running the ball instead of McFadden the team isn’t as good as they could be, but they definitely aren’t bad either. Green Bay is a team that it doesn’t matter who you put in front of them, they are going to put up big points, and they are going to rip apart your secondary. I think Green Bay is not going to take their foot off of the gas pedal today, and they continue to motor their way on to 13-0.
Green Bay and Aaron Rodgers do it again 35-27
Chicago is very beat up. They are without their starting quarterback which definitely hurts their team, but more importantly they are without the best player on their team in Matt Forte. A Bears team without Forte is going to really need to step up defensively to make sure the other team is not putting up points to beat the little amount that they are going to accrue. The Denver Broncos defense is going to do what they have done for the past month – make sure that they don’t give up too many points. The Broncos have relied on their defense to give Tebow the ball in the last drive of the game just losing by enough points where they can still win with one drive. That’s what is going to happen again today, and everyone will credit Tebow for the work that the Broncos defense did.
Broncos defense wins 16-13
San Francisco at Arizona
San Francisco has been a great team this season, despite a couple of small hiccups that have lead to a just a couple of losses. San Fran knows what it takes to win, and they have done everything right the majority of the time. Their defense has done very well at stopping plays, and Alex Smith and Gore have done well getting the points that they need. Arizona has a great running back in Beanie Wells and they walked away with a long Stephens-Howling reception touchdown, but they have not been consistent throughout the season. I don’t trust putting my faith in them this game based on a couple of great game ending plays. IF Arizona can get the game to overtime I’d go with them, but I don’t think it will get that far.
San Fran wins 17-10
Buffalo at San Diego
Buffalo is another one of those teams that was great early in the year, but this much later they haven’t been doing that well. They still have Fitzpatrick and they still have a lot of good receivers that can spread the field, but after that their running game has hit a huge speed bump and their overall offense hasn’t been nearly as good. The takeaways haven’t been there like they were before, and the defense isn’t putting their team in position to win. San Diego looks like they hit a huge spark last week and I think that it actually might carry over here. I think Rivers is going to have a decent game and throw for a few scores in this one. Ryan Matthews is going to balance out the attack and the Chargers are going to look good winning at home.
San Diego wins 27-20
Oakland at Green Bay
Oakland is without McFadden again, and they are still being led by Carson Palmer. Palmer seems to have fixed a few things in his game from when he first back this season, but he’s still not perfect. With Michael Bush running the ball instead of McFadden the team isn’t as good as they could be, but they definitely aren’t bad either. Green Bay is a team that it doesn’t matter who you put in front of them, they are going to put up big points, and they are going to rip apart your secondary. I think Green Bay is not going to take their foot off of the gas pedal today, and they continue to motor their way on to 13-0.
Green Bay and Aaron Rodgers do it again 35-27
Week 14 - 1 O'Clock
Tampa Bay at Jacksonville
This game is not the most fun to begin with Sunday football. The only thing that I’m really looking forward to in this whole game is watching Blount run. Throughout the entire season I’ve been talking about how good Blount is, and after that run that he had versus the Packers I believe it even more. Don’t remember the one I’m talking about? Here you go.
That’s what this game is going to come down to, a beast of Blount running through a Jacksonville defense. The only chance the Jags have of turning this around is if there great running back Jones-Drew can gain big yards rushing over a beat up Bucs defensive-line.
Tampa Bay wins this one 24-13
Houston at Cincinnati
Throughout the week this is a game that I have truly looked forward to. I like the Texans a lot, and Arian Foster is one of my favorite players in the league, and the Cincy defense is really good this year. I think the Texans are trying to dig themselves out of a huge hole as they don’t have Schaub, and Andre Johnson is out again now with his other hamstring bothering him. So for the offense it’s going to come down to Arian Foster once again, and he is great. But can he be enough to carry this Houston team? For Cincy we’ve got Dalton and Green again. These young guys are awesome. I think it’s going to be an aerial show for Dalton, and then Benson is going to bust a few up the got to really keep the game balanced. Cincy’s D is going up against a pretty one-dimensional offense and this is their chance to really get a hold in the wild card.
Cincy wins at home 20-17
Kansas City at New York Jets
Kansas City is still as banged up as they have been for weeks. The offense has a couple of good weapons in Bowe and Jackie Battle, but besides that it is going to come down to whether or not the Chiefs defense can stop the Jets offense. Sanchez is either on or he’s off throughout games. He never really skates by and gets his team a win by doing “just enough.” I think Sanchez realizes the position that the Jets are in and knows that this is a game that they need to win to stand a chance at the wild card. Santonio will have a couple big catches in the middle of the field, and then Plax will come in during the red zone snaps and catch the touchdowns.
Jets win at home 27-10
Minnesota at Detroit
With Adrian Peterson out again the Vikings are losing their franchises best player. Luckily rookie quarterback Christian Ponder is healthy enough to make the start, which makes the team a little bit better. The Vikings still lack a great receiver though, and that’s all Ponder is really going to need to become that next level QB, someone that can stretch the field consistently. Detroit has been pretty questionable the second half of this season, as Megatron has been shut down severely compared to early in the season. The Lions have been crushing themselves with personal foul penalties and giving up unearned yards in nearly every game. I think the Lions are finally going to get their heads on right, not give up any stupid penalties, and throw the ball all over Minnesota’s defense.
Lions win 34-20
Indianapolis at Baltimore
Indy got beat up last week. You can look at the final score against the Patriots and say “wow, they really stuck around versus one of the better teams in the league.” Wrong. The Patriots gave up in the fourth quarter and tried doing things defensively that they don’t normally do in game situations. The Colts are just as bad as they were two weeks ago, three weeks ago, all season. Baltimore has a history this season of losing games to teams that they should demolish though. Despite their history of these pushover game losses Baltimore needs this win to stay in the playoff picture, they’ve got Pitt and Cincy right there with them and they need to win out to feel really comfortable.
Baltimore wins 24-9
Philadelphia at Miami
Philly finally get Vick and Maclin back. This team has been awful without the both of them and maybe this is the boost that the Eagles need to really get back on track. LeSean has been consistent and the one bright spot for the Eagles throughout the season, and I think that it’s just going to keep growing. The biggest week spot that Philly has had has been their rush defense, and with a Reggie Bush coming in that has been very good these last few weeks – it could get scary. Reggie and Matt Moore have turned this franchise around this second half of the season. I think Reggie is going to have a pretty big game, breaking a hundred and maybe getting closer to 150 with a few scores.
The Dolphins beat the Eagles at home 27-13
New Orleans at Tennessee
New Orleans has done some big things with some little players throughout this entire season. Darren Sproles has done incredible things over the season, and then there is little known Lance Moore who over the last five games has had five touchdowns. Drew Brees knows how to spread the ball to all of their weapons and it leaves opposing defenses baffled. The Titans have Hasselbeck that knows how to throw the deep ball, and Chris Johnson who has finally been revitalized these last few weeks. I’ve been hesitant on saying he’s back, but I’m pretty sure he’s back. Chris Johnson is going to really balance this offense out and make the Titans a lot more dangerous.
New Orlean’s weapons outgun Tennessee’s 35-24
Atlanta at Carolina
Matt Ryan and the Falcons have been a big let down for me. I expected a lot more out of the Falcons throughout this season, and they haven’t done too much. They have great weapons in Julio, Roddy, and Turner but they just haven’t pieced it all together yet. And they are going up against a Carolina team that has been putting up big points all throughout the season. I think Cam Newton and friends do what they have done all season and they just continue to put up points. Carolina is on a mission to let everyone in the NFC South know that they are not a joke anymore.
Cam and the Panthers win 31-17
New England at Washington
New England is going to do exactly what New England always does. They are going to settle for short dump passes between the 20’s and once they get into the red zone they will toss the ball to Gronk or Hernandez and put up some very big points. On the other side of the ball they are going to let Washington take those short dump passes between the 20s and once they get in their own red zone defensively they will tighten up their zone defense and only give up the field goals. New England is a great team, and its just going to be proven even more today.
Pats win 35-17
This game is not the most fun to begin with Sunday football. The only thing that I’m really looking forward to in this whole game is watching Blount run. Throughout the entire season I’ve been talking about how good Blount is, and after that run that he had versus the Packers I believe it even more. Don’t remember the one I’m talking about? Here you go.
That’s what this game is going to come down to, a beast of Blount running through a Jacksonville defense. The only chance the Jags have of turning this around is if there great running back Jones-Drew can gain big yards rushing over a beat up Bucs defensive-line.
Tampa Bay wins this one 24-13
Houston at Cincinnati
Throughout the week this is a game that I have truly looked forward to. I like the Texans a lot, and Arian Foster is one of my favorite players in the league, and the Cincy defense is really good this year. I think the Texans are trying to dig themselves out of a huge hole as they don’t have Schaub, and Andre Johnson is out again now with his other hamstring bothering him. So for the offense it’s going to come down to Arian Foster once again, and he is great. But can he be enough to carry this Houston team? For Cincy we’ve got Dalton and Green again. These young guys are awesome. I think it’s going to be an aerial show for Dalton, and then Benson is going to bust a few up the got to really keep the game balanced. Cincy’s D is going up against a pretty one-dimensional offense and this is their chance to really get a hold in the wild card.
Cincy wins at home 20-17
Kansas City at New York Jets
Kansas City is still as banged up as they have been for weeks. The offense has a couple of good weapons in Bowe and Jackie Battle, but besides that it is going to come down to whether or not the Chiefs defense can stop the Jets offense. Sanchez is either on or he’s off throughout games. He never really skates by and gets his team a win by doing “just enough.” I think Sanchez realizes the position that the Jets are in and knows that this is a game that they need to win to stand a chance at the wild card. Santonio will have a couple big catches in the middle of the field, and then Plax will come in during the red zone snaps and catch the touchdowns.
Jets win at home 27-10
Minnesota at Detroit
With Adrian Peterson out again the Vikings are losing their franchises best player. Luckily rookie quarterback Christian Ponder is healthy enough to make the start, which makes the team a little bit better. The Vikings still lack a great receiver though, and that’s all Ponder is really going to need to become that next level QB, someone that can stretch the field consistently. Detroit has been pretty questionable the second half of this season, as Megatron has been shut down severely compared to early in the season. The Lions have been crushing themselves with personal foul penalties and giving up unearned yards in nearly every game. I think the Lions are finally going to get their heads on right, not give up any stupid penalties, and throw the ball all over Minnesota’s defense.
Lions win 34-20
Indianapolis at Baltimore
Indy got beat up last week. You can look at the final score against the Patriots and say “wow, they really stuck around versus one of the better teams in the league.” Wrong. The Patriots gave up in the fourth quarter and tried doing things defensively that they don’t normally do in game situations. The Colts are just as bad as they were two weeks ago, three weeks ago, all season. Baltimore has a history this season of losing games to teams that they should demolish though. Despite their history of these pushover game losses Baltimore needs this win to stay in the playoff picture, they’ve got Pitt and Cincy right there with them and they need to win out to feel really comfortable.
Baltimore wins 24-9
Philadelphia at Miami
Philly finally get Vick and Maclin back. This team has been awful without the both of them and maybe this is the boost that the Eagles need to really get back on track. LeSean has been consistent and the one bright spot for the Eagles throughout the season, and I think that it’s just going to keep growing. The biggest week spot that Philly has had has been their rush defense, and with a Reggie Bush coming in that has been very good these last few weeks – it could get scary. Reggie and Matt Moore have turned this franchise around this second half of the season. I think Reggie is going to have a pretty big game, breaking a hundred and maybe getting closer to 150 with a few scores.
The Dolphins beat the Eagles at home 27-13
New Orleans at Tennessee
New Orleans has done some big things with some little players throughout this entire season. Darren Sproles has done incredible things over the season, and then there is little known Lance Moore who over the last five games has had five touchdowns. Drew Brees knows how to spread the ball to all of their weapons and it leaves opposing defenses baffled. The Titans have Hasselbeck that knows how to throw the deep ball, and Chris Johnson who has finally been revitalized these last few weeks. I’ve been hesitant on saying he’s back, but I’m pretty sure he’s back. Chris Johnson is going to really balance this offense out and make the Titans a lot more dangerous.
New Orlean’s weapons outgun Tennessee’s 35-24
Atlanta at Carolina
Matt Ryan and the Falcons have been a big let down for me. I expected a lot more out of the Falcons throughout this season, and they haven’t done too much. They have great weapons in Julio, Roddy, and Turner but they just haven’t pieced it all together yet. And they are going up against a Carolina team that has been putting up big points all throughout the season. I think Cam Newton and friends do what they have done all season and they just continue to put up points. Carolina is on a mission to let everyone in the NFC South know that they are not a joke anymore.
Cam and the Panthers win 31-17
New England at Washington
New England is going to do exactly what New England always does. They are going to settle for short dump passes between the 20’s and once they get into the red zone they will toss the ball to Gronk or Hernandez and put up some very big points. On the other side of the ball they are going to let Washington take those short dump passes between the 20s and once they get in their own red zone defensively they will tighten up their zone defense and only give up the field goals. New England is a great team, and its just going to be proven even more today.
Pats win 35-17
Thursday, December 8, 2011
Week 14 - Thursday Night Football
Cleveland at Pittsburgh
In a battle of the AFC North Cleveland is the lowest of the four on the totem pole. Cleveland has looked quite soft over the course of the season, and although that may change after some well placed draft picks for next year – this years Browns just don’t have what it takes. Peyton Hillis was destroyed by the Madden Course, Colt McCoy hasn’t been consistent enough to make a dent in any opposition, and despite a sometimes well played defensive game it hasn’t done enough for the Browns to win a majority of their games. Pittsburgh on the other hand has been very well rounded this year, and despite two losses to division rival Baltimore they have looked pretty incredible shutting down some of the better teams in the league.With a defense that produces consistently along with an explosive offense both on the ground and through the air the Steelers are one of the favorites in the AFC at this point in the season. Big Ben will have a decent game, but I think that the majority of Pitts offense goes through Mendenhall on Thursday night.
The Steelers win 27-13
In a battle of the AFC North Cleveland is the lowest of the four on the totem pole. Cleveland has looked quite soft over the course of the season, and although that may change after some well placed draft picks for next year – this years Browns just don’t have what it takes. Peyton Hillis was destroyed by the Madden Course, Colt McCoy hasn’t been consistent enough to make a dent in any opposition, and despite a sometimes well played defensive game it hasn’t done enough for the Browns to win a majority of their games. Pittsburgh on the other hand has been very well rounded this year, and despite two losses to division rival Baltimore they have looked pretty incredible shutting down some of the better teams in the league.With a defense that produces consistently along with an explosive offense both on the ground and through the air the Steelers are one of the favorites in the AFC at this point in the season. Big Ben will have a decent game, but I think that the majority of Pitts offense goes through Mendenhall on Thursday night.
The Steelers win 27-13
Saturday, December 3, 2011
Week 13 - Monday Night Football
San Diego at Jacksonville
Of all the Monday night games of the year this is the one that I look forward to the least. I wouldn’t have minded if this game was on Thursday night so I would have actually had an excuse to miss it. Unfortunately I’m going to have to suffer through watching Rivers try and correct all of these awful mistakes, and a weak Jaguars offense on the counter attack. There isn’t really much to say about this one, but I think Rivers will actually show up on Monday night. I think Norv might finally figure something out, and the Chargers might actually get a win. I’m not saying it’s a definite, as this is probably the most unpredictable game of the week. Rivers could do what Vince Young did on Thursday and just throw the game away, I wouldn’t be too surprised. I don’t think the Jags defense is good enough to do that though, and I think somehow the Chargers actually pull one off.
I’ve got to give it to the Charges here – they’re due for a win.
Chargers 24 Jaguars 17
Of all the Monday night games of the year this is the one that I look forward to the least. I wouldn’t have minded if this game was on Thursday night so I would have actually had an excuse to miss it. Unfortunately I’m going to have to suffer through watching Rivers try and correct all of these awful mistakes, and a weak Jaguars offense on the counter attack. There isn’t really much to say about this one, but I think Rivers will actually show up on Monday night. I think Norv might finally figure something out, and the Chargers might actually get a win. I’m not saying it’s a definite, as this is probably the most unpredictable game of the week. Rivers could do what Vince Young did on Thursday and just throw the game away, I wouldn’t be too surprised. I don’t think the Jags defense is good enough to do that though, and I think somehow the Chargers actually pull one off.
I’ve got to give it to the Charges here – they’re due for a win.
Chargers 24 Jaguars 17
Week 13 - Sunday Night Football
Detroit at New Orleans
Easily what I would call the game of the week. Detroit has some explosive weapons on offense, and a quarterback to wide receiver combination that is one of the best in football this year. The running game might be a little lacking for the Lions right now, but they still excel in the passing game, which just happens to be one of the Saints bigger weaknesses. Megatron and wide out friends on the Lions are going to be ecstatic getting the chance to go against this underperforming secondary. For the Saints to win they are going to have to rely on getting a few early turnovers against Detroit. Stafford usually throws a pick or two early before turning it on in the second half, so New Orleans is going to have to get a take away or two early in both halves to keep this Detroit team on their heels. Brees will find a way to pass through this Lions defense the same way Rodgers did after Suh got ejected, and if they studied how easy that Jones touchdown was last week then the potent wide out group in New Orleans should have some big plays themselves. As Brees continues to go deep wait and watch for the small dump routes to Sproles, those are always fun to watch by what I think is the best free agent pick up of the last off season.
The New Orleans Saints win the best game of the week 38-35
Easily what I would call the game of the week. Detroit has some explosive weapons on offense, and a quarterback to wide receiver combination that is one of the best in football this year. The running game might be a little lacking for the Lions right now, but they still excel in the passing game, which just happens to be one of the Saints bigger weaknesses. Megatron and wide out friends on the Lions are going to be ecstatic getting the chance to go against this underperforming secondary. For the Saints to win they are going to have to rely on getting a few early turnovers against Detroit. Stafford usually throws a pick or two early before turning it on in the second half, so New Orleans is going to have to get a take away or two early in both halves to keep this Detroit team on their heels. Brees will find a way to pass through this Lions defense the same way Rodgers did after Suh got ejected, and if they studied how easy that Jones touchdown was last week then the potent wide out group in New Orleans should have some big plays themselves. As Brees continues to go deep wait and watch for the small dump routes to Sproles, those are always fun to watch by what I think is the best free agent pick up of the last off season.
The New Orleans Saints win the best game of the week 38-35
Week 13 - 4 O'Clock
Baltimore at Cleveland
Flacco loves to win games that are big and meaningful. He doesn’t care for the games that don’t mean anything, and luckily for fans of the Ravens this game does mean something. Cleveland might not be a team that is on top of it’s game, but they are still a division rival, and with both Pitt and Cincy being very good this year Baltimore is going to need to win almost every game from here on out. I think Ray Rice will have a decent game, but Flacco is going to be the man in this one. Torrey Smith will probably drop a ball or two, but he’s also going to get at least one deep touchdown in this one. Hillis is listed on injury report again, but he’ll get some time. I don’t think he or Colt or anyone else on this offense is going to do much though, the Ravens defense is going to be fired up for this one.
Baltimore wins another division game 28-13
Dallas at Arizona
DeMarco Murray is one of my favorite players to talk about. Out of nowhere this guy has stormed onto the field and is in the conversation for rookie of the year along with Newton, Green, and Dalton. Murray has done incredible things when he gets the ball, rushing for big yards consistently, and catching defenses off guard. Most notably for Murray though is what he does for the team. Romo was a player who I always questioned and never really thought was anything great, but with DeMarco stealing a lot of the spotlight Romo has really come into his own. With more time in the pocket to find guys like Dez and Witten, Romo has turned into a player who is actually worth watching. Arizona has a very underrated Beanie Wells rushing the ball, but with a quarterback situation that hasn’t really been even good this year it’s been hard for Arizona to win games. Kolb might be playing this weekend, but don’t think that means anything great. The Cowboys are going to go into Arizona and continue to give Murray the ball and watch the young man run.
Cowboys win again 31-17
Green Bay at New York Giants
Again, it’s all going to be about Aaron Rodgers. The man is having an incredible season – arguably one of the best ever. He’s leading his team on a mission that few have had the chance of capturing, and I think he’s going to do it again this week. The weapons at his disposal are some that other teams dream of having. A lot of it is Aaron being great, but a lot is also the players around him being great. With one of the deepest receiving cores in football Rodgers can throw the ball to any end of the field and know that someone is going to be there to catch it. The Giants have a great pass rush, and they have a decent secondary despite dealing with a lot of injuries. Bradshaw is going to be there to run the ball again, and Eli has been known to lead some great drives with receivers like Cruz streaking down the field. This game comes down to how well Rodgers can pick apart this defense though, and I don’t think it should be too difficult.
Aaron Rodgers throws to victory again 35-24
St. Louis at San Francisco
As much as I love what Steven Jackson brings to the table, he doesn’t have a team around him. He could possibly be one of the best running backs in the league, I think he is, but he doesn’t have a team with him that can help him come close to winning any games. This team really needs to put some good players on both sides of the ball in the next year. Jackson deserves a stronger cast around him. San Fran is going to be angry after their loss last week, and an angry 49ers team is going to be scary. I thought they were scary before last week, with some of the toughest guys on either side of the ball and its going to be dangerous to see what they do to a consistently underachieving Rams team.
Frank Gore and Patrick Willis get back on the right foot with a 27-10 victory
Flacco loves to win games that are big and meaningful. He doesn’t care for the games that don’t mean anything, and luckily for fans of the Ravens this game does mean something. Cleveland might not be a team that is on top of it’s game, but they are still a division rival, and with both Pitt and Cincy being very good this year Baltimore is going to need to win almost every game from here on out. I think Ray Rice will have a decent game, but Flacco is going to be the man in this one. Torrey Smith will probably drop a ball or two, but he’s also going to get at least one deep touchdown in this one. Hillis is listed on injury report again, but he’ll get some time. I don’t think he or Colt or anyone else on this offense is going to do much though, the Ravens defense is going to be fired up for this one.
Baltimore wins another division game 28-13
Dallas at Arizona
DeMarco Murray is one of my favorite players to talk about. Out of nowhere this guy has stormed onto the field and is in the conversation for rookie of the year along with Newton, Green, and Dalton. Murray has done incredible things when he gets the ball, rushing for big yards consistently, and catching defenses off guard. Most notably for Murray though is what he does for the team. Romo was a player who I always questioned and never really thought was anything great, but with DeMarco stealing a lot of the spotlight Romo has really come into his own. With more time in the pocket to find guys like Dez and Witten, Romo has turned into a player who is actually worth watching. Arizona has a very underrated Beanie Wells rushing the ball, but with a quarterback situation that hasn’t really been even good this year it’s been hard for Arizona to win games. Kolb might be playing this weekend, but don’t think that means anything great. The Cowboys are going to go into Arizona and continue to give Murray the ball and watch the young man run.
Cowboys win again 31-17
Green Bay at New York Giants
Again, it’s all going to be about Aaron Rodgers. The man is having an incredible season – arguably one of the best ever. He’s leading his team on a mission that few have had the chance of capturing, and I think he’s going to do it again this week. The weapons at his disposal are some that other teams dream of having. A lot of it is Aaron being great, but a lot is also the players around him being great. With one of the deepest receiving cores in football Rodgers can throw the ball to any end of the field and know that someone is going to be there to catch it. The Giants have a great pass rush, and they have a decent secondary despite dealing with a lot of injuries. Bradshaw is going to be there to run the ball again, and Eli has been known to lead some great drives with receivers like Cruz streaking down the field. This game comes down to how well Rodgers can pick apart this defense though, and I don’t think it should be too difficult.
Aaron Rodgers throws to victory again 35-24
St. Louis at San Francisco
As much as I love what Steven Jackson brings to the table, he doesn’t have a team around him. He could possibly be one of the best running backs in the league, I think he is, but he doesn’t have a team with him that can help him come close to winning any games. This team really needs to put some good players on both sides of the ball in the next year. Jackson deserves a stronger cast around him. San Fran is going to be angry after their loss last week, and an angry 49ers team is going to be scary. I thought they were scary before last week, with some of the toughest guys on either side of the ball and its going to be dangerous to see what they do to a consistently underachieving Rams team.
Frank Gore and Patrick Willis get back on the right foot with a 27-10 victory
Week 13 - 1 O'Clock
Tennessee at Buffalo
Chris Johnson had a pretty good game for the third time this season. The man is still playing very unpredictably, and has been incredibly inconsistent. Matt Hasselbeck has been having a pretty good last few games, nothing too amazing but still enough to keep the Titans hanging around if not winning. I thought when Britt went out early this team was going to rely entirely on C.J but it looks like Hasselbeck is comfortable with the reigns. Buffalo is unpredictable as an entire team. They’ve been so volatile this season, winning games that I didn’t think they would stand a chance in, and then blowing games where I thought it would be an easy win. This week is going to be tough, but I think the Bills step it up with their rush d and shut down Johnson early resulting in Hasselbeck needing to air it out. The Bills corners are due for a big day, and I think they have some clutch interceptions in this game.
Buffalo wins at home 27-17
Kansas City at Chicago
Kansas City is as beaten and battered as ever. I’ve said it nearly every week but without Jamaal Charles this team is so much worse than they were expected to be during the preseason. There are a lot of teams that have been defined by one player and I think that Charles has really been the key in Kansas City over the last couple of years, with him they were awesome, without they are nothing. Sure Dwayne Bowe can still make some big plays, but all it takes is one great corner and the best of wide receivers can be shut down. The Bears are still without Cutler who was blowing my mind this year. Going into the season I didn’t think Cutler was going to be anything, but depending on Forte was the smartest thing he could do. Almost any quarterback can be great with a man like Forte standing in the backfield with them, and this Sunday I think Forte does what he always does and has a great game.
Forte rushes for big yards as the Bears beat the Chiefs 31-16
Atlanta at Houston
Atlanta has one of the better offenses in the league with Matt Ryan under center. When Ryan has needed to hoist the ball up he’s had guys like Roddy White, Julio Jones, and Tony Gonzalez on the other side to reel them in. Now Michael Turner is questionable for this week, and he’s been a force throughout the majority of the season. If Turner doesn’t play it doesn’t mean Atlanta is out of this one, they’ve still got a great group of receivers going against a Houston secondary that isn’t the best. Houston on the other side is on to their third string rookie quarterback. A lot of people were ready for Leinart to really make his move and show if he had the stuff to be a starter in the NFL, myself included, but that ended really quickly with his injury. The game is going to come down to Arian Foster again. Arian has been possibly my favorite consistent throughout the season. When he’s healthy I can all but guarantee big things. I love Foster, but I don’t know if he’s enough to make up for the rookie quarterback, and a secondary that gives up some big plays.
Matt Ryan outguns Arian Foster in a 34-31 win
Oakland at Miami
Oakland is without McFadden again this week, and despite Michael Bush being really good in his absence he still isn’t as good as McFadden. Carson Palmer is still learning the Raiders system, and building chemistry with his young wide receiver core. I do like the Raiders though, I think they have a great system in place with a lot of young players who are going to end up doing great things in their careers either in the Black and Silver or somewhere else. Sunday will be a good test for the Raiders as they face a Dolphins team on the upswing. For years now the Fins have been looking for a quarterback to name their go to guy, and it looks like he finally may have shown up in Matt Moore. Moore has been great in Miami, doing way better than I think anyone could have predicted. Reggie Bush is playing the game like he’s having fun again, and burning some turf along the way. If Brandon Marshall can keep the ball in his hands instead of on the ground then this could actually be a pretty dangerous offense for the remainder of the season. The Fins are good, but this is scarily a must win for the Raiders as the Broncos are closing in. I think Oakland shows up in Miami fired up and ready to play.
Raider Nation enjoys their victory 28-23
Denver at Minnesota
Tim Tebow. What is it in this guy that just doesn’t let him lose? I know, I know. It’s not all Tebow, it isn’t him winning all of these games, it is a lot of his team rallying around him. The Broncos defense has been great since Tebow has been starting, and they haven’t faced the greatest of opponents either. Incredibly though, the Broncos are in position to make a push for the AFC West, and it shouldn’t be too difficult going up against a Vikings team that is missing their best player. With Peterson out again there isn’t too much to look forward to if you’re a Vikings fan. Ponder might make a big play through the air or on his feet, but the running game isn’t nearly as dangerous, and the wide outs aren’t really there for someone like Ponder to really start to make a name for himself. Sure the Purple People Eaters still have Allen on the line, and he’ll probably make a big hit or two as he hunts down Tebow, but the Vikings are wounded right now, and the Broncos are on a roll.
Tebow Time continues as the Broncos win on the road 17-14
Indianapolis at New England
Do I need to write about this game? Being from New England I know how hard the Pats go into these games against the Colts. For years people have called Peyton names, and yelled at the TV as he threw touchdown after touchdown. The Pats have gotten the best of Indy more times than I can recall during my stint of football fandom, and I don’t think there’s a single way that this game could fall the other way. Freeney and Mathis on defense, and Reggie Wayne and a slew of receivers on offense are consistencies that the Pats have gotten used to, and guys like Orlovsky shouldn’t pose too much of a threat. Brady is going to do what Brady does best, and go wild over the top against an ailing Colts secondary. Gronk, Welker, and Branch are going to be their usual selves and have a well balance game between them. The Law Firm will probably show up and break through some big holes in the middle. I see the Pats going crazy on this one, and not slowing down. Bill doesn’t mind running up the score, and I think he does it on Sunday.
Patriots dominate the Colts in a lopsided 42-10 victory.
Cincinnati at Pittsburgh
The Bengals are in a tough spot. They set themselves up in a decent position through the first half of the season, but going into these last few games their facing some pretty tough opponents. Dalton and Green have been able to figure a lot of things out early together, and it’s going to be fun to watch for years, but with a Steelers team that is going to be angry after narrowly beating the lowly Chiefs I think that this game is going to be very difficult from the get go. Big Ben and Mendenhall are facing a tough defense, but I predict that they are both going to have pretty substantial games. I’m sure the Steelers have been watching Cincy film for a while now, and learning some ways to pick them apart. Pittsburgh is a great team, and I think they aren’t going to give one up to a great rival at home.
Pitt wins this one 24-20
Carolina at Tampa Bay
Cam Newton is consistently a topic to be brought up whenever one talks about the Panthers. He’s exceeding expectations on a weekly basis, and is delivering far more than anyone could have expected from a first year player. DeAngelo Williams finally decided that he was going to play for his money last week, and it made a big impact on the game. Sure it was against the Colts, but yards are yards, and it could have been the spark that Williams needed. Tampa Bay has some great young players themselves. I like what Freeman can do, and I love what Blount does on a weekly basis. Blount is one of the toughest runners in the league, lowering his shoulder and running through many would be tacklers in what seems to be a weekly occurrence. I like Tampa, and going up against a division rival at home this late in the season is usually something that the tend to handle very well. With a young team like Carolina coming in at just 3-8 I don’t think Tampa is going to have an incredibly difficult time showing their home team that they aren’t the worst in the NFC South for at least one more year.
Tampa Bay wins this one 31-27
New York Jets at Washington
The Jets barely beat the Bills last week, as they were lucky enough to avoid a few possible touchdown passes late. But the Jets are the Jets and they are team that knows what it takes to win. Rex Ryan can’t be happy with how they have been playing lately and is going to use this game to take out some anger. I think Greene is due to finally have some big yards, and guys like Plax and Santonio are going to be very consistent despite having and underperforming Sanchez throwing the ball. Washington is a team that I would love to see do well, but it’s just not going to happen. The injuries that they are dealing with are too astronomical for anyone to deal with, and this week it is going to be the same old story. The injury situation is one that is defining the Redskins season, and with the Jets coming to town its not going to get any better.
Jets win on the road 24-17
Chris Johnson had a pretty good game for the third time this season. The man is still playing very unpredictably, and has been incredibly inconsistent. Matt Hasselbeck has been having a pretty good last few games, nothing too amazing but still enough to keep the Titans hanging around if not winning. I thought when Britt went out early this team was going to rely entirely on C.J but it looks like Hasselbeck is comfortable with the reigns. Buffalo is unpredictable as an entire team. They’ve been so volatile this season, winning games that I didn’t think they would stand a chance in, and then blowing games where I thought it would be an easy win. This week is going to be tough, but I think the Bills step it up with their rush d and shut down Johnson early resulting in Hasselbeck needing to air it out. The Bills corners are due for a big day, and I think they have some clutch interceptions in this game.
Buffalo wins at home 27-17
Kansas City at Chicago
Kansas City is as beaten and battered as ever. I’ve said it nearly every week but without Jamaal Charles this team is so much worse than they were expected to be during the preseason. There are a lot of teams that have been defined by one player and I think that Charles has really been the key in Kansas City over the last couple of years, with him they were awesome, without they are nothing. Sure Dwayne Bowe can still make some big plays, but all it takes is one great corner and the best of wide receivers can be shut down. The Bears are still without Cutler who was blowing my mind this year. Going into the season I didn’t think Cutler was going to be anything, but depending on Forte was the smartest thing he could do. Almost any quarterback can be great with a man like Forte standing in the backfield with them, and this Sunday I think Forte does what he always does and has a great game.
Forte rushes for big yards as the Bears beat the Chiefs 31-16
Atlanta at Houston
Atlanta has one of the better offenses in the league with Matt Ryan under center. When Ryan has needed to hoist the ball up he’s had guys like Roddy White, Julio Jones, and Tony Gonzalez on the other side to reel them in. Now Michael Turner is questionable for this week, and he’s been a force throughout the majority of the season. If Turner doesn’t play it doesn’t mean Atlanta is out of this one, they’ve still got a great group of receivers going against a Houston secondary that isn’t the best. Houston on the other side is on to their third string rookie quarterback. A lot of people were ready for Leinart to really make his move and show if he had the stuff to be a starter in the NFL, myself included, but that ended really quickly with his injury. The game is going to come down to Arian Foster again. Arian has been possibly my favorite consistent throughout the season. When he’s healthy I can all but guarantee big things. I love Foster, but I don’t know if he’s enough to make up for the rookie quarterback, and a secondary that gives up some big plays.
Matt Ryan outguns Arian Foster in a 34-31 win
Oakland at Miami
Oakland is without McFadden again this week, and despite Michael Bush being really good in his absence he still isn’t as good as McFadden. Carson Palmer is still learning the Raiders system, and building chemistry with his young wide receiver core. I do like the Raiders though, I think they have a great system in place with a lot of young players who are going to end up doing great things in their careers either in the Black and Silver or somewhere else. Sunday will be a good test for the Raiders as they face a Dolphins team on the upswing. For years now the Fins have been looking for a quarterback to name their go to guy, and it looks like he finally may have shown up in Matt Moore. Moore has been great in Miami, doing way better than I think anyone could have predicted. Reggie Bush is playing the game like he’s having fun again, and burning some turf along the way. If Brandon Marshall can keep the ball in his hands instead of on the ground then this could actually be a pretty dangerous offense for the remainder of the season. The Fins are good, but this is scarily a must win for the Raiders as the Broncos are closing in. I think Oakland shows up in Miami fired up and ready to play.
Raider Nation enjoys their victory 28-23
Denver at Minnesota
Tim Tebow. What is it in this guy that just doesn’t let him lose? I know, I know. It’s not all Tebow, it isn’t him winning all of these games, it is a lot of his team rallying around him. The Broncos defense has been great since Tebow has been starting, and they haven’t faced the greatest of opponents either. Incredibly though, the Broncos are in position to make a push for the AFC West, and it shouldn’t be too difficult going up against a Vikings team that is missing their best player. With Peterson out again there isn’t too much to look forward to if you’re a Vikings fan. Ponder might make a big play through the air or on his feet, but the running game isn’t nearly as dangerous, and the wide outs aren’t really there for someone like Ponder to really start to make a name for himself. Sure the Purple People Eaters still have Allen on the line, and he’ll probably make a big hit or two as he hunts down Tebow, but the Vikings are wounded right now, and the Broncos are on a roll.
Tebow Time continues as the Broncos win on the road 17-14
Indianapolis at New England
Do I need to write about this game? Being from New England I know how hard the Pats go into these games against the Colts. For years people have called Peyton names, and yelled at the TV as he threw touchdown after touchdown. The Pats have gotten the best of Indy more times than I can recall during my stint of football fandom, and I don’t think there’s a single way that this game could fall the other way. Freeney and Mathis on defense, and Reggie Wayne and a slew of receivers on offense are consistencies that the Pats have gotten used to, and guys like Orlovsky shouldn’t pose too much of a threat. Brady is going to do what Brady does best, and go wild over the top against an ailing Colts secondary. Gronk, Welker, and Branch are going to be their usual selves and have a well balance game between them. The Law Firm will probably show up and break through some big holes in the middle. I see the Pats going crazy on this one, and not slowing down. Bill doesn’t mind running up the score, and I think he does it on Sunday.
Patriots dominate the Colts in a lopsided 42-10 victory.
Cincinnati at Pittsburgh
The Bengals are in a tough spot. They set themselves up in a decent position through the first half of the season, but going into these last few games their facing some pretty tough opponents. Dalton and Green have been able to figure a lot of things out early together, and it’s going to be fun to watch for years, but with a Steelers team that is going to be angry after narrowly beating the lowly Chiefs I think that this game is going to be very difficult from the get go. Big Ben and Mendenhall are facing a tough defense, but I predict that they are both going to have pretty substantial games. I’m sure the Steelers have been watching Cincy film for a while now, and learning some ways to pick them apart. Pittsburgh is a great team, and I think they aren’t going to give one up to a great rival at home.
Pitt wins this one 24-20
Carolina at Tampa Bay
Cam Newton is consistently a topic to be brought up whenever one talks about the Panthers. He’s exceeding expectations on a weekly basis, and is delivering far more than anyone could have expected from a first year player. DeAngelo Williams finally decided that he was going to play for his money last week, and it made a big impact on the game. Sure it was against the Colts, but yards are yards, and it could have been the spark that Williams needed. Tampa Bay has some great young players themselves. I like what Freeman can do, and I love what Blount does on a weekly basis. Blount is one of the toughest runners in the league, lowering his shoulder and running through many would be tacklers in what seems to be a weekly occurrence. I like Tampa, and going up against a division rival at home this late in the season is usually something that the tend to handle very well. With a young team like Carolina coming in at just 3-8 I don’t think Tampa is going to have an incredibly difficult time showing their home team that they aren’t the worst in the NFC South for at least one more year.
Tampa Bay wins this one 31-27
New York Jets at Washington
The Jets barely beat the Bills last week, as they were lucky enough to avoid a few possible touchdown passes late. But the Jets are the Jets and they are team that knows what it takes to win. Rex Ryan can’t be happy with how they have been playing lately and is going to use this game to take out some anger. I think Greene is due to finally have some big yards, and guys like Plax and Santonio are going to be very consistent despite having and underperforming Sanchez throwing the ball. Washington is a team that I would love to see do well, but it’s just not going to happen. The injuries that they are dealing with are too astronomical for anyone to deal with, and this week it is going to be the same old story. The injury situation is one that is defining the Redskins season, and with the Jets coming to town its not going to get any better.
Jets win on the road 24-17
Thursday, December 1, 2011
Week 13 - Thursday Night Football
Philadelphia at Seattle
Well what’ve we got here? An Eagles team that got exposed against one of the best offenses in the league going up against one of the worst teams in the NFL. It’s a battle of the birds ladies and gentlemen, and things could get crazy. The Eagles don’t have starters playing, let alone showing up to Seattle this week. Both Mike Vick and Jeremy Maclin are sitting back in Philly while the Dream Team takes its talent on the road. Not only has the Eagles rush defense been pretty terrible all season, but this week much of their secondary is beat up too. LeSean McCoy is still a game time decision, and with Vince Young taking the snaps this could get interesting really quickly. Luckily Young and backup wide receiver Cooper have been building a decent report and this could definitely be a small weapon that the Eagles go to early and often. Attacking the Eagles we have a Seahawk that has been pretty hot for the past couple of weeks in Marshawn Lynch. Although Jackson and Rice aren’t the most dangerous threat in the league, they can still make a play or two a game, and with Lynch to balance out the attack I expect some trouble for flat tire that is the Eagles defense. Overall though, despite possibly another big game from Lynch, I don’t think the Seahawks defense has enough to stop even the backup weapons that the Eagles possess.
Eagles win a scrappy one on Thursday night 27-20
Well what’ve we got here? An Eagles team that got exposed against one of the best offenses in the league going up against one of the worst teams in the NFL. It’s a battle of the birds ladies and gentlemen, and things could get crazy. The Eagles don’t have starters playing, let alone showing up to Seattle this week. Both Mike Vick and Jeremy Maclin are sitting back in Philly while the Dream Team takes its talent on the road. Not only has the Eagles rush defense been pretty terrible all season, but this week much of their secondary is beat up too. LeSean McCoy is still a game time decision, and with Vince Young taking the snaps this could get interesting really quickly. Luckily Young and backup wide receiver Cooper have been building a decent report and this could definitely be a small weapon that the Eagles go to early and often. Attacking the Eagles we have a Seahawk that has been pretty hot for the past couple of weeks in Marshawn Lynch. Although Jackson and Rice aren’t the most dangerous threat in the league, they can still make a play or two a game, and with Lynch to balance out the attack I expect some trouble for flat tire that is the Eagles defense. Overall though, despite possibly another big game from Lynch, I don’t think the Seahawks defense has enough to stop even the backup weapons that the Eagles possess.
Eagles win a scrappy one on Thursday night 27-20
Sunday, November 27, 2011
Week 12 - Monday Night Football
New York Giants at New Orleans
The Giants had a beaten up Eagles team at home last week. They had a worse version of Michael Vick going up against them in Vince Young, and to top it all off the game was at home. The Giants were a huge disappointment last week, and they fell over themselves as they only put up ten points against a defense that hasn’t been anything spectacular this season. Eli has some great deep threats in Cruz, Manningham, and Nicks, all of which could definitely play a big part in their game plan against a Saints team that is known to give up big plays through the air. The Saints are coming off of a bye week and have had two weeks to prepare for the Giants. Drew Brees has had two weeks of film on the Giants great pass rush and he’s had the time to study their defenses schemes. Brees is always one of the best at reading defenses after just one week of preparation – giving him an extra week will allow him to exploit a defense just that much more. Both defenses have their weaknesses, and both offenses rely on a heavy pass attack. Being at home, and coming off of a bye I have to give this one in favor of Drew Brees’ Saints.
Saints win 31-24
The Giants had a beaten up Eagles team at home last week. They had a worse version of Michael Vick going up against them in Vince Young, and to top it all off the game was at home. The Giants were a huge disappointment last week, and they fell over themselves as they only put up ten points against a defense that hasn’t been anything spectacular this season. Eli has some great deep threats in Cruz, Manningham, and Nicks, all of which could definitely play a big part in their game plan against a Saints team that is known to give up big plays through the air. The Saints are coming off of a bye week and have had two weeks to prepare for the Giants. Drew Brees has had two weeks of film on the Giants great pass rush and he’s had the time to study their defenses schemes. Brees is always one of the best at reading defenses after just one week of preparation – giving him an extra week will allow him to exploit a defense just that much more. Both defenses have their weaknesses, and both offenses rely on a heavy pass attack. Being at home, and coming off of a bye I have to give this one in favor of Drew Brees’ Saints.
Saints win 31-24
Week 12 - Sunday Night Football
Pittsburgh at Kansas City
The Steelers have Big Ben, Mendenhall, and Wallace on the offensive side of the ball. Three of the most dangerous players in the game all add up to one of the most explosive attacks. The offense is enough to beat some of the best defenses, and their defense is great enough to best some of the greatest offenses in the National Football League. There isn’t much that needs to be said about this game despite it being the Sunday Night game this week. The Chiefs have been anything but good these last couple of weeks, and without Matt Cassel they don’t stand a chance against the Steelers. If the horrid Pats defense could hold the Chiefs to just three points it will be interesting to see what a great Blitzburgh defense can do.
The Steelers win this one easily 35-3
The Steelers have Big Ben, Mendenhall, and Wallace on the offensive side of the ball. Three of the most dangerous players in the game all add up to one of the most explosive attacks. The offense is enough to beat some of the best defenses, and their defense is great enough to best some of the greatest offenses in the National Football League. There isn’t much that needs to be said about this game despite it being the Sunday Night game this week. The Chiefs have been anything but good these last couple of weeks, and without Matt Cassel they don’t stand a chance against the Steelers. If the horrid Pats defense could hold the Chiefs to just three points it will be interesting to see what a great Blitzburgh defense can do.
The Steelers win this one easily 35-3
Week 12 - 4 O'Clock
Washington at Seattle
The Washington Redskins finally get Santana Moss back this week. Santana has been one of my favorite players for a few years now, he always gets decent numbers despite having a horrendous team in place around him. I think Moss has been a very underrated player, and it should be interesting to see if his return to the lineup can swing this Redskins team back into the win column. Seattle does little that impresses me every week. Marshawn Lynch has shown up a little bit over the last few weeks along with Sidney Rice, but I still have just not been impressed with them this season, and I don’t think that this week is going to be any different. Rice and Lynch can’t be enough to win week after week.
Santana’s return sparks the ‘Skins back into winning – 24-16
Chicago at Oakland
Jay Cutler is out which definitely hurts the Bears a little bit, but truly the Chicago offense is one of the few where the quarterback isn’t as influential as one of the other players. The Bears have relied on Matt Forte to win games this year. They’ve relied on Matt Forte to run the ball, they’ve relied on Matt Forte to catch the ball, they’ve relied on Matt Forte to put his body on the line during play action fakes, and defending Jay Cutler against the pass rush. Forte has been the direct target of just under 45 percent of the plays the Bears have run, but that doesn’t count all of the play actions and big blocks that he’s made. As long as Forte is still on the field Chicago isn’t in that bad of shape. The Raiders have evolved into a much better team with the addition of Carson Palmer, and if he can become the man they are expecting him to be then Oakland will be a force to be reckoned with for a few years. With one of the deadliest one two punches in the backfield with Darren McFadden and Michael Bush the Raiders are definitely a very dangerous smash-mouth kind of team, but will that be enough to derail a very impressive Bears team?
Matt Forte and the Bears win a close one 28-27
New England at Philadelphia
Going into the season I honestly thought that this was going to be a prequel to the Super Bowl. This season has been a let down for the Eagles though, and the Patriots have definitely had a few hiccups of their own. The Patriots secondary has been less than good more games than not, and hope that Brady can put up more points than they give up. To be fair, the Patriots give up a lot of yards between the twenties, but once they get into the redzone they can usually tighten it up and hold the opposition to a field goal. The bright side for the Patriots is Tom Brady and the versatility of the New England attack. They are the most fortunate team when it comes to tight ends in the NFL and they are blessed with incredible talent in the slots. Gronkowski, Hernandez, and Welker are going to need to do some big things this week and as long as they don’t get too beat up on the line I think they will be okay. The Eagles have had quite a few set backs. Early in the year they were 1-4 and no one was taking them seriously. Now they have a few more wins, but they are without Michael Vick, as one thing starts to get better for the Eagles it seems like something else has to fall. The Eagles have great players on either side of the ball. Their offense goes through LeSean McCoy, and their defense has one of the most dangerous secondaries on paper. If the Eagles could figure themselves out, I still think they can be one of the scariest teams in the league. I think the Pats attack is too strong this week, especially if the Eagles aren’t going to put up as many numbers with Vince Young throwing the ball.
The Patriots take one in Philly 34-24
Denver at San Diego
Simply put – I don’t know. Tebow is a player that doesn’t put his team in a good position until the last minutes of the game. The Broncos defense has completely turned their game around and is putting up some impressive numbers. But it all comes back to Tim Tebow. He doesn’t throw the ball a lot, and he doesn’t make a lot of completions or touchdown passes. Somehow throughout the game Tebow will make one or two big passes, and it’s enough to put his team in the position that they need to be. It doesn’t make sense, but somehow it has been working. Taking the snaps on the other side we have Philip Rivers – a guy who has always been good – until this year. Rivers has thrown pick after pick, and given the ball away far too many times to be a good player this year. In a game that should have been so easily in favor of the Chargers I can’t help but doubt this team after everything that they have done recently. One of my friends says “You don’t bet against Jesus,” and this week I’m going to follow him and go with Tim Tebow and the Broncos.
Broncos beat a weak Chargers team 20-13
The Washington Redskins finally get Santana Moss back this week. Santana has been one of my favorite players for a few years now, he always gets decent numbers despite having a horrendous team in place around him. I think Moss has been a very underrated player, and it should be interesting to see if his return to the lineup can swing this Redskins team back into the win column. Seattle does little that impresses me every week. Marshawn Lynch has shown up a little bit over the last few weeks along with Sidney Rice, but I still have just not been impressed with them this season, and I don’t think that this week is going to be any different. Rice and Lynch can’t be enough to win week after week.
Santana’s return sparks the ‘Skins back into winning – 24-16
Chicago at Oakland
Jay Cutler is out which definitely hurts the Bears a little bit, but truly the Chicago offense is one of the few where the quarterback isn’t as influential as one of the other players. The Bears have relied on Matt Forte to win games this year. They’ve relied on Matt Forte to run the ball, they’ve relied on Matt Forte to catch the ball, they’ve relied on Matt Forte to put his body on the line during play action fakes, and defending Jay Cutler against the pass rush. Forte has been the direct target of just under 45 percent of the plays the Bears have run, but that doesn’t count all of the play actions and big blocks that he’s made. As long as Forte is still on the field Chicago isn’t in that bad of shape. The Raiders have evolved into a much better team with the addition of Carson Palmer, and if he can become the man they are expecting him to be then Oakland will be a force to be reckoned with for a few years. With one of the deadliest one two punches in the backfield with Darren McFadden and Michael Bush the Raiders are definitely a very dangerous smash-mouth kind of team, but will that be enough to derail a very impressive Bears team?
Matt Forte and the Bears win a close one 28-27
New England at Philadelphia
Going into the season I honestly thought that this was going to be a prequel to the Super Bowl. This season has been a let down for the Eagles though, and the Patriots have definitely had a few hiccups of their own. The Patriots secondary has been less than good more games than not, and hope that Brady can put up more points than they give up. To be fair, the Patriots give up a lot of yards between the twenties, but once they get into the redzone they can usually tighten it up and hold the opposition to a field goal. The bright side for the Patriots is Tom Brady and the versatility of the New England attack. They are the most fortunate team when it comes to tight ends in the NFL and they are blessed with incredible talent in the slots. Gronkowski, Hernandez, and Welker are going to need to do some big things this week and as long as they don’t get too beat up on the line I think they will be okay. The Eagles have had quite a few set backs. Early in the year they were 1-4 and no one was taking them seriously. Now they have a few more wins, but they are without Michael Vick, as one thing starts to get better for the Eagles it seems like something else has to fall. The Eagles have great players on either side of the ball. Their offense goes through LeSean McCoy, and their defense has one of the most dangerous secondaries on paper. If the Eagles could figure themselves out, I still think they can be one of the scariest teams in the league. I think the Pats attack is too strong this week, especially if the Eagles aren’t going to put up as many numbers with Vince Young throwing the ball.
The Patriots take one in Philly 34-24
Denver at San Diego
Simply put – I don’t know. Tebow is a player that doesn’t put his team in a good position until the last minutes of the game. The Broncos defense has completely turned their game around and is putting up some impressive numbers. But it all comes back to Tim Tebow. He doesn’t throw the ball a lot, and he doesn’t make a lot of completions or touchdown passes. Somehow throughout the game Tebow will make one or two big passes, and it’s enough to put his team in the position that they need to be. It doesn’t make sense, but somehow it has been working. Taking the snaps on the other side we have Philip Rivers – a guy who has always been good – until this year. Rivers has thrown pick after pick, and given the ball away far too many times to be a good player this year. In a game that should have been so easily in favor of the Chargers I can’t help but doubt this team after everything that they have done recently. One of my friends says “You don’t bet against Jesus,” and this week I’m going to follow him and go with Tim Tebow and the Broncos.
Broncos beat a weak Chargers team 20-13
Week 12 - 1 O'Clock
Minnesota at Atlanta
The Vikings are in a very tough spot with their best player being out of this game. If they wanted to have any chance of winning it was going to be with Adrian Peterson on the field. The Vikings season is pretty much over though, there’s no reason for the team to risk further injury of their franchise player by playing him in a game and in a season that is already lost. The Falcons have a very potent attack with Michael Turner leading the way on the ground, and Matt Ryan launching an impressive aerial attack. I think this games pretty easily won by Matty Ice’s Atlanta Falcons.
Atlanta wins 27-13
Carolina at Indianapolis
Carolina is always a fun team to watch, and it looked like they were going to be a handful for the Lions last week. DeAngelo Williams finally did something on the ground, and despite Cam Newton’s four interceptions I still think he’s one of the more dangerous guys on the field on Sundays already in his young career. The Colts are doing a very good job at securing the number one spot in next years draft and giving themselves the predicament of sticking with ol’ reliable in Peyton Manning or the highly touted Andrew Luck. The best thing about Indy this season is their future. Carolina shouldn’t have too much trouble beating up on a very disheartened Colts franchise.
Carolina wins 24-10
Cleveland at Cincinnati
Cleveland has the misfortune of playing in one of the toughest divisions in the NFL. The past few seasons have been rough as they’ve faced the difficult Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers, but they usually had a partner in losing with the Cincinnati Bengals. The Browns are still really good at losing with the lack of versatility on offense, and the inability to stop the big plays on defense. The Bengals have turned to a new chapter in their franchise though with the drafting of two very impressive rookies Andy Dalton and AJ Green. These two have opened up a wave of possibilities for the future of the Bengals franchise. I talk about the future in this write up because I think it’s a pretty big pushover and I don’t see any chance in the Browns leaving Cincinnati with the victory.
Cincy wins 27-9
Buffalo at New York Jets
Buffalo was one of my most favored teams early in the year. I was loving what they could do on either side of the ball with Fred Jackson turning into a feature back, while Stevie Johnson and Fitzpatrick led the way through the air. This week Jackson is out and the Bills rely on CJ Spiller to finally live up to his potential. As of late Fitzpatrick and Johnson haven’t been able to get back into rhythm and it has hurt the Bills offense terribly. The Jets defense has the opportunity to continue to shut down this once impressive attack and really make an impact on their place in the AFC East. The Jets might not be in the place to take first from the Pats, but Sanchez has a chance to turn this around and get a grasp on one of the wild card spots and it could start this week.
The Jets defense leads them to victory 20-10
Houston at Jacksonville
Matt Schaub might be out, and the Texans are definitely taking a hit there, but they still have Arian Foster who I think is one of the best and most dangerous guys in the backfield. Foster, when healthy, can do damage both running the ball and catching the quick dump routes. With a new quarterback under center expect some more of these dump routes and Foster to get a much bigger workload. Andre Johnson is also back this week, which makes the Texans attack dangerous even with the absence of their starting quarterback. Jacksonville confused me more than anything last week when they had the victory one yard away last week and passed the ball three times in a row while Maurice Jones-Drew did nothing. MJD is a great running back and all the Jags had to do was let him get one more yard and the game would have been theirs. A team that can’t do a simple thing like that isn’t going to win a lot of games in the league especially against a team as good as the Texans.
(thanks for the heads up Shane!)
Houston wins this one 31-16
Tampa Bay at Tennessee
In a battle of the Bays last week the Buccaneers gave the Packers a pretty good run for their money. Guys like LaGarrette Blount and Mike Williams really stepped up and produced for a team that wasn’t expected to hold a candle to the undefeated Packers. If Tampa can play with as much heart this week against a lowly Titans team the game could be a steal in Tennessee. The Titans once again got nothing out of Chris Johnson as he rushed for only thirteen yards on twelve carries. Nate Washington showed up as rookie Jake Locker stepped in to take the reigns from a beaten up Matt Hasselbeck and the Titans almost stood a chance against the Falcons. This week Hasselbeck will be back, and if CJ can show up then maybe the Titans stand a chance.
Tampa shuts down CJ and the Titans in a 31-17 victory
Arizona at St. Louis
Arizona versus St. Louis is probably the game a least look forward to. Sure there are a couple of guys on each team that I don’t mind watching, some guys that can actually make some big plays, but all of these guys are right now being brought down by teams that can’t perform. Arizona has maybe one of the best wide-receivers in the league in Larry Fitzgerald, but his production and ability is being destroyed by not having a good quarterback throwing him the ball. On the other side we have Steven Jackson, a man that is an absolute monster. For years now Jackson has been stuck with a team that can’t win in a very weak division of football. He’s had a porous line with a beaten up quarterback, and it’s been a huge detriment to everything that he could be.
In a battle of the beaten I’m going to go with Arizona and Fitzgerald winning 20-17
The Vikings are in a very tough spot with their best player being out of this game. If they wanted to have any chance of winning it was going to be with Adrian Peterson on the field. The Vikings season is pretty much over though, there’s no reason for the team to risk further injury of their franchise player by playing him in a game and in a season that is already lost. The Falcons have a very potent attack with Michael Turner leading the way on the ground, and Matt Ryan launching an impressive aerial attack. I think this games pretty easily won by Matty Ice’s Atlanta Falcons.
Atlanta wins 27-13
Carolina at Indianapolis
Carolina is always a fun team to watch, and it looked like they were going to be a handful for the Lions last week. DeAngelo Williams finally did something on the ground, and despite Cam Newton’s four interceptions I still think he’s one of the more dangerous guys on the field on Sundays already in his young career. The Colts are doing a very good job at securing the number one spot in next years draft and giving themselves the predicament of sticking with ol’ reliable in Peyton Manning or the highly touted Andrew Luck. The best thing about Indy this season is their future. Carolina shouldn’t have too much trouble beating up on a very disheartened Colts franchise.
Carolina wins 24-10
Cleveland at Cincinnati
Cleveland has the misfortune of playing in one of the toughest divisions in the NFL. The past few seasons have been rough as they’ve faced the difficult Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers, but they usually had a partner in losing with the Cincinnati Bengals. The Browns are still really good at losing with the lack of versatility on offense, and the inability to stop the big plays on defense. The Bengals have turned to a new chapter in their franchise though with the drafting of two very impressive rookies Andy Dalton and AJ Green. These two have opened up a wave of possibilities for the future of the Bengals franchise. I talk about the future in this write up because I think it’s a pretty big pushover and I don’t see any chance in the Browns leaving Cincinnati with the victory.
Cincy wins 27-9
Buffalo at New York Jets
Buffalo was one of my most favored teams early in the year. I was loving what they could do on either side of the ball with Fred Jackson turning into a feature back, while Stevie Johnson and Fitzpatrick led the way through the air. This week Jackson is out and the Bills rely on CJ Spiller to finally live up to his potential. As of late Fitzpatrick and Johnson haven’t been able to get back into rhythm and it has hurt the Bills offense terribly. The Jets defense has the opportunity to continue to shut down this once impressive attack and really make an impact on their place in the AFC East. The Jets might not be in the place to take first from the Pats, but Sanchez has a chance to turn this around and get a grasp on one of the wild card spots and it could start this week.
The Jets defense leads them to victory 20-10
Houston at Jacksonville
Matt Schaub might be out, and the Texans are definitely taking a hit there, but they still have Arian Foster who I think is one of the best and most dangerous guys in the backfield. Foster, when healthy, can do damage both running the ball and catching the quick dump routes. With a new quarterback under center expect some more of these dump routes and Foster to get a much bigger workload. Andre Johnson is also back this week, which makes the Texans attack dangerous even with the absence of their starting quarterback. Jacksonville confused me more than anything last week when they had the victory one yard away last week and passed the ball three times in a row while Maurice Jones-Drew did nothing. MJD is a great running back and all the Jags had to do was let him get one more yard and the game would have been theirs. A team that can’t do a simple thing like that isn’t going to win a lot of games in the league especially against a team as good as the Texans.
(thanks for the heads up Shane!)
Houston wins this one 31-16
Tampa Bay at Tennessee
In a battle of the Bays last week the Buccaneers gave the Packers a pretty good run for their money. Guys like LaGarrette Blount and Mike Williams really stepped up and produced for a team that wasn’t expected to hold a candle to the undefeated Packers. If Tampa can play with as much heart this week against a lowly Titans team the game could be a steal in Tennessee. The Titans once again got nothing out of Chris Johnson as he rushed for only thirteen yards on twelve carries. Nate Washington showed up as rookie Jake Locker stepped in to take the reigns from a beaten up Matt Hasselbeck and the Titans almost stood a chance against the Falcons. This week Hasselbeck will be back, and if CJ can show up then maybe the Titans stand a chance.
Tampa shuts down CJ and the Titans in a 31-17 victory
Arizona at St. Louis
Arizona versus St. Louis is probably the game a least look forward to. Sure there are a couple of guys on each team that I don’t mind watching, some guys that can actually make some big plays, but all of these guys are right now being brought down by teams that can’t perform. Arizona has maybe one of the best wide-receivers in the league in Larry Fitzgerald, but his production and ability is being destroyed by not having a good quarterback throwing him the ball. On the other side we have Steven Jackson, a man that is an absolute monster. For years now Jackson has been stuck with a team that can’t win in a very weak division of football. He’s had a porous line with a beaten up quarterback, and it’s been a huge detriment to everything that he could be.
In a battle of the beaten I’m going to go with Arizona and Fitzgerald winning 20-17
Thursday, November 24, 2011
Week 12 - Thanksgiving Football!
Green Bay at Detroit
Green Bay has been unstoppable all year. They have the best quarterback in the league, they have probably the best offense in the league, and they have some incredibly good playmakers on the defensive side of the ball – leading the league in interceptions. When it comes down to which offense is going to score points everyone knows that Aaron Rodgers and his Pack-Attack are going to do just that. Whether it’s the ever reliable Greg Jennings having a huge week, the wily veteran Donald Driver, or the young guys like Jordy Nelson, the Packers put up numbers. Matthew Stafford’s Lions do the same thing. Calvin Johnson, Titus Young, the rebirth o Kevin Smith? The Lions came roaring back for what feels like the hundredth time last week. At one point they were down 28-7. This team has no fear, they think anything is possible to overcome, and nearly every week they prove that they are capable of doing just that. 39 years the Packers arrived in Detroit undefeated, the Lions beat them, and that ended up being the only loss the Packers brought home for the entire season. Can it happen again? I believe it can. I think on Turkey Day, when the Lions finally have a team that brings meaning to the game, and brings fans to the seats, and in a city that needs some incredible things to happen so they can have some hope again, the Lions give their city and their fans a big win. It’s not going to be easy, probably a big shootout with a ton of points on the board, but I think the Lions squeak it out for and show all of their fans how thankful they are that they stuck around.
Lions hand the Packers their first loss 38-35
Miami at Dallas
Miami has been looking really good since coming off of their bye week. Matt Moore has exceeded everyone’s expectations and has led his team to three straight victories. Reggie Bush has come alive, and although he didn’t put up huge numbers last week he still found his way into the end zone on the ground. The Dolphins have turned a new page and it looks as though they’ve forgotten how bad they were in the first half of the season and they believe that they can hang with some of these tougher teams. We’ll see. Dallas has been incredibly hot too. We’re bringing into this game two teams that are rolling right now, and it’s going to be a good one. Sure Dallas just barely nudged out their victory last week, but sometimes in a divisional rivalry game that is just what happens. Dallas has discovered the hidden talent off DeMarco Murray and can now rely on his wheels to gain some big yards on the ground, in turn giving Tony Romo the room he needs in the pocket to make the big plays he’s capable of. The newly balanced attack of the Dallas Cowboys is scary. Scary enough to beat some of the best teams, scary enough to beat some of the hottest teams, and scary enough to win at home on Thanksgiving.
The Dallas Cowboys enjoy a mini-bye after beating the Fish at home 28-20
San Francisco at Baltimore
I can’t decide which game is going to be more fun to watch, this one or the Packers Lions on Thanksgiving, but I’m heavily leaning towards this one which of course I am unable to watch. BUT! That’s a different story NFL Network, that’s a different story…
The 49ers have done nothing but impress me this season. Alex Smith has shown that he actually might have been taken as a number one overall pick for a reason, and offensive juggernauts like Vernon Davis and Frank Gore have really helped carry their bulk of the work too. The strength of the 49ers though lies in their defense. Seldom do they win by a ton of points, or really blow out their competition, but their defense can always keep the point total low, or within shooting range come the end of the game, and the offense has been able to get just enough to walk away with the win. Joe Flacco and his Ravens sometimes have trouble putting up the numbers that everyone expects them to get. The Ravens have lost some pretty silly games this year – Seattle, Jacksonville – but they tend to win the big ones and the ones that matter most – Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati – and this is a hard game to peg. The Niners are the more consistent, you know what you’re going to get when you watch them play. Frank Gore is going to pound the ball up the middle 20-30 times and give his team great field position and the defense is going to not allow big plays to happen. The Ravens are much more sporadic. When their offense is cooking you’ve got Flacco throwing to a dangerous Boldin and the stupidly fast Torrey Smith, along with Ray Rice cruising for some big yards. Everyone knows how good the Ravens defense can be, and if they turn it on for Thanksgiving it’s going to be one very interesting game. In a league defined by quarterbacks both of these two teams have underperforming players at that position. These two teams rely on their defenses to put them in a position where victory is still possible, and that is how this game is going to play out.
In a defensive battle the 49ers and Coach Jim Harbaugh outlast the Ravens and Coach John Harbaugh in a battle of the brothers Thanksgiving Night Family Reunion Special 17-13
Thank you to everyone that gives me a piece of their day and reads, skims, or just checks this out. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
Green Bay has been unstoppable all year. They have the best quarterback in the league, they have probably the best offense in the league, and they have some incredibly good playmakers on the defensive side of the ball – leading the league in interceptions. When it comes down to which offense is going to score points everyone knows that Aaron Rodgers and his Pack-Attack are going to do just that. Whether it’s the ever reliable Greg Jennings having a huge week, the wily veteran Donald Driver, or the young guys like Jordy Nelson, the Packers put up numbers. Matthew Stafford’s Lions do the same thing. Calvin Johnson, Titus Young, the rebirth o Kevin Smith? The Lions came roaring back for what feels like the hundredth time last week. At one point they were down 28-7. This team has no fear, they think anything is possible to overcome, and nearly every week they prove that they are capable of doing just that. 39 years the Packers arrived in Detroit undefeated, the Lions beat them, and that ended up being the only loss the Packers brought home for the entire season. Can it happen again? I believe it can. I think on Turkey Day, when the Lions finally have a team that brings meaning to the game, and brings fans to the seats, and in a city that needs some incredible things to happen so they can have some hope again, the Lions give their city and their fans a big win. It’s not going to be easy, probably a big shootout with a ton of points on the board, but I think the Lions squeak it out for and show all of their fans how thankful they are that they stuck around.
Lions hand the Packers their first loss 38-35
Miami at Dallas
Miami has been looking really good since coming off of their bye week. Matt Moore has exceeded everyone’s expectations and has led his team to three straight victories. Reggie Bush has come alive, and although he didn’t put up huge numbers last week he still found his way into the end zone on the ground. The Dolphins have turned a new page and it looks as though they’ve forgotten how bad they were in the first half of the season and they believe that they can hang with some of these tougher teams. We’ll see. Dallas has been incredibly hot too. We’re bringing into this game two teams that are rolling right now, and it’s going to be a good one. Sure Dallas just barely nudged out their victory last week, but sometimes in a divisional rivalry game that is just what happens. Dallas has discovered the hidden talent off DeMarco Murray and can now rely on his wheels to gain some big yards on the ground, in turn giving Tony Romo the room he needs in the pocket to make the big plays he’s capable of. The newly balanced attack of the Dallas Cowboys is scary. Scary enough to beat some of the best teams, scary enough to beat some of the hottest teams, and scary enough to win at home on Thanksgiving.
The Dallas Cowboys enjoy a mini-bye after beating the Fish at home 28-20
San Francisco at Baltimore
I can’t decide which game is going to be more fun to watch, this one or the Packers Lions on Thanksgiving, but I’m heavily leaning towards this one which of course I am unable to watch. BUT! That’s a different story NFL Network, that’s a different story…
The 49ers have done nothing but impress me this season. Alex Smith has shown that he actually might have been taken as a number one overall pick for a reason, and offensive juggernauts like Vernon Davis and Frank Gore have really helped carry their bulk of the work too. The strength of the 49ers though lies in their defense. Seldom do they win by a ton of points, or really blow out their competition, but their defense can always keep the point total low, or within shooting range come the end of the game, and the offense has been able to get just enough to walk away with the win. Joe Flacco and his Ravens sometimes have trouble putting up the numbers that everyone expects them to get. The Ravens have lost some pretty silly games this year – Seattle, Jacksonville – but they tend to win the big ones and the ones that matter most – Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati – and this is a hard game to peg. The Niners are the more consistent, you know what you’re going to get when you watch them play. Frank Gore is going to pound the ball up the middle 20-30 times and give his team great field position and the defense is going to not allow big plays to happen. The Ravens are much more sporadic. When their offense is cooking you’ve got Flacco throwing to a dangerous Boldin and the stupidly fast Torrey Smith, along with Ray Rice cruising for some big yards. Everyone knows how good the Ravens defense can be, and if they turn it on for Thanksgiving it’s going to be one very interesting game. In a league defined by quarterbacks both of these two teams have underperforming players at that position. These two teams rely on their defenses to put them in a position where victory is still possible, and that is how this game is going to play out.
In a defensive battle the 49ers and Coach Jim Harbaugh outlast the Ravens and Coach John Harbaugh in a battle of the brothers Thanksgiving Night Family Reunion Special 17-13
Thank you to everyone that gives me a piece of their day and reads, skims, or just checks this out. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
Sunday, November 20, 2011
Week 11 - Monday Night Football
Kansas City at New England
Yet another game that could have been a lot better if everyone that was supposed to be playing was going to be playing. This game looked great on paper during the preseason, you’ve got Jamaal Charles and Matt Cassel going up against Tom Brady and his incredibly wide receiver depth. Right? Wrong. Charles and Cassel, probably the two best offensive players are out against the Pats this week, and are being replaced by a few guys that no one has ever really heard of before this week. So as the Chiefs look to be on a quick downward spiral the Pats look to be picking it up. New England handled a great Jets defense last week, and although Mark Sanchez’s offensive tendencies aren’t anything to brag about, the Patriots shut him down too. I think the Patriots are on a big upwards swing right now, and again we are going to see some great things out of them.
Patriots win 35-17
Yet another game that could have been a lot better if everyone that was supposed to be playing was going to be playing. This game looked great on paper during the preseason, you’ve got Jamaal Charles and Matt Cassel going up against Tom Brady and his incredibly wide receiver depth. Right? Wrong. Charles and Cassel, probably the two best offensive players are out against the Pats this week, and are being replaced by a few guys that no one has ever really heard of before this week. So as the Chiefs look to be on a quick downward spiral the Pats look to be picking it up. New England handled a great Jets defense last week, and although Mark Sanchez’s offensive tendencies aren’t anything to brag about, the Patriots shut him down too. I think the Patriots are on a big upwards swing right now, and again we are going to see some great things out of them.
Patriots win 35-17
Week 11 - Sunday Night Football
Sunday Night Football
Philadelphia at New York Giants
This game was supposed to be one of the best games of the week, but with injuries riddling both sides of the ball for both teams it’s a crap shoot. The Eagles are newly without quarter back Mike Vick, wide out Jeremy Maclin and cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie. All of these players have been keys for the Eagles week in and week out, and although Philly still has some great athletes playing in guys like LeSean and DeSean and a defense that has a wealth of talent, they still are missing some key guys. The Giants have been winning week after week with a team that has had injuries messing with them all year. Somehow Eli Manning has led his team to victory a handful of times, surmounting some pretty incredibly odds. I think this game comes down to the fact of both teams key injuries, and the fact that the Giants are more used to playing without some of their better players, they’ve had to adjust almost every week. But Philly is going in blind, not knowing really how to play without Vick playing commander for their team.
The Giants win 28-20
Philadelphia at New York Giants
This game was supposed to be one of the best games of the week, but with injuries riddling both sides of the ball for both teams it’s a crap shoot. The Eagles are newly without quarter back Mike Vick, wide out Jeremy Maclin and cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie. All of these players have been keys for the Eagles week in and week out, and although Philly still has some great athletes playing in guys like LeSean and DeSean and a defense that has a wealth of talent, they still are missing some key guys. The Giants have been winning week after week with a team that has had injuries messing with them all year. Somehow Eli Manning has led his team to victory a handful of times, surmounting some pretty incredibly odds. I think this game comes down to the fact of both teams key injuries, and the fact that the Giants are more used to playing without some of their better players, they’ve had to adjust almost every week. But Philly is going in blind, not knowing really how to play without Vick playing commander for their team.
The Giants win 28-20
Week 11 - 4 O'Clock Games
Seattle at St. Louis
This is another one of those games that I’m not really excited for. Seattle is a huge let down. I didn’t have high expectations for them going into this season, but I also didn’t believe that they were going to be just this bad. Jackson and Rice and the transplanted Vikings combination hasn’t been enough to give this offense the kick it needs. Marshawn Lynch shows up every now and then to play, but he isn’t consistent enough. The Rams on the other side of the ball have one player that I absolutely love to watch run the ball in Steven Jackson. Year after year Jackson takes hit after hit and tries his hardest to bring this Rams franchise back to where it once was. The man just never quits. I think this is Jackson’s game to run with, and I think he does it well.
Jackson and the Rams win 24-16
Arizona at San Francisco
Arizona hasn’t done much to impress me this season. I thought Kolb was before getting hurt, and although this Skelton kid has had a couple of decent plays he’s nothing spectacular. Unfortunately for this rundown Cardinals team they are going up against arguably one of the best teams in the NFL this week as they walk on to a field armed with barbarians like Frank Gore and Patrick Willis. These two men would absolutely scare the hell out of me if I were to ever see either of them running at me with their shoulders lowered. Gore does it to get his team points, Willis does it to get his team the ball, and they both do it well. Very well.
The 49ers are too good winning 28-10
Tennessee at Atlanta
Chris Johnson finally showed up to run this ball last week for just the second time this season CJ hit the century mark. This is the same guy that got 2000 yards from scrimmage a couple of years ago? I don’t see it. Yeah so Chris had his second good game of the season, he should have been having these games all year long. Going up against this Atlanta team is going to be tough this week, too. Atlanta has a lot to answer for, to both their fans and football analysts everywhere. Atlanta went for it on 4th and 1 in overtime against the Saints deep in their own territory. Do I blame them? Not one bit. They have Michael Turner, one of the absolute best running backs in the league right now, a running back that averages 4.4 yards a carry. I’d give him the ball ten times out of ten right there, especially knowing you’ve got Drew Brees waiting on the other side waiting to get back in. I agree with the Atlanta call, and I expect them to come out playing angry.
Atlanta defends themselves and rebounds with a big win 31-17
San Diego at Chicago
I’m over the Chargers. Every now and then I hold on to a team for too long because of how they should be playing, instead of how they are. Rivers is just not on lately, and the Chargers continue to do little things wrong that give the other team the game. Going into Chicago the Chargers are going to need to do everything right to stand a chance. Jay Cutler may not be the best quarterback in the league right now, but he does have one of the guys that I think is one of the best offensive players in the league standing with him – Matt Forte. Forte continues to dominate in every aspect of the game offensively, and if Michael Bush was allowed to run for well over one hundred yards last week I can only imagine what Forte is going to do.
Chicago wins this one 30-16
This is another one of those games that I’m not really excited for. Seattle is a huge let down. I didn’t have high expectations for them going into this season, but I also didn’t believe that they were going to be just this bad. Jackson and Rice and the transplanted Vikings combination hasn’t been enough to give this offense the kick it needs. Marshawn Lynch shows up every now and then to play, but he isn’t consistent enough. The Rams on the other side of the ball have one player that I absolutely love to watch run the ball in Steven Jackson. Year after year Jackson takes hit after hit and tries his hardest to bring this Rams franchise back to where it once was. The man just never quits. I think this is Jackson’s game to run with, and I think he does it well.
Jackson and the Rams win 24-16
Arizona at San Francisco
Arizona hasn’t done much to impress me this season. I thought Kolb was before getting hurt, and although this Skelton kid has had a couple of decent plays he’s nothing spectacular. Unfortunately for this rundown Cardinals team they are going up against arguably one of the best teams in the NFL this week as they walk on to a field armed with barbarians like Frank Gore and Patrick Willis. These two men would absolutely scare the hell out of me if I were to ever see either of them running at me with their shoulders lowered. Gore does it to get his team points, Willis does it to get his team the ball, and they both do it well. Very well.
The 49ers are too good winning 28-10
Tennessee at Atlanta
Chris Johnson finally showed up to run this ball last week for just the second time this season CJ hit the century mark. This is the same guy that got 2000 yards from scrimmage a couple of years ago? I don’t see it. Yeah so Chris had his second good game of the season, he should have been having these games all year long. Going up against this Atlanta team is going to be tough this week, too. Atlanta has a lot to answer for, to both their fans and football analysts everywhere. Atlanta went for it on 4th and 1 in overtime against the Saints deep in their own territory. Do I blame them? Not one bit. They have Michael Turner, one of the absolute best running backs in the league right now, a running back that averages 4.4 yards a carry. I’d give him the ball ten times out of ten right there, especially knowing you’ve got Drew Brees waiting on the other side waiting to get back in. I agree with the Atlanta call, and I expect them to come out playing angry.
Atlanta defends themselves and rebounds with a big win 31-17
San Diego at Chicago
I’m over the Chargers. Every now and then I hold on to a team for too long because of how they should be playing, instead of how they are. Rivers is just not on lately, and the Chargers continue to do little things wrong that give the other team the game. Going into Chicago the Chargers are going to need to do everything right to stand a chance. Jay Cutler may not be the best quarterback in the league right now, but he does have one of the guys that I think is one of the best offensive players in the league standing with him – Matt Forte. Forte continues to dominate in every aspect of the game offensively, and if Michael Bush was allowed to run for well over one hundred yards last week I can only imagine what Forte is going to do.
Chicago wins this one 30-16
Week 11 - 1 O'Clock Games
Carolina at Detroit
If you’ve been following my blog, and reading what I’ve got to say each week then you know I’m a fan of Cam Newton. I think Cam is already a great player, and he’s just going to keep on getting better. However, this week Cam Newton is going up against a team that is already great. The young Matt Stafford is already playing very well, and with the offensive weapons that the Lions have I see them running wild all over a weak Carolina defense. Detroit has playmakers on both sides of the ball, and with Calvin Johnson holding down the fort on the offensive and Ndamukong Suh beasting through any offensive wall thrown in front of him, I don’t see how Detroit loses this one.
Detroit wins at home 31-21
Oakland at Minnesota
Oakland pulled out a good win last week and completely surprised me as Michael Bush ran wild all over the Chargers defense. Apparently this Oakland team is just breeding running backs right now, and whether its Michael Bush or Darren McFadden back there they aren’t afraid to jam the ball up the gut. Carson Palmer gives the team some confidence through the air even though he has been throwing interceptions he still has the mental capability to get over the few mistakes he does have. Minnesota is coming off of a savage beating courtesy of undefeated Green Bay. Although the Vikings are playing at home, and they’ve got some great threats with Peterson running and Jared Allen taking out any opposing quarterback, I just have a gut feeling that it’s not enough this week.
The Raiders win 28-17
Dallas at Washington
Dallas made Buffalo look silly last week. Romo was on fire to start the game, and DeMarco Murray continues to be a surprise breakout player. The rookie runningback out of Oklahoma has run for over 600 yards in the last four games, with his lowest yards per carry average during that span coming in at a 6.3 against the Seahawks. I think DeMarco is one of the biggest surprises to come out midseason, and going up against Washington it’s just going to keep on getting better. The Redskins give up an average of 4.3 yards per carry to opposing running backs, and I think this is Murray’s game from the get go. Romo is going to excel with a new running game dominating the Cowboys attack.
Dallas wins 38-10
Buffalo at Miami
This is an intriguing match-up. Buffalo started the season incredibly hot, and they looked like they were going to be a force to be reckoned with in the AFC East. Since then the Bills have cooled off. They haven’t been forcing the turnovers they were early on in the season, and their offensive attack has dwindled. The Dolphins have been exactly the opposite. They started their season cold, and I mean ice cold. But since their bye week it looks as if the Dolphins have figured something out. Their offense has been putting up some very nice numbers from none other than Matt Moore under center, and Reggie Bush finally playing like a first round pick after half a dozen years in the league. This is one of those must win games for Buffalo though, and I don’t think they take the fish lightly. I think Fred Jackson and Fitzpatrick come in this one to play, and the Bills defense starts getting the ball back.
Buffalo takes one at Miami 24-13
Jacksonville at Cleveland
I’m not a big fan of either of these teams. I think Blaine Gabbert could eventually be good. I think Maurice Jones-Drew is a great running back, but he’s plagued by the fact that the entire offense rests on his short shoulders. The Jags defense isn’t anything spectacular as they give up an average of 4.8 yards to opposing offenses per play. I think that Cleveland is even worse though. They do very little every game. Occasionally either of these teams will do something out of the ordinary, but for the most part I don’t have high expectations for either of these teams for a year or two, but definitely not during this game. I think it comes down to the point that the Jags have the best player on the field in MJD and he carries the ball for victory
Jaguars win at Cleveland 17-9
Cincinnati at Baltimore
The Bengals have really grown on me this year. I respect their system quite a bit more, and I love the potential that the franchise now has for years down the road. Dalton and Green have given the team a revitalization that they have truly needed, while their defense continues to make some pretty big plays. Baltimore on the other hand seems to choose the games that they want to come out and play for. The Ravens continue to win against the big teams, the games that they “need” to win, but they also continue to lose against the teams that they are supposed to roll over. Luckily for Ravens fans this week Cincy is one of those games that they need to win, and Baltimore always seems to show up for these ones.
Somehow the Ravens pull one out 24-21
Tampa Bay at Green Bay
Tampa is put in a hard place. They’ve taken major hits to their defensive line, and their incredibly young offense seems to be showing its inexperience this season. The biggest thing in this game is going to be if this beaten and battered Buccaneers defensive front can get any pressure on the incredible Aaron Rodgers. Rodgers has done phenomenal things all season, and if he has time to sit in the pocket and not need to worry about the rush then it’s going to be just that much better. In a battle of the bays I don’t see just how Tampa could plan on pulling this one off. Green Bay is just too good right now to be slowed down by this young Tampa team.
Green Bay wins another 35-24
If you’ve been following my blog, and reading what I’ve got to say each week then you know I’m a fan of Cam Newton. I think Cam is already a great player, and he’s just going to keep on getting better. However, this week Cam Newton is going up against a team that is already great. The young Matt Stafford is already playing very well, and with the offensive weapons that the Lions have I see them running wild all over a weak Carolina defense. Detroit has playmakers on both sides of the ball, and with Calvin Johnson holding down the fort on the offensive and Ndamukong Suh beasting through any offensive wall thrown in front of him, I don’t see how Detroit loses this one.
Detroit wins at home 31-21
Oakland at Minnesota
Oakland pulled out a good win last week and completely surprised me as Michael Bush ran wild all over the Chargers defense. Apparently this Oakland team is just breeding running backs right now, and whether its Michael Bush or Darren McFadden back there they aren’t afraid to jam the ball up the gut. Carson Palmer gives the team some confidence through the air even though he has been throwing interceptions he still has the mental capability to get over the few mistakes he does have. Minnesota is coming off of a savage beating courtesy of undefeated Green Bay. Although the Vikings are playing at home, and they’ve got some great threats with Peterson running and Jared Allen taking out any opposing quarterback, I just have a gut feeling that it’s not enough this week.
The Raiders win 28-17
Dallas at Washington
Dallas made Buffalo look silly last week. Romo was on fire to start the game, and DeMarco Murray continues to be a surprise breakout player. The rookie runningback out of Oklahoma has run for over 600 yards in the last four games, with his lowest yards per carry average during that span coming in at a 6.3 against the Seahawks. I think DeMarco is one of the biggest surprises to come out midseason, and going up against Washington it’s just going to keep on getting better. The Redskins give up an average of 4.3 yards per carry to opposing running backs, and I think this is Murray’s game from the get go. Romo is going to excel with a new running game dominating the Cowboys attack.
Dallas wins 38-10
Buffalo at Miami
This is an intriguing match-up. Buffalo started the season incredibly hot, and they looked like they were going to be a force to be reckoned with in the AFC East. Since then the Bills have cooled off. They haven’t been forcing the turnovers they were early on in the season, and their offensive attack has dwindled. The Dolphins have been exactly the opposite. They started their season cold, and I mean ice cold. But since their bye week it looks as if the Dolphins have figured something out. Their offense has been putting up some very nice numbers from none other than Matt Moore under center, and Reggie Bush finally playing like a first round pick after half a dozen years in the league. This is one of those must win games for Buffalo though, and I don’t think they take the fish lightly. I think Fred Jackson and Fitzpatrick come in this one to play, and the Bills defense starts getting the ball back.
Buffalo takes one at Miami 24-13
Jacksonville at Cleveland
I’m not a big fan of either of these teams. I think Blaine Gabbert could eventually be good. I think Maurice Jones-Drew is a great running back, but he’s plagued by the fact that the entire offense rests on his short shoulders. The Jags defense isn’t anything spectacular as they give up an average of 4.8 yards to opposing offenses per play. I think that Cleveland is even worse though. They do very little every game. Occasionally either of these teams will do something out of the ordinary, but for the most part I don’t have high expectations for either of these teams for a year or two, but definitely not during this game. I think it comes down to the point that the Jags have the best player on the field in MJD and he carries the ball for victory
Jaguars win at Cleveland 17-9
Cincinnati at Baltimore
The Bengals have really grown on me this year. I respect their system quite a bit more, and I love the potential that the franchise now has for years down the road. Dalton and Green have given the team a revitalization that they have truly needed, while their defense continues to make some pretty big plays. Baltimore on the other hand seems to choose the games that they want to come out and play for. The Ravens continue to win against the big teams, the games that they “need” to win, but they also continue to lose against the teams that they are supposed to roll over. Luckily for Ravens fans this week Cincy is one of those games that they need to win, and Baltimore always seems to show up for these ones.
Somehow the Ravens pull one out 24-21
Tampa Bay at Green Bay
Tampa is put in a hard place. They’ve taken major hits to their defensive line, and their incredibly young offense seems to be showing its inexperience this season. The biggest thing in this game is going to be if this beaten and battered Buccaneers defensive front can get any pressure on the incredible Aaron Rodgers. Rodgers has done phenomenal things all season, and if he has time to sit in the pocket and not need to worry about the rush then it’s going to be just that much better. In a battle of the bays I don’t see just how Tampa could plan on pulling this one off. Green Bay is just too good right now to be slowed down by this young Tampa team.
Green Bay wins another 35-24
Thursday, November 17, 2011
Week 11 - Thursday Night Football
New York Jets at Denver
For the past few weeks I’ve been hearing about how “Tim Tebow wins games.” Trust me when I say this, in the NFL so far it has not been Tim Tebow that wins those games. Maybe he puts his team in a decent position with his feet, and maybe just maybe he makes one good throw a game, but so far this team under Tim Tebow’s wing has led him to victories, not the other way around. I know the Jets just got swamped by the Patriots, and LT got hurt by a wide receiver playing corner. I still think that the Jets are more than capable of trouncing a very one dimensional Broncos attack. Revis – maybe the best corner in the game is going to be matched up against Decker? Who? Good luck Denver, you’re going to need it.
Jets win this one 27-10
For the past few weeks I’ve been hearing about how “Tim Tebow wins games.” Trust me when I say this, in the NFL so far it has not been Tim Tebow that wins those games. Maybe he puts his team in a decent position with his feet, and maybe just maybe he makes one good throw a game, but so far this team under Tim Tebow’s wing has led him to victories, not the other way around. I know the Jets just got swamped by the Patriots, and LT got hurt by a wide receiver playing corner. I still think that the Jets are more than capable of trouncing a very one dimensional Broncos attack. Revis – maybe the best corner in the game is going to be matched up against Decker? Who? Good luck Denver, you’re going to need it.
Jets win this one 27-10
Saturday, November 12, 2011
Week 10 - Monday Night Football
Minnesota at Green Bay
Minnesota and Christian Ponder look like the perfect match for the first few weeks that they’ve been playing together. Ponder has taken the mess that McNabb left behind and already worked out a few kinks during his brief starts in the rookie season. The biggest difference is the play style that the Vikings have changed to once they put Ponder under center. At the start of the season it was looking more like a pass first run later approach to the game, but now it has turned into giving the ball to Adrian Peterson and letting him do what he can before relying on the rookies arm. The Packers are the Packers are the Packers. It’s the same story week in and week out with these guys. Last week it was Aaron Rodgers again doing everything he could as the Pack Attack rolled on. Rodgers threw four touchdowns, just under 250 yards, and completed eighty-percent of his passes. If one player in this league looks stand-out incredible this year it is Aaron Rodgers. The Packers are looking unstoppable and I think that playing at home, with one of the biggest rivalries in the NFL coming into their place I can’t see it going any other way than Rodgers. Rodgers did get sacked four times last week, and the Vikings bring one of most dominant pass rushers in Jared Allen. Things could get tough, but in the end on Monday night it will fall the Packers way.
Aaron Rodgers has another great game as the Packers win 30-24.
Minnesota and Christian Ponder look like the perfect match for the first few weeks that they’ve been playing together. Ponder has taken the mess that McNabb left behind and already worked out a few kinks during his brief starts in the rookie season. The biggest difference is the play style that the Vikings have changed to once they put Ponder under center. At the start of the season it was looking more like a pass first run later approach to the game, but now it has turned into giving the ball to Adrian Peterson and letting him do what he can before relying on the rookies arm. The Packers are the Packers are the Packers. It’s the same story week in and week out with these guys. Last week it was Aaron Rodgers again doing everything he could as the Pack Attack rolled on. Rodgers threw four touchdowns, just under 250 yards, and completed eighty-percent of his passes. If one player in this league looks stand-out incredible this year it is Aaron Rodgers. The Packers are looking unstoppable and I think that playing at home, with one of the biggest rivalries in the NFL coming into their place I can’t see it going any other way than Rodgers. Rodgers did get sacked four times last week, and the Vikings bring one of most dominant pass rushers in Jared Allen. Things could get tough, but in the end on Monday night it will fall the Packers way.
Aaron Rodgers has another great game as the Packers win 30-24.
Week 10 - Sunday Night Football
New England at New York Jets
If Tom Brady isn’t the angriest person in the NFL right now, I don’t know who is. Brady has looked off for the last few games. He has the occasional great pass down to Welker or Gronkowski, but he doesn’t have any deep threat. Ochocinco was supposed to fill that spot, and so far it just hasn’t worked out. If there’s ever a week where Brady’s bunch needs to piece it all together it’s this one. The Jets shut down the Bills attack, they took one of the hottest offenses in the league and held them to just 11 points. On top of that Sanchez and his crew of receivers have looked like they’re starting to piece their own blunders together. The Patriots offense is the polar opposite of what the Bills put on the field every week though, so it’s going to be interesting to see if the Jets can contain a potent passing attack compared to a ground and pound offense that the Bills have been running with lately.
The Pats piece this one together and eek one out at 31-28
If Tom Brady isn’t the angriest person in the NFL right now, I don’t know who is. Brady has looked off for the last few games. He has the occasional great pass down to Welker or Gronkowski, but he doesn’t have any deep threat. Ochocinco was supposed to fill that spot, and so far it just hasn’t worked out. If there’s ever a week where Brady’s bunch needs to piece it all together it’s this one. The Jets shut down the Bills attack, they took one of the hottest offenses in the league and held them to just 11 points. On top of that Sanchez and his crew of receivers have looked like they’re starting to piece their own blunders together. The Patriots offense is the polar opposite of what the Bills put on the field every week though, so it’s going to be interesting to see if the Jets can contain a potent passing attack compared to a ground and pound offense that the Bills have been running with lately.
The Pats piece this one together and eek one out at 31-28
Week 10 - 4 O'Clock
Baltimore at Seattle
The Ravens are one of my favorite teams in the league to watch. They have a great defense with guys that can not only stop big plays from happening, but make them happen on their own. If Flacco can become the player that he was in their closing drive last week for an entire game then Baltimore could be one of the biggest threats in the NFL on both sides of the ball. Seattle isn’t doing much for me this season. Occasionally one of their players will do something that makes it look like he could be a great player, but then the next few weeks he’ll drop off. I don’t see any of these one week players are going to do anything against such a strong defense.
Baltimore takes this one 31-10
Detroit at Chicago
Detroit took a week off last week after they got back on the winning end of the ball in a 45-10 trouncing of the Broncos. Matt Stafford threw for over 250 yards again alongside his three touchdown passes. Throughout Calvin Johnsons five year career he’s scored on forty-four touchdown receptions – eleven of those have come this year – only eight games in. The trouble with all of this is that Detroit is going into a very hostile Bears territory, a team that just shutdown and beat the Eagles. Matt Forte is second in rushing behind LeSeasn McCoy by only twenty yards. Forte has gained 805 yards on the ground and 436 through the air. The Bears rely on Forte and his versatility to dominate games. This matchup is going to come down to the Lions defensive front against the Bears lone threat.
Suh versus Forte could be a primetime fight, but I’ll give it to Suh and the Lions winning 28-24
New York Giants at San Francisco
The Giants looked pretty surprising against the Patriots last week, and I think that they shocked everyone as they won on their fifth game winning drive of the season. Eli looked strong on that last drive, and Ballard – a tight end that’s come out of nowhere – made many big catches. The difference between the Patriots and the Niners is their defensive capabilities. Just having Willis on the defensive side of the ball is incredibly helpful compared to a battered and beaten up Patriots defense. Frank Gore is one of the strongest running backs in the league, and I think he’s going to take the ball and run all over the Giants defense.
Gore wins this one 24-21
The Ravens are one of my favorite teams in the league to watch. They have a great defense with guys that can not only stop big plays from happening, but make them happen on their own. If Flacco can become the player that he was in their closing drive last week for an entire game then Baltimore could be one of the biggest threats in the NFL on both sides of the ball. Seattle isn’t doing much for me this season. Occasionally one of their players will do something that makes it look like he could be a great player, but then the next few weeks he’ll drop off. I don’t see any of these one week players are going to do anything against such a strong defense.
Baltimore takes this one 31-10
Detroit at Chicago
Detroit took a week off last week after they got back on the winning end of the ball in a 45-10 trouncing of the Broncos. Matt Stafford threw for over 250 yards again alongside his three touchdown passes. Throughout Calvin Johnsons five year career he’s scored on forty-four touchdown receptions – eleven of those have come this year – only eight games in. The trouble with all of this is that Detroit is going into a very hostile Bears territory, a team that just shutdown and beat the Eagles. Matt Forte is second in rushing behind LeSeasn McCoy by only twenty yards. Forte has gained 805 yards on the ground and 436 through the air. The Bears rely on Forte and his versatility to dominate games. This matchup is going to come down to the Lions defensive front against the Bears lone threat.
Suh versus Forte could be a primetime fight, but I’ll give it to Suh and the Lions winning 28-24
New York Giants at San Francisco
The Giants looked pretty surprising against the Patriots last week, and I think that they shocked everyone as they won on their fifth game winning drive of the season. Eli looked strong on that last drive, and Ballard – a tight end that’s come out of nowhere – made many big catches. The difference between the Patriots and the Niners is their defensive capabilities. Just having Willis on the defensive side of the ball is incredibly helpful compared to a battered and beaten up Patriots defense. Frank Gore is one of the strongest running backs in the league, and I think he’s going to take the ball and run all over the Giants defense.
Gore wins this one 24-21
Week 10 - 1 O'Clock
Arizona at Philadelphia
Last week Arizona had a pretty lucky win while St. Louis missed a game winning field goal as time expired. Patrick Peterson continues to look impressive in the return game during his rookie career especially as he returned a 99 yard punt for the win just a week ago. The Eagles continue to look strong, despite a late loss to the Bears in week nine. Michael Vick is always a handful, LeSean McCoy is a dominant running back, and the core of wide receivers that Andy Reid’s Eagles contain is astounding.
Expect Michael Vick to bounce back with a decisive win over the Cardinals 31-17
Buffalo at Dallas
Fred Jackson and the Buffalo Bills have been one of the more surprising teams of the year. With some big wins over some pretty good teams throughout the first half of the season the Bills have put themselves in a pretty strong position going through the rest of the year, but this week is going to be tough. After the Jet’s showed what it takes to beat the Bills last week expect the Cowboys to pick up on the same defensive schemes to pick apart Buffalo’s offense and contain them to some pretty small yardage. I think Tony Romo will be just okay against this Bills secondary, but Demarco Murray is going to have another great day.
Demarco runs over the Bills as Dallas wins 24-17
Denver at Kansas City
To quote a friend, “last week was a fluke for both of these teams.” Denver isn’t good. They have a couple of decent players on either side of the ball, and McGahee seems to look like he’s having a rebirth in the mile high air, but besides that the Broncos’ offense doesn’t seem too impressive. Kansas City is better than they played last week, and by a lot. I think KC was looking past the winless Dolphins and expected the game to be a pushover as they prepared for this week and the Chiefs. The running back situation is questionable down in Arrowhead Stadium, but Matt Cassel is growing into his young wideouts and things are looking up.
Kansas City takes one at home 27-20
Jacksonville at Indianapolis
This game is going to come down to whether or not Maurice Jones-Drew can outrun the outside rush of Freeney and Mathis. MJD is consistently a great back in the NFL but this week he needs to lower his shoulders and break through the line for the Jags to get another win on the year. Indianapolis just isn’t good. It’s the same thing week in and week out, a soft run game, and a quarterback that just still doesn’t quite get it. Maybe Painter finally starts to step it up a little bit, and maybe he gets a touchdown or two, but it just isn’t going to be enough for the Colts to get their first win of the season.
Maurice runs wild over a soft Colts run defense as the Jags win 20-17
Pittsburgh at Cincinnati
Pittsburgh fell short last week against the Ravens as Joe Flacco led a 92 yard drive and a game winning touchdown. The Steelers defense hasn’t looked as impressive as it has in years past this season, but they’re still pretty tough. Pittsburgh’s offense has some strong characters, and some big playmakers that can really change the game. On the other side in this game we’ve got Dalton who continues to impress through the air and get big touchdowns when they matter. With Cedric Benson being a balance for the aerial game that the Bengals have adopted the balanced Cincy offense seems to be on the right track to be successful for years. We’ve got two of the best defenses playing in this game, and it’s going to come down to who can shut down who.
The Bengals d holds Big Ben in check as Cincy wins 24-17
New Orleans at Atlanta
New Orleans has everything it takes to be a great franchise again this season but as they consistently give up big plays through the air it’s going to be an uphill battle. Sure they have the weapons on offense with Brees, a slew of running backs, and a handful of guys that can catch the ball, but with the lack of standout defensive players its hard to say they aren’t going to give up a lot of yards in any game. Atlanta looked great last week granted they were playing the lowly Colts. As Julio Jones stormed downfield a few times for a couple of huge touchdown receptions it leaves me with the thoughts of exactly the same things happening against the Saints this week. Matt Ryan and his offensive threats soaring through the secondary are just too dangerous for the New Orleans defense to handle.
Atlanta wins this through the air 31-28
Tennessee at Carolina
Tennessee is a team that I have no faith in any week. Chris Johnson is the biggest let down in the entire league this season, no one has made as big of demands as he did just to come back and do nothing for his team. With Hasselbeck under center maybe the Titans have a chance here and there, but for the most part I have no faith. Carolina on the other hand is exactly the opposite. Rookie sensation Cam Newton is impressive almost every week, and him throwing the ball downfield to Steve Smith is one of the highlights I look for week in and week out. Even with a weak ground attack this year the Panthers are starting an upwards swing that’s going to keep increasing for the next few seasons.
Panthers and Cam take one at home 24-13
Houston at Tampa Bay
Arian Foster is one of the best players in the game, and Tampa Bay is down to a defensive tackle that is brand new to their system and only played a select handful of downs before being shipped out by the Patriots in Albert Haynesworth. If previous games are how you look to pick your game for the week then think about this – Arian Foster has over 100 yards and a combined five touchdowns in the last three games. Foster is hot. With a Tampa defensive line that looks questionable at best it’s hard not to pick the Texans in this one. On the other hand you have young standouts like Freeman and Blount who are looking good, but I just don’t think that it is enough.
Foster takes this one 28-21
St. Louis at Cleveland
Bradford and Jackson got robbed last week as the Rams missed their game winning field goal. I like the Rams young attack this year, sure they don’t have a lot of wins, but they’ve got potential and I think that there are going to be a few games this year where the Rams just take it and run with it – literally. Steven Jackson is an absolute BEAST when he’s healthy, and he is healthy now. Last week SJax had 130 yards on 29 carries and the week before he had a monstrous 159 on 25 carries. Give Jackson the ball twenty-plus times and watch magic happen. Cleveland is okay, I’ve said it for a few weeks now that I like Colt McCoy, but besides that there isn’t much going for them lately. With a continued absence of Peyton Hillis I don’t see this game falling the way of the Browns.
Jackson runs wild for the Rams as they win 21-10
Washington at Miami
Washington is very banged up and very injured with some of their biggest players going down a few weeks ago. With Beck being their best offensive weapon it’s very dangerous to put your pick in the hands of the Redskins. The Dolphins actually looked very impressive last week as they went off against the Chiefs. Matt Moore looked really good, and Reggie Bush looked surprisingly like a starter as he ran for over 100 yards. If the Dolphins can keep this streak going the second half of their season could be drastically different than the first.
Matt Moore leads the Dolphins to their second in a row 17-10
Last week Arizona had a pretty lucky win while St. Louis missed a game winning field goal as time expired. Patrick Peterson continues to look impressive in the return game during his rookie career especially as he returned a 99 yard punt for the win just a week ago. The Eagles continue to look strong, despite a late loss to the Bears in week nine. Michael Vick is always a handful, LeSean McCoy is a dominant running back, and the core of wide receivers that Andy Reid’s Eagles contain is astounding.
Expect Michael Vick to bounce back with a decisive win over the Cardinals 31-17
Buffalo at Dallas
Fred Jackson and the Buffalo Bills have been one of the more surprising teams of the year. With some big wins over some pretty good teams throughout the first half of the season the Bills have put themselves in a pretty strong position going through the rest of the year, but this week is going to be tough. After the Jet’s showed what it takes to beat the Bills last week expect the Cowboys to pick up on the same defensive schemes to pick apart Buffalo’s offense and contain them to some pretty small yardage. I think Tony Romo will be just okay against this Bills secondary, but Demarco Murray is going to have another great day.
Demarco runs over the Bills as Dallas wins 24-17
Denver at Kansas City
To quote a friend, “last week was a fluke for both of these teams.” Denver isn’t good. They have a couple of decent players on either side of the ball, and McGahee seems to look like he’s having a rebirth in the mile high air, but besides that the Broncos’ offense doesn’t seem too impressive. Kansas City is better than they played last week, and by a lot. I think KC was looking past the winless Dolphins and expected the game to be a pushover as they prepared for this week and the Chiefs. The running back situation is questionable down in Arrowhead Stadium, but Matt Cassel is growing into his young wideouts and things are looking up.
Kansas City takes one at home 27-20
Jacksonville at Indianapolis
This game is going to come down to whether or not Maurice Jones-Drew can outrun the outside rush of Freeney and Mathis. MJD is consistently a great back in the NFL but this week he needs to lower his shoulders and break through the line for the Jags to get another win on the year. Indianapolis just isn’t good. It’s the same thing week in and week out, a soft run game, and a quarterback that just still doesn’t quite get it. Maybe Painter finally starts to step it up a little bit, and maybe he gets a touchdown or two, but it just isn’t going to be enough for the Colts to get their first win of the season.
Maurice runs wild over a soft Colts run defense as the Jags win 20-17
Pittsburgh at Cincinnati
Pittsburgh fell short last week against the Ravens as Joe Flacco led a 92 yard drive and a game winning touchdown. The Steelers defense hasn’t looked as impressive as it has in years past this season, but they’re still pretty tough. Pittsburgh’s offense has some strong characters, and some big playmakers that can really change the game. On the other side in this game we’ve got Dalton who continues to impress through the air and get big touchdowns when they matter. With Cedric Benson being a balance for the aerial game that the Bengals have adopted the balanced Cincy offense seems to be on the right track to be successful for years. We’ve got two of the best defenses playing in this game, and it’s going to come down to who can shut down who.
The Bengals d holds Big Ben in check as Cincy wins 24-17
New Orleans at Atlanta
New Orleans has everything it takes to be a great franchise again this season but as they consistently give up big plays through the air it’s going to be an uphill battle. Sure they have the weapons on offense with Brees, a slew of running backs, and a handful of guys that can catch the ball, but with the lack of standout defensive players its hard to say they aren’t going to give up a lot of yards in any game. Atlanta looked great last week granted they were playing the lowly Colts. As Julio Jones stormed downfield a few times for a couple of huge touchdown receptions it leaves me with the thoughts of exactly the same things happening against the Saints this week. Matt Ryan and his offensive threats soaring through the secondary are just too dangerous for the New Orleans defense to handle.
Atlanta wins this through the air 31-28
Tennessee at Carolina
Tennessee is a team that I have no faith in any week. Chris Johnson is the biggest let down in the entire league this season, no one has made as big of demands as he did just to come back and do nothing for his team. With Hasselbeck under center maybe the Titans have a chance here and there, but for the most part I have no faith. Carolina on the other hand is exactly the opposite. Rookie sensation Cam Newton is impressive almost every week, and him throwing the ball downfield to Steve Smith is one of the highlights I look for week in and week out. Even with a weak ground attack this year the Panthers are starting an upwards swing that’s going to keep increasing for the next few seasons.
Panthers and Cam take one at home 24-13
Houston at Tampa Bay
Arian Foster is one of the best players in the game, and Tampa Bay is down to a defensive tackle that is brand new to their system and only played a select handful of downs before being shipped out by the Patriots in Albert Haynesworth. If previous games are how you look to pick your game for the week then think about this – Arian Foster has over 100 yards and a combined five touchdowns in the last three games. Foster is hot. With a Tampa defensive line that looks questionable at best it’s hard not to pick the Texans in this one. On the other hand you have young standouts like Freeman and Blount who are looking good, but I just don’t think that it is enough.
Foster takes this one 28-21
St. Louis at Cleveland
Bradford and Jackson got robbed last week as the Rams missed their game winning field goal. I like the Rams young attack this year, sure they don’t have a lot of wins, but they’ve got potential and I think that there are going to be a few games this year where the Rams just take it and run with it – literally. Steven Jackson is an absolute BEAST when he’s healthy, and he is healthy now. Last week SJax had 130 yards on 29 carries and the week before he had a monstrous 159 on 25 carries. Give Jackson the ball twenty-plus times and watch magic happen. Cleveland is okay, I’ve said it for a few weeks now that I like Colt McCoy, but besides that there isn’t much going for them lately. With a continued absence of Peyton Hillis I don’t see this game falling the way of the Browns.
Jackson runs wild for the Rams as they win 21-10
Washington at Miami
Washington is very banged up and very injured with some of their biggest players going down a few weeks ago. With Beck being their best offensive weapon it’s very dangerous to put your pick in the hands of the Redskins. The Dolphins actually looked very impressive last week as they went off against the Chiefs. Matt Moore looked really good, and Reggie Bush looked surprisingly like a starter as he ran for over 100 yards. If the Dolphins can keep this streak going the second half of their season could be drastically different than the first.
Matt Moore leads the Dolphins to their second in a row 17-10
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