San Diego at Kansas City
The San Diego Chargers got the weapon that they needed more than anything back last week. Antonio Gates is back. He caught his first touchdown back last week, too. If the Chargers can continue to get him the ball in the red zone then not only will Chargers fans be happy, but Philip Rivers, owners, and teammates are going to be happy too. Not only do they have Rivers, and Gates, but Ryan Matthews has also flipped the switch. Matthews might be the feature back that the Chargers have been expecting him to be. The Chargers lost a nail-biter last week, and they have got to be disappointed in themselves, so expect them to come back this week with fire in their bellies.
The Kansas City Chiefs have some good weapons, but the ones that they really need are out for the season. Dwayne Bowe is great, Matt Cassel is continuing to show signs of how good he is, but their running game is still lacking with the absence of Jamaal Charles. Without some of their better defenders the Chiefs are going to be in a bad spot against the tough Chargers attack.
Welcome back Antonio.
The Chargers are too strong this week, and in a game where they want to prove their worth in the AFC West San Diego is going to take it to the Chiefs in Kansas City. Expect Rivers and Matthews to both have great games while the Chargers defense holds Kansas City’s attack at bay.
Chargers win one tough conference game 27-17
Saturday, October 29, 2011
Week 8 - Sunday Night Football
Dallas at Philadelphia
Dallas is one of the weirder enigmas that has been in the NFL in a while. Tony Romo is either really good, or really bad. He hasn’t had the best of games, and then he will have great games. He fails in the fourth quarter, and then he comes back in the fourth quarter. Tony Romo’s inconsistencies are astonishing and uncomfortable. Watching the game you’re never going to know which Romo is going to show up, and that kills Cowboys. Luckily Dallas has found some new amazing talent in Demarco Murray, and this could be a great friendship between the Cowboys and their fans for years to come. Going up against a soft Philly rush defense expect Demarco to have another pretty big game.
The Eagles and Michael Vick are nearly the same as what I just said about Tony Romo. Michael Vick is very inconsistent, and relies on some great performances by DeSean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin. LeSean McCoy is going to have to have a really good game to balance out the attack that the Eagles use so the Cowboys defense doesn’t exploit and negate any offensive attack that the Eagles throw at them. I expect Vick to have a big game both through the air and on his feet, and switching it up versus the Cowboys is what Andy Reid’s Eagles need to do.
Under Andy Reid the Eagles have been 12-0 after bye weeks. Coach Reid has some incredible coaching schemes that exploit the teams that they are playing against. I think Coach Reid’s Eagles are going to do phenomenal, and run over the Cowboys.
Eagles win this one 28-21
Dallas is one of the weirder enigmas that has been in the NFL in a while. Tony Romo is either really good, or really bad. He hasn’t had the best of games, and then he will have great games. He fails in the fourth quarter, and then he comes back in the fourth quarter. Tony Romo’s inconsistencies are astonishing and uncomfortable. Watching the game you’re never going to know which Romo is going to show up, and that kills Cowboys. Luckily Dallas has found some new amazing talent in Demarco Murray, and this could be a great friendship between the Cowboys and their fans for years to come. Going up against a soft Philly rush defense expect Demarco to have another pretty big game.
The Eagles and Michael Vick are nearly the same as what I just said about Tony Romo. Michael Vick is very inconsistent, and relies on some great performances by DeSean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin. LeSean McCoy is going to have to have a really good game to balance out the attack that the Eagles use so the Cowboys defense doesn’t exploit and negate any offensive attack that the Eagles throw at them. I expect Vick to have a big game both through the air and on his feet, and switching it up versus the Cowboys is what Andy Reid’s Eagles need to do.
Under Andy Reid the Eagles have been 12-0 after bye weeks. Coach Reid has some incredible coaching schemes that exploit the teams that they are playing against. I think Coach Reid’s Eagles are going to do phenomenal, and run over the Cowboys.
Eagles win this one 28-21
Week 8 - 4 O'Clock
Washington at Buffalo
Although Beck and the Redskins put up a pretty good against Cam Newton’s Panthers they couldn’t pull it of. The Redskins are without their best wide-receiver and arguably best offensive player Santana Moss, and they’re going to have to rely on their running game and defense to make some big plays against this great Buffalo secondary.
Buffalo isn’t going to come off of a bye week and disappoint. With the attack as potent as it’s been in years the Redskins are going to have their hands full. Fred Jackson is going to run all over the middle of the Washington defense and I won’t be surprised to see a couple of scores from him. Fitzpatrick just signed a new contract and is going to come out on fire. Look out Washington, you’re in for some trouble.
Fred Jackson and the Buffalo Bills are going to come out hot against the Redskins defense, and I think its going to end pretty early.
Buffalo takes this one at home 34-14
Detroit at Denver
Detroit is on a two game skid, and this could be the game that they need to break out of it before it gets out of control. Unfortunately Jahvid Best is still out with concussion like symptoms, but luckily Matthew Stafford will be able to make the start. Calvin Johnson is just as good as he’s been all season, making a hell of a catch and run after a double play action fake last week. If Stafford and Calvin can play pitch and catch all day over this Bronco’s secondary then they’ll break the losing streak early.
The Broncos enjoyed some Tebow Time for the last four minutes of the game last week, going into that portion of the game though Tebow had hardly done anything. For the Broncos to beat this great Lions team they’re going to need Tebow to play the whole game as well as he played those last two drives. After two touchdown on 80 yard and 50 yard drives Tebow showed why he is deserving of a start. He may not be the best player in the league, or the most athletic, but ever since college he’s been a winner. The Lions are going to be a real test though.
I don’t think Tebow is going to be enough to beat the Lions. He’s going to need a lot of help from a lot of people, primarily the majority of the Broncos defense. However, if Calvin can keep catching the ball he’s going to secure a good game for Detroit.
The Lions win one on the road 28-17
Cleveland at San Francisco
Cleveland looked terrible last week. Sure they got a win, but it was maybe the slowest game of the day. Peyton Hillis is still questionable, and if he isn’t playing in this one than Cleveland is going to do even worse than they would do if Peyton does play. Hillis is the best offensive player that Cleveland has, and without him against a good team they don’t stand a chance.
San Francisco is having an incredible year. Frank Gore has been absolutely beastly, and Alex Smith has been one of the most surprising players of the year. Vernon Davis is playing well, and the defense has been one of the better defenses in the league. All of the components are there for the 49ers to do well, and if they keep it going in the same way that it has been going they are going to easily win the NFC East, and probably pretty easily.
Frank Gore, Alex Smith, Vernon Davis, Patrick Willis. All different aspects that are going to complete the winning package in San Fran.
49ers win 31-13
Cincinnati at Seattle
Cincinnati has a defense that can hold some of the better offenses to little points, going up against an offense that really isn’t anything special the defense should have a pretty good game. The Bengals offense is starting to work its way together too. Andy Dalton and AJ Green are doing some pretty great things for how young their relationship is, and this week they should put on a pretty great show through the air.
Seattle was absolutely terrible last week. With Travaris Jackson still listed as questionable it, so isn’t the Seahawks offense – questionable at best. There’s nothing about the Seahawks that shows me any promise this year, nothing that shows me any promise this game. The team doesn’t have any strong weapons on their offense, and their defense is equally is weak.
The Bengals should have a great game through the air, and they should be able to shut down mostly everything that Seattle throws at them.
Bengals win one pretty easily 27-13
New England at Pittsburgh
The Patriots continue to show how great that they are week in and week out. New England’s offense thrives out of short passes and quick outs, going up against a defense that likes to get to the quarterback quickly and aggressively Tom Brady is going to be looking for Welker, Hernandez, and Gronkowski often. The crazy thing about that? Those are Tom Brady’s favorite weapons anyways. The Pats defense rush defense and pass defense are beginning to become very underrated, and are probably going to do well or the remainder of the season – but we’ll find this out Sunday afternoon.
Pittsburgh’s offense has been coming together a little bit after coming out of the gate this year very slowly. Last year they had the longest play in Steelers history when Big Ben threw a 95 yard pass to Mike Wallace. That offense has gone against some pretty soft teams so far this season though, looking at their schedule they’ve lost to good teams, while they’ve only beaten some of the worst.
The Steelers record against teams above .500 this year hasn’t been good at all this season. On top of that Bill’s Patriots are coming off of a bye week, and Coach Bill has is one of the best coaches at picking apart a defense and exploiting their weaknesses, give him two weeks to watch film and good luck.
Patriots win one on the road 35-17
Although Beck and the Redskins put up a pretty good against Cam Newton’s Panthers they couldn’t pull it of. The Redskins are without their best wide-receiver and arguably best offensive player Santana Moss, and they’re going to have to rely on their running game and defense to make some big plays against this great Buffalo secondary.
Buffalo isn’t going to come off of a bye week and disappoint. With the attack as potent as it’s been in years the Redskins are going to have their hands full. Fred Jackson is going to run all over the middle of the Washington defense and I won’t be surprised to see a couple of scores from him. Fitzpatrick just signed a new contract and is going to come out on fire. Look out Washington, you’re in for some trouble.
Fred Jackson and the Buffalo Bills are going to come out hot against the Redskins defense, and I think its going to end pretty early.
Buffalo takes this one at home 34-14
Detroit at Denver
Detroit is on a two game skid, and this could be the game that they need to break out of it before it gets out of control. Unfortunately Jahvid Best is still out with concussion like symptoms, but luckily Matthew Stafford will be able to make the start. Calvin Johnson is just as good as he’s been all season, making a hell of a catch and run after a double play action fake last week. If Stafford and Calvin can play pitch and catch all day over this Bronco’s secondary then they’ll break the losing streak early.
The Broncos enjoyed some Tebow Time for the last four minutes of the game last week, going into that portion of the game though Tebow had hardly done anything. For the Broncos to beat this great Lions team they’re going to need Tebow to play the whole game as well as he played those last two drives. After two touchdown on 80 yard and 50 yard drives Tebow showed why he is deserving of a start. He may not be the best player in the league, or the most athletic, but ever since college he’s been a winner. The Lions are going to be a real test though.
I don’t think Tebow is going to be enough to beat the Lions. He’s going to need a lot of help from a lot of people, primarily the majority of the Broncos defense. However, if Calvin can keep catching the ball he’s going to secure a good game for Detroit.
The Lions win one on the road 28-17
Cleveland at San Francisco
Cleveland looked terrible last week. Sure they got a win, but it was maybe the slowest game of the day. Peyton Hillis is still questionable, and if he isn’t playing in this one than Cleveland is going to do even worse than they would do if Peyton does play. Hillis is the best offensive player that Cleveland has, and without him against a good team they don’t stand a chance.
San Francisco is having an incredible year. Frank Gore has been absolutely beastly, and Alex Smith has been one of the most surprising players of the year. Vernon Davis is playing well, and the defense has been one of the better defenses in the league. All of the components are there for the 49ers to do well, and if they keep it going in the same way that it has been going they are going to easily win the NFC East, and probably pretty easily.
Frank Gore, Alex Smith, Vernon Davis, Patrick Willis. All different aspects that are going to complete the winning package in San Fran.
49ers win 31-13
Cincinnati at Seattle
Cincinnati has a defense that can hold some of the better offenses to little points, going up against an offense that really isn’t anything special the defense should have a pretty good game. The Bengals offense is starting to work its way together too. Andy Dalton and AJ Green are doing some pretty great things for how young their relationship is, and this week they should put on a pretty great show through the air.
Seattle was absolutely terrible last week. With Travaris Jackson still listed as questionable it, so isn’t the Seahawks offense – questionable at best. There’s nothing about the Seahawks that shows me any promise this year, nothing that shows me any promise this game. The team doesn’t have any strong weapons on their offense, and their defense is equally is weak.
The Bengals should have a great game through the air, and they should be able to shut down mostly everything that Seattle throws at them.
Bengals win one pretty easily 27-13
New England at Pittsburgh
The Patriots continue to show how great that they are week in and week out. New England’s offense thrives out of short passes and quick outs, going up against a defense that likes to get to the quarterback quickly and aggressively Tom Brady is going to be looking for Welker, Hernandez, and Gronkowski often. The crazy thing about that? Those are Tom Brady’s favorite weapons anyways. The Pats defense rush defense and pass defense are beginning to become very underrated, and are probably going to do well or the remainder of the season – but we’ll find this out Sunday afternoon.
Pittsburgh’s offense has been coming together a little bit after coming out of the gate this year very slowly. Last year they had the longest play in Steelers history when Big Ben threw a 95 yard pass to Mike Wallace. That offense has gone against some pretty soft teams so far this season though, looking at their schedule they’ve lost to good teams, while they’ve only beaten some of the worst.
The Steelers record against teams above .500 this year hasn’t been good at all this season. On top of that Bill’s Patriots are coming off of a bye week, and Coach Bill has is one of the best coaches at picking apart a defense and exploiting their weaknesses, give him two weeks to watch film and good luck.
Patriots win one on the road 35-17
Week 8 - 1 O'Clock
New Orleans at St. Louis
Everyone saw what the Saints did to the Colts last week, and maybe the Colts aren’t who they were last season, but they still have the ability to normally make some plays on either side of the ball. Last week New Orleans blew the roof off with a Maddenesque Sunday Night Football score of 62-7. The Saints shut down some long ball, and stuffed almost every offensive play that the Colts threw their way; if New Orleans can play both sides of the ball this week as well as they did in week seven this game shouldn’t be too difficult.
St. Louis has the makings for a great franchise, but in week eight it’s going to come down to their passing game to beat the Saints – which is not playing to their own strengths. Steven Jackson is one of the toughest runners in the game, but going up against a defense that blitzes nearly 60% of the time, they’re going to need to rely on some quick passes, and screen plays to take advantage of an eager defense.
New Orleans showed again last week all of the weapons that they can contribute on offense. They’re passing game is top notch, and their running game has a wicked amount of depth. Ingram questionable? They’ll just throw in Sproles. Sproles needs a breather? How about Pierre Thomas? The offense is stacked – and the defense looks like its piecing itself together going into the middle of the season.
Saints win another big one 45-14
Indianapolis at Tennessee
Indianapolis looked terrible again last week. They went up against a dangerous offense, and walked away with the scars and scoreboard to prove it. The Colts need to take advantage of the weaknesses on the Titans offense to stand a chance in this one. The outside rush needs to get to Hasselbeck, and the inside rush needs to be strong enough to shut down Chris Johnson. Painter needs to look a little more towards Reggie Wayne – who during multiple points in the Sunday night game looked miserable. Get the ball into your playmakers hands, and let them finally do something. Reggie Wayne needs a spark to get this offense going again.
The Titans have been an incredibly awkward team through their first six games. They pick up Hasselbeck in what looked like it was going to be a great marriage – but then Kenny Britt goes down for the season. No worries though, they have old reliable in Chris Johnson, right? Wrong. CJ has been garbage so far. Last week he rushed for an abysmal 18 yards on 10 carries. This is the time where the Titans need Chris to wake up. The season is starting to slip already and they need their work horse. This is the time, going up against a terrible Colts team, Johnson needs to have a big game.
The holes that were exploited by the Saints last week need to be targeted again by the Titans. Chris Johnson is more capable than Darren Sproles in almost every aspect of the game, and Sproles was a monster last week. CJ is set up to have another career defining game.
The Colts losing streak continues as Tennessee wins 28-13
Miami at New York Giants
Last week it looked like the Dolphins were finally going to snap their losing streak. And then Tim Tebow happened. For 54 minutes the Dolphins held the Broncos scoreless, and when the game came down to it, once again Miami folded under the pressure. Miami starting Matt Moore is probably the best chance that they have, which isn’t very promising. Splitting carries between the rookie Daniel Thomas and forever underachieving Reggie Bush hasn’t helped much either. Brandon Marshall has been a big let down with a vast amount of drops throughout his time in Miami. With all of the problems that the Dolphins have been having, it’s going to be hard for them to turnover a new leaf.
The New York Giants are coming off of their bye-week and going into a game that shouldn’t be too difficult. Ahmad Bradshaw and Eli Manning, along with Hakeem Nicks and new stud wide-out Victor Cruz should have a field day against this soft Miami defense. If Eli can take advantage of the Miami secondary like other quarterbacks have throughout the season, than New York is going to gain some incredible yardage through the air. I expect Eli to have a big day, and I think Bradshaw is just going to need to get positive yards in order for the Giants to win.
Eli and friends run wild over this Miami defense. As long as Victor Cruz can hang onto the ball this week expect both him and Nicks to have outstanding games.
The New York Giants take this one 31-14
Minnesota at Carolina
Minnesota had another rough week. Rookie Christian Ponder had a pretty good first game both through the air and by his feet. Although he went just 13-32 he did accumulate 219 yards and two touchdowns. He also ran or 31 yards on our attempts. The big thing was that Adrian Peterson carried for 175 yards and one touchdown on 24 carries against one of the toughest defenses in the league. With Ponder starting Adrian is going to get more touches, which is the best thing that this offense and team can ask for. Keep giving the ball to your best player Minnesota – you need to.
Carolina had a good win versus the Redskins last week. Although DeAngelo Williams is yet to have any good games this year rookie quarterback Cam Newton once again had a big game. Going 18 for 23 Cam threw for 256 yards and a touchdown, accompanied by his 59 yards rushing and one touchdown on 10 rushing attempts. Steve Smith again had a huge game thanks to Newton catching seven passes for 143 yards. As long as Jonathan Stewart can keep getting the majority of the carries over DeAngelo Williams then the Panthers are in much better hands.
Cam Newton has had one truly bad game and it was in the rainstorm versus Jacksonville. As long as the weather holds out, and Cam has some pretty clear conditions then he’s going to find Steve Smith and Jeremy Shockey over the top. The Vikings continuously give up big passing plays and with Cam’s best friend Steve Smith running down field look for a few more of these on Sunday.
The Panthers win another one 31-27
Arizona at Baltimore
Arizona got their fifth consecutive loss last week against the Steelers, and this week they get to face a team that demolished the Steelers earlier in the season. The Cardinals had a combined 59 yards on the ground between Beanie Wells and Alonso Smith, and having a one-dimensional attack this week is not going to help their cause. If Kevin Kolb can somehow pick apart the Ravens secondary then maybe they will have a chance, but that’s a big if. Beanie Wells needs to have a big game, Kevin Kolb needs to have a big game, and the Arizona Cardinals Defense needs to have a big game.
The Baltimore Ravens got shocked last week. They went into last week expecting to walk away with the victory, and were way too over confident. The Ravens offense was absolutely trash, despite the fact that their defense held Jacksonville’s attack to just twelve points on four field goals. The Ravens need to do something on the attack if they want to win, but with a first half like they had last week they can’t be expecting to do too much. Ray Rice only got eight carries last week, which is something that can never happen again. Ray Rice needs the ball over twenty times a game. He is the best part of their offensive attack, and to win games he needs the ball.
If the Ravens can correct their offensive problems then they are going to be one of the best teams in the league again. Unfortunately they gave me some big question marks last week. Ray Rice needs the ball, and I think that this is something that everyone in Baltimore’s organization has realized and should be fixed for this week.
The Ravens shouldn’t have much trouble handling the Cardinals this week winning 24-10.
Jacksonville at Houston
Jacksonville Shocked the world of football fans last week as they beat the Baltimore Ravens. The Jaguars defense held the Ravens offense to nearly nothing, as the Ravens were caught off guard. For Jacksonville to do well they are going to have to keep on giving the ball to Maurice Jones-Drew. He might have fumbled a few times last week, but he is still the best chance that the Jags have under the watch of rookie Blaine Gabbert.
The Texans are going to be without star wideout Andre Johnson again this week, but luckily they still have incredible running back Arian Foster. With Foster carrying the ball the Texans have nothing to worry about. He had over 100 yards in rushing and receiving last week, doing jobs that both he and Johnson usually do separately. Foster looks to be playing on a mission, trying to make up for the yardage that he missed earlier in the year. With Schaub and Foster still on the field, the Houston Texans are still one of the better offenses in the league.
The Texans should be okay, as long as they don’t make the same mistakes that the Ravens did last week. Hand the ball off to Arian Foster, let him control the game, and everything should be a-okay.
Texans take one against the Jags – 34-13
Everyone saw what the Saints did to the Colts last week, and maybe the Colts aren’t who they were last season, but they still have the ability to normally make some plays on either side of the ball. Last week New Orleans blew the roof off with a Maddenesque Sunday Night Football score of 62-7. The Saints shut down some long ball, and stuffed almost every offensive play that the Colts threw their way; if New Orleans can play both sides of the ball this week as well as they did in week seven this game shouldn’t be too difficult.
St. Louis has the makings for a great franchise, but in week eight it’s going to come down to their passing game to beat the Saints – which is not playing to their own strengths. Steven Jackson is one of the toughest runners in the game, but going up against a defense that blitzes nearly 60% of the time, they’re going to need to rely on some quick passes, and screen plays to take advantage of an eager defense.
New Orleans showed again last week all of the weapons that they can contribute on offense. They’re passing game is top notch, and their running game has a wicked amount of depth. Ingram questionable? They’ll just throw in Sproles. Sproles needs a breather? How about Pierre Thomas? The offense is stacked – and the defense looks like its piecing itself together going into the middle of the season.
Saints win another big one 45-14
Indianapolis at Tennessee
Indianapolis looked terrible again last week. They went up against a dangerous offense, and walked away with the scars and scoreboard to prove it. The Colts need to take advantage of the weaknesses on the Titans offense to stand a chance in this one. The outside rush needs to get to Hasselbeck, and the inside rush needs to be strong enough to shut down Chris Johnson. Painter needs to look a little more towards Reggie Wayne – who during multiple points in the Sunday night game looked miserable. Get the ball into your playmakers hands, and let them finally do something. Reggie Wayne needs a spark to get this offense going again.
The Titans have been an incredibly awkward team through their first six games. They pick up Hasselbeck in what looked like it was going to be a great marriage – but then Kenny Britt goes down for the season. No worries though, they have old reliable in Chris Johnson, right? Wrong. CJ has been garbage so far. Last week he rushed for an abysmal 18 yards on 10 carries. This is the time where the Titans need Chris to wake up. The season is starting to slip already and they need their work horse. This is the time, going up against a terrible Colts team, Johnson needs to have a big game.
The holes that were exploited by the Saints last week need to be targeted again by the Titans. Chris Johnson is more capable than Darren Sproles in almost every aspect of the game, and Sproles was a monster last week. CJ is set up to have another career defining game.
The Colts losing streak continues as Tennessee wins 28-13
Miami at New York Giants
Last week it looked like the Dolphins were finally going to snap their losing streak. And then Tim Tebow happened. For 54 minutes the Dolphins held the Broncos scoreless, and when the game came down to it, once again Miami folded under the pressure. Miami starting Matt Moore is probably the best chance that they have, which isn’t very promising. Splitting carries between the rookie Daniel Thomas and forever underachieving Reggie Bush hasn’t helped much either. Brandon Marshall has been a big let down with a vast amount of drops throughout his time in Miami. With all of the problems that the Dolphins have been having, it’s going to be hard for them to turnover a new leaf.
The New York Giants are coming off of their bye-week and going into a game that shouldn’t be too difficult. Ahmad Bradshaw and Eli Manning, along with Hakeem Nicks and new stud wide-out Victor Cruz should have a field day against this soft Miami defense. If Eli can take advantage of the Miami secondary like other quarterbacks have throughout the season, than New York is going to gain some incredible yardage through the air. I expect Eli to have a big day, and I think Bradshaw is just going to need to get positive yards in order for the Giants to win.
Eli and friends run wild over this Miami defense. As long as Victor Cruz can hang onto the ball this week expect both him and Nicks to have outstanding games.
The New York Giants take this one 31-14
Minnesota at Carolina
Minnesota had another rough week. Rookie Christian Ponder had a pretty good first game both through the air and by his feet. Although he went just 13-32 he did accumulate 219 yards and two touchdowns. He also ran or 31 yards on our attempts. The big thing was that Adrian Peterson carried for 175 yards and one touchdown on 24 carries against one of the toughest defenses in the league. With Ponder starting Adrian is going to get more touches, which is the best thing that this offense and team can ask for. Keep giving the ball to your best player Minnesota – you need to.
Carolina had a good win versus the Redskins last week. Although DeAngelo Williams is yet to have any good games this year rookie quarterback Cam Newton once again had a big game. Going 18 for 23 Cam threw for 256 yards and a touchdown, accompanied by his 59 yards rushing and one touchdown on 10 rushing attempts. Steve Smith again had a huge game thanks to Newton catching seven passes for 143 yards. As long as Jonathan Stewart can keep getting the majority of the carries over DeAngelo Williams then the Panthers are in much better hands.
Cam Newton has had one truly bad game and it was in the rainstorm versus Jacksonville. As long as the weather holds out, and Cam has some pretty clear conditions then he’s going to find Steve Smith and Jeremy Shockey over the top. The Vikings continuously give up big passing plays and with Cam’s best friend Steve Smith running down field look for a few more of these on Sunday.
The Panthers win another one 31-27
Arizona at Baltimore
Arizona got their fifth consecutive loss last week against the Steelers, and this week they get to face a team that demolished the Steelers earlier in the season. The Cardinals had a combined 59 yards on the ground between Beanie Wells and Alonso Smith, and having a one-dimensional attack this week is not going to help their cause. If Kevin Kolb can somehow pick apart the Ravens secondary then maybe they will have a chance, but that’s a big if. Beanie Wells needs to have a big game, Kevin Kolb needs to have a big game, and the Arizona Cardinals Defense needs to have a big game.
The Baltimore Ravens got shocked last week. They went into last week expecting to walk away with the victory, and were way too over confident. The Ravens offense was absolutely trash, despite the fact that their defense held Jacksonville’s attack to just twelve points on four field goals. The Ravens need to do something on the attack if they want to win, but with a first half like they had last week they can’t be expecting to do too much. Ray Rice only got eight carries last week, which is something that can never happen again. Ray Rice needs the ball over twenty times a game. He is the best part of their offensive attack, and to win games he needs the ball.
If the Ravens can correct their offensive problems then they are going to be one of the best teams in the league again. Unfortunately they gave me some big question marks last week. Ray Rice needs the ball, and I think that this is something that everyone in Baltimore’s organization has realized and should be fixed for this week.
The Ravens shouldn’t have much trouble handling the Cardinals this week winning 24-10.
Jacksonville at Houston
Jacksonville Shocked the world of football fans last week as they beat the Baltimore Ravens. The Jaguars defense held the Ravens offense to nearly nothing, as the Ravens were caught off guard. For Jacksonville to do well they are going to have to keep on giving the ball to Maurice Jones-Drew. He might have fumbled a few times last week, but he is still the best chance that the Jags have under the watch of rookie Blaine Gabbert.
The Texans are going to be without star wideout Andre Johnson again this week, but luckily they still have incredible running back Arian Foster. With Foster carrying the ball the Texans have nothing to worry about. He had over 100 yards in rushing and receiving last week, doing jobs that both he and Johnson usually do separately. Foster looks to be playing on a mission, trying to make up for the yardage that he missed earlier in the year. With Schaub and Foster still on the field, the Houston Texans are still one of the better offenses in the league.
The Texans should be okay, as long as they don’t make the same mistakes that the Ravens did last week. Hand the ball off to Arian Foster, let him control the game, and everything should be a-okay.
Texans take one against the Jags – 34-13
Saturday, October 22, 2011
Week 7 - Monday Night Football
Monday Night
Baltimore at Jacksonville
Baltimore has the most dangerous defense in the league. They have guys that seem to get better with age, without losing a step. Ed Reed continues to be a ballhawk, while the big guys continue to smash heads through offensive lines. Ray Lewis and Terrell Suggs are absolute monsters shutting down the run game, and rushing the passer. The Ravens defense has six defensive touchdowns already this year, and the other time that they’ve played on prime time television they made Mark Sanchez and the Jets look like a high school offense. The Ravens are mean, and they are good.
Jacksonville is going to have their hands full. With a rookie quarterback and a young offense they are going to have to rely on Maurice Jones-Drew to do a lot more than is possible against this monstrous defense. Jacksonville’s defense is going to need to stop the Ravens offense if they want to stand any chance during this Monday Night Football match-up, because their offense isn’t going to be putting up very many points.
I couldn’t think of any other video to show here – so here’s a series of 2010-2011 season highlights of the Baltimore Ravens – probably see a few plays from this game thrown onto next years highlight reel. Enjoy!
There isn’t much to say that I haven’t said about either of these teams in the past few weeks. The Ravens are one of the best teams in the NFL while the Jaguars are one of the worst, and on Monday night everyone is going to see the Ravens defense swallowing the Jaguars offense.
Ravens trounce the Jaguars in Prime Time 28-9
Baltimore at Jacksonville
Baltimore has the most dangerous defense in the league. They have guys that seem to get better with age, without losing a step. Ed Reed continues to be a ballhawk, while the big guys continue to smash heads through offensive lines. Ray Lewis and Terrell Suggs are absolute monsters shutting down the run game, and rushing the passer. The Ravens defense has six defensive touchdowns already this year, and the other time that they’ve played on prime time television they made Mark Sanchez and the Jets look like a high school offense. The Ravens are mean, and they are good.
Jacksonville is going to have their hands full. With a rookie quarterback and a young offense they are going to have to rely on Maurice Jones-Drew to do a lot more than is possible against this monstrous defense. Jacksonville’s defense is going to need to stop the Ravens offense if they want to stand any chance during this Monday Night Football match-up, because their offense isn’t going to be putting up very many points.
I couldn’t think of any other video to show here – so here’s a series of 2010-2011 season highlights of the Baltimore Ravens – probably see a few plays from this game thrown onto next years highlight reel. Enjoy!
There isn’t much to say that I haven’t said about either of these teams in the past few weeks. The Ravens are one of the best teams in the NFL while the Jaguars are one of the worst, and on Monday night everyone is going to see the Ravens defense swallowing the Jaguars offense.
Ravens trounce the Jaguars in Prime Time 28-9
Week7 - Sunday Night Football
Indianapolis at New Orleans
The Colts. What is there to say about the Colts this season? They are hurting. They are 0-6. And now they are playing against one of the better teams in the NFL. Last week Indy gave up a passing touchdown, a rushing touchdown, and a defensive touchdown. If they want to win anything at all this season they need to start putting the complete package together. If they can’t start putting together long time consuming drives they are going to continue to lose. If Painter can’t start to get better chemistry with the majority of the offense then this team is destined for failure.
New Orleans gave up some big plays through the air to Tampa last week, and it’s something that they’ve been doing all season. If the Saints want to be a top contender this year they’re going to have to stop giving up the deep pass. Besides that the Saints have been looking pretty solid, and are consistent across the board. Drew Brees is a great quarterback, and guys like Jimmy Graham and Marques Colston are going to have field days going over the top and getting behind the Colts secondary. Expect a few long balls from Brees to catch some tight secondary play off guard.
Brees and friends are too much for an inconsistent team like the Colts to handle. The Colts give up too many big plays at very inopportune times, and this is exactly what things Brees likes to exploit.
Saints love playing at home, and they love winning at home – 34-10
The Colts. What is there to say about the Colts this season? They are hurting. They are 0-6. And now they are playing against one of the better teams in the NFL. Last week Indy gave up a passing touchdown, a rushing touchdown, and a defensive touchdown. If they want to win anything at all this season they need to start putting the complete package together. If they can’t start putting together long time consuming drives they are going to continue to lose. If Painter can’t start to get better chemistry with the majority of the offense then this team is destined for failure.
New Orleans gave up some big plays through the air to Tampa last week, and it’s something that they’ve been doing all season. If the Saints want to be a top contender this year they’re going to have to stop giving up the deep pass. Besides that the Saints have been looking pretty solid, and are consistent across the board. Drew Brees is a great quarterback, and guys like Jimmy Graham and Marques Colston are going to have field days going over the top and getting behind the Colts secondary. Expect a few long balls from Brees to catch some tight secondary play off guard.
Brees and friends are too much for an inconsistent team like the Colts to handle. The Colts give up too many big plays at very inopportune times, and this is exactly what things Brees likes to exploit.
Saints love playing at home, and they love winning at home – 34-10
Week 7 - 4 O'Clock
4 O’Clock
Kansas City at Oakland
The Kansas City Chiefs got to enjoy a week off during week 6 although it’s probably a week they didn’t want to take off. Kansas City was on a two game win streak after starting the season at a sad 0-3. The Cassel to Bowe connection was starting to show up, and the defense was finally stopping some plays. Maybe the bye week is going to help KC further polish the things that they were starting to do well, but I’ve got a feeling that it’s going to throw them out of their groove. Cassel and Bowe are going to need to continue doing what they can, while Dexter McCluster and Thomas Jones need to step it up in the Chiefs backfield if they want to have a chance versus a better Oakland team.
The Raiders are hot. They’re 4-2 and have won their last two in a row after passing of their owner Al Davis. Darren McFadden has continued to run all over the NFL week after week. The hardest thing for the Raiders this week is going to be playing with a new quarterback. Campbell went down hard, and the Raiders made some quick moves to pick up Carson Palmer from the Bengals, but Palmer won’t be playing this week. He’ll take this week, and next weeks bye to learn the Raiders playbook, and then step into the shoes of a starter once again. This week though it’s going to be McFadden carrying the ball in order to win, and there aren’t many more capable people in the league.
McFadden is incredible, and the Raiders Defense is following a “Just Win Baby” attitude. I think the hot Raiders continue to roll to one more win before they take next week off.
Raiders win their third in a row 31-17
Pittsburgh at Arizona
The Steelers after a flow start are finally becoming the team that every an in the NFL was waiting to see. Big Ben is starting to find his targets more consistently, Mike Wallace is being the speedy wide-out that everyone loves to watch, and last week alone Mendenhall ran 23 times for 146 yards and a touchdown. If Pittsburgh can continue improve over these next few weeks they are going to be one of the hardest teams to take down, and a small speed bump like Arizona is not going to slow them down.
Kevin Kolb’s Cardinals had a bye week last week, and have had two weeks to prepare for one of the hotter teams in the NFL, two weeks that they are going to need to have put together one incredible game plan if they hope to slow this offense down. Arizona is in good hands though, they have Larry Fitzgerald, they have a stud running back in Beanie Wells, Arizona isn’t in a horrible spot, and their offense isn’t in horrible hands. Kolb has had six weeks to figure this offense out now, and he’s going to need to make some big plays to surprise this Pittsburgh team.
I think Pittsburgh is just too hot and too strong right now. Their arsenal is one of the most impressive in the league and it’s probably going to be too much for the Cardinals defense to get a handle on.
Pittsburgh wins again 31-21.
St. Louis at Dallas
If St. Louis was in a tough spot before it just got worse. Starting Quarterback Sam Bradford has been ruled out for the game, and replaced with AJ Feeley. The Rams have some strong positional players around their quarterback, but with just starting to take snaps with the first team offense this week its going to be wishful thinking for Feeley to have developed any chemistry for these young wide receivers. It’s too big of a stretch to picture this young Rams team doing enough to upset the Dallas Cowboys.
The Cowboys had a very strong game against a tough New England Patriots last week. They had them on the ropes until one incredible last drive. Despite losing in the last minutes of the game, the Cowboys did hold the Patriots to under 30 points for the first time in a long time. If Dallas can bring that defense back home against this young and inexperienced Rams offense it’s not going to be that difficult of a victory.
The Cowboys, although they mess up sometimes, are a much more experienced team than the Rams, and I think that’s all it is going to take this weekend.
Cowboys enjoy their home field with a 28-13 victory.
Green Bay at Minnesota
Green Bay is the last undefeated team in the league. They have the best offensive player in the NFL in Aaron Rodgers. The Packers have an incredibly resilient defense, and a versatile offense. They have all the weapons that they won the Super Bowl with last season, plus the addition of strong rookies, and reinstallation of superior tight ends and a running back that could eventually start to change games again. The Green Bay Packers continue to be the real deal, and they continue to show why the won last season with superior play against all levels of opponents.
Minnesota is benching Donovan McNabb and starting rookie quarterback Christian Ponder. At the start of the game last week I was wondering how much longer the Vikings were going to try and stick it out with the underperforming veteran, and I’m glad they’ve decided to change this early in the season. The Vikings need a spark plug right now if they want to win, and maybe some new blood will help that happen. Besides that with the rookie under center it probably means that Adrian Peterson will finally be getting the majority of the touches for Minnesota, which is what should have been happening all season. Even if Peterson does finally get the touches that he needs to get for the Vikings to win, it’s asking a lot of the Purple defense to stand tall against the Packers overwhelming offense.
The Packers offense is too strong, and the Vikings have continued to under-perform last week like they have all season. I don’t think anything is going to happen besides a big one sided blowout.
Packers win this one 31-10.
Kansas City at Oakland
The Kansas City Chiefs got to enjoy a week off during week 6 although it’s probably a week they didn’t want to take off. Kansas City was on a two game win streak after starting the season at a sad 0-3. The Cassel to Bowe connection was starting to show up, and the defense was finally stopping some plays. Maybe the bye week is going to help KC further polish the things that they were starting to do well, but I’ve got a feeling that it’s going to throw them out of their groove. Cassel and Bowe are going to need to continue doing what they can, while Dexter McCluster and Thomas Jones need to step it up in the Chiefs backfield if they want to have a chance versus a better Oakland team.
The Raiders are hot. They’re 4-2 and have won their last two in a row after passing of their owner Al Davis. Darren McFadden has continued to run all over the NFL week after week. The hardest thing for the Raiders this week is going to be playing with a new quarterback. Campbell went down hard, and the Raiders made some quick moves to pick up Carson Palmer from the Bengals, but Palmer won’t be playing this week. He’ll take this week, and next weeks bye to learn the Raiders playbook, and then step into the shoes of a starter once again. This week though it’s going to be McFadden carrying the ball in order to win, and there aren’t many more capable people in the league.
McFadden is incredible, and the Raiders Defense is following a “Just Win Baby” attitude. I think the hot Raiders continue to roll to one more win before they take next week off.
Raiders win their third in a row 31-17
Pittsburgh at Arizona
The Steelers after a flow start are finally becoming the team that every an in the NFL was waiting to see. Big Ben is starting to find his targets more consistently, Mike Wallace is being the speedy wide-out that everyone loves to watch, and last week alone Mendenhall ran 23 times for 146 yards and a touchdown. If Pittsburgh can continue improve over these next few weeks they are going to be one of the hardest teams to take down, and a small speed bump like Arizona is not going to slow them down.
Kevin Kolb’s Cardinals had a bye week last week, and have had two weeks to prepare for one of the hotter teams in the NFL, two weeks that they are going to need to have put together one incredible game plan if they hope to slow this offense down. Arizona is in good hands though, they have Larry Fitzgerald, they have a stud running back in Beanie Wells, Arizona isn’t in a horrible spot, and their offense isn’t in horrible hands. Kolb has had six weeks to figure this offense out now, and he’s going to need to make some big plays to surprise this Pittsburgh team.
I think Pittsburgh is just too hot and too strong right now. Their arsenal is one of the most impressive in the league and it’s probably going to be too much for the Cardinals defense to get a handle on.
Pittsburgh wins again 31-21.
St. Louis at Dallas
If St. Louis was in a tough spot before it just got worse. Starting Quarterback Sam Bradford has been ruled out for the game, and replaced with AJ Feeley. The Rams have some strong positional players around their quarterback, but with just starting to take snaps with the first team offense this week its going to be wishful thinking for Feeley to have developed any chemistry for these young wide receivers. It’s too big of a stretch to picture this young Rams team doing enough to upset the Dallas Cowboys.
The Cowboys had a very strong game against a tough New England Patriots last week. They had them on the ropes until one incredible last drive. Despite losing in the last minutes of the game, the Cowboys did hold the Patriots to under 30 points for the first time in a long time. If Dallas can bring that defense back home against this young and inexperienced Rams offense it’s not going to be that difficult of a victory.
The Cowboys, although they mess up sometimes, are a much more experienced team than the Rams, and I think that’s all it is going to take this weekend.
Cowboys enjoy their home field with a 28-13 victory.
Green Bay at Minnesota
Green Bay is the last undefeated team in the league. They have the best offensive player in the NFL in Aaron Rodgers. The Packers have an incredibly resilient defense, and a versatile offense. They have all the weapons that they won the Super Bowl with last season, plus the addition of strong rookies, and reinstallation of superior tight ends and a running back that could eventually start to change games again. The Green Bay Packers continue to be the real deal, and they continue to show why the won last season with superior play against all levels of opponents.
Minnesota is benching Donovan McNabb and starting rookie quarterback Christian Ponder. At the start of the game last week I was wondering how much longer the Vikings were going to try and stick it out with the underperforming veteran, and I’m glad they’ve decided to change this early in the season. The Vikings need a spark plug right now if they want to win, and maybe some new blood will help that happen. Besides that with the rookie under center it probably means that Adrian Peterson will finally be getting the majority of the touches for Minnesota, which is what should have been happening all season. Even if Peterson does finally get the touches that he needs to get for the Vikings to win, it’s asking a lot of the Purple defense to stand tall against the Packers overwhelming offense.
The Packers offense is too strong, and the Vikings have continued to under-perform last week like they have all season. I don’t think anything is going to happen besides a big one sided blowout.
Packers win this one 31-10.
Week 7 - 1 O'Clock
Seattle at Cleveland
Seattle seems to be coming around a bit. Jackson almost seems to be finding a groove and he and his wide receivers seem to be developing a bit of chemistry. Marshawn Lynch is the guy that needs to consistently perform for the Seahawks offense to really prosper. Lynch has had a few big plays in his career, but consistency is something that he has always seemed to lack. He could have been a star back in Buffalo, but for some reason never truly ended up being the player that he could have been. For Seattle to win consistently – with a mediocre at best Jackson under center – Lynch is going to need to be a consistent threat for opposing defenses.
I think Cleveland is one of those teams that might be getting better each week, even though it doesn’t really seem possible. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, I like Colt McCoy. He’s not polished yet, and he’s definitely not an elite quarterback, but he has thrown an insane amount of passes throughout the first six weeks of the season. It doesn’t help that outstanding running back Peyton Hillis has been spotty early this year, but once the offense all starts to gel together and Colt doesn’t need to throw as often as he has been when the running game develops, this team might not be that bad. If not this year then certainly in the future with all of the draft picks that they’ve picked up.
I see Cleveland having the edge here this week. Cleveland’s defense has been a bit more consistent when it comes to yards allowed compared to Seattle, and I think that it really is going to come down to which defenses can capitalize on the oppositions mistakes.
Cleveland takes the win 23-17
Atlanta at Detroit
Atlanta put the ball in the hands of Michael Turner last week, and it paid off. Turner carried the ball 27 times for 139 yards and two touchdowns. With the absence of rookie wide-out Julio Jones the Falcon’s offensive attack became one weapon weaker, but let’s not forget that they still had Roddy White, Michael Turner, Matt Ryan and wily veteran Tony Gonzalez. Atlanta presents a pretty potent attack with a various set of weapons that can make defenses heads spin. Atlanta is going to need Turner to run well, and control the clock to defeat a steadfast Lions team.
Detroit suffered their first loss of the season last week to a very strong 49ers team. A huge hub-bub was made about a post-game handshake, which really stole from the fact that the Lions had just been defeated for the first time. What was different last week compared to the first five Lions victories? How about a Jahvid Best concussion, or even more devastating the fact that Calvin Johnson didn’t catch a single touchdown. Through five games Megatron had a record setting nine reception touchdowns, and although he had over one hundred reception yards he never got into the end zone last week. For the Lions to get back on track they need to stay healthy, and their key weapons need to do what they do best – find the goal line.
Although both teams possess incredible offensive options its going to come down to which defense can weather the attack. Frank Gore ran over what is supposed to be a monster of a d-line last week gaining 141 yards on an average of nine per carry – they can’t let Michael Turner do the same. On the other side Stafford and Johnson will always be dangerous, the Falcons secondary picked off Cam Newton three times and they’re going to have to be just as shutdown against Stafford to pull away another victory. I think the Lions – despite being in tug of wars each week – have the edge in this one, and will have learned from their mistakes last week.
Lions get back on track with another check in the win column. Lions win 27-24
Houston at Tennessee
Houston will be without star wide-out Andre Johnson again this week, and for the past couple of weeks Houston fans have been missing him. Two weeks ago Houston was on the goal line for the last play of the game, and Schaub didn’t have his favorite target and ended up throwing a game-ending interception. Last week Houston went up against what I consider the most dangerous defense within the NFL without Johnson and although Schaub through for 220 yards and a touchdown, the Ravens were able to shutdown the next best player on the Texans – Arian Foster – who rushed only 15 times for 49 yards. Without Andre the teams attack becomes fundamentally one dimensional. But Arian Foster was going against the Ravens – and the Titans are definitely not the Ravens.
Tennessee enjoyed a week off in week six, and it may have been just what they needed. The Titans had two weeks to prepare for an attack that they have to know is going to be primarily on the ground. The biggest threat that they have to face is going to be Arian Foster and they have to know it. They still need to fear Schaub, they still need to be aware of the play action pass, and they still need to play offense too. Tennessee looked hot early in the season, but since Kenny Britt went down the attack has been a little flatter. This is a game where Chris Johnson is going to have to prove his worth for his team to win. Is CJ’s back strong enough to carry this team?
I think Arian Foster is superior to Chris Johnson. I think Houston’s defense is superior to Tennessee’s. I think Schaub is superior to Hasselbeck. I think Houston is an overall better team, and they need to prove that they can win without Andre Johnson – and I think that this is the week to do it.
Houston relies on Arian Foster and the play action pass guiding them to victory 28-24
Denver at Miami
Tebow Time. That’s what this game is. People in Denver are finally happy, and finally getting what they want – their wasted first round draft pick getting his chance. I do believe it’s the right move, I agree that it’s Tebow’s chance after Orton hasn’t been able to produce through the first five games. It’s time to hand over the reins. I just still find it absurd that Tebow was a first round draft pick. I do think it would be a great story if he ended up being a star in the league, a great player, and could turn the franchise around. It would show that the Broncos saw something that no one else did, and that Tebow wasn’t a mistake. Luckily for Tebow he’s going up against a very weak Miami team, and he’s had two weeks to know that he was going to be the starter. The former Gator returns to Florida to sink or swim.
Miami might be even more excited than Denver when it comes to Tebow starting. Don’t believe me? Over 10,000 tickets were sold AFTER Tebow was named the starter. Maybe its because it’s closer to game day, maybe it’s due to the honoring of the Gators team, or maybe its because the Miami fans are intrigued about seeing something new happen in a stadium that is home to a winless Dolphins team. The Dolphins just don’t look good. They’ve lost 11 of their last 12 at home, their 0-5 this season, and they just don’t look anywhere close to turning it around. Matt Moore didn’t look like total rubbish, but he’s not someone that is going to turn the franchise around.
Tim Tebow will enjoy his fun in the sun. The game isn’t going to be pretty, and I think both offenses are going to have some difficulties, but I also think that Tebow just has a knack for winning. He almost got it last week, and I think the Broncos will enjoy at least one victory under Tebow this year.
Broncos win a sloppy one 21-17
San Diego at New York Jets
San Diego will be getting a big boost this week with the return of Antonio Gates. Phillip Rivers is a good quarterback, but he’s better when he has his big target on the active roster. Ryan Matthews is going to have to have a big game, and I think that he’s got it in him. The Jets rush defense hasn’t been prominent this year, and Matthews is just starting to get some of his swagger going. With the shots that Rex Ryan took at Norv Turner this week – whether intentional or not – I think that this San Diego team comes out with a little extra fire in their bellies.
The Jets are coming off of a big Monday night win, and I can’t quite decide if this is a good thing for New York or bad. Sure they righted a losing skid, and sure they beat a conference rival, but where is that going to put their mental state going into a game against one of the most consistent regular season teams in the league? The Jets are going to need their running game to finally show up, they’re going to need Santonio Holmes to do his thing, and Plaxico to become a big target. There are so many things that they need to happen to be able to go toe to toe with this San Diego threat.
I think that the implementation of Gates back into the Chargers offense is going to be one of the biggest points in this game. If Gates can play like everyone expects him to be able to then the Chargers are incredibly dangerous; if Gates can’t play like he should be able to, then the Bolts just go back to their old bag of tricks.
Chargers take one on the road 28-17
Chicago at Tampa Bay
Chicago played very well last week. Yes they played Minnesota, and yes the Vikings really aren’t good this season, but the Bears did some things early that really caught my eye, specifically the big pass to Devin Hester. The Vikings were so afraid of Matt Forte running the ball, that an early play action fake left Hester behind the Vikings safeties and a beautifully placed ball falling into the arms of Hester. That’s what Forte does for this team. Forte is one of the best and most versatile running backs in the game. He influences almost every offensive play the Bears have, including ones where he doesn’t even touch the ball. The fans in London are in for a treat getting to watch this man play the game, and truly alter defensive game plans.
The Buccaneers are coming off of a big win versus conference rival New Orleans saints, but Tampa Bay has bad news with LeGarrette Blount being listed as Doubtful going into the game. If Blount can’t play the Buccaneers offense loses one of its most dangerous threats. Freeman and Williams can do some damage between them, and Earnest Graham might be able to do a little bit himself, but Blount is a player that can change the game with one run hard-nosed downhill run. The Bucs are going to need to lock Forte down, and hold Cutler in check if they want to impress the fans overseas.
I think Forte is enough to distract the Tampa Bay defense and augment the game enough to really make it difficult to get into a rhythm. The Bears look to be coming together quite nicely, and I think that they’ll be more than happy to take a win across the pond.
Bears win 24-21
Washington at Carolina
Grossman threw four picks before being replaced as the Redskins starter last week. The big thing last week was going up against a team that had to win the game. Now with Beck under center Washington is looking like they’re going to start the quarterback they think will get them the win on a week by week basis. And with the division that they are in that might not be a bad decision. The Washington Redskins actually have a chance to do some damage in the NFC East with weapons like Santana Moss and a solid running back core.
Cam Newton got shut down last week. He threw three interceptions, and he didn’t look as good as he’s looked in the previous weeks. He did however rush for one touchdown, and I think Cam’s a guy who will correct his problems while continuing to let his successes grow. Cam and the offense have consistently come very close to beating some very good teams, and I think with Steve Smith and DeAngelo Williams the Panthers have a great chance at getting their second win of the season.
The weapons on either side are going to challenge the other defenses, but I think that the Panthers are due for their second win, and Cam is itching to prove himself – especially after his poor outing last week.
Panthers win 27-17
Seattle seems to be coming around a bit. Jackson almost seems to be finding a groove and he and his wide receivers seem to be developing a bit of chemistry. Marshawn Lynch is the guy that needs to consistently perform for the Seahawks offense to really prosper. Lynch has had a few big plays in his career, but consistency is something that he has always seemed to lack. He could have been a star back in Buffalo, but for some reason never truly ended up being the player that he could have been. For Seattle to win consistently – with a mediocre at best Jackson under center – Lynch is going to need to be a consistent threat for opposing defenses.
I think Cleveland is one of those teams that might be getting better each week, even though it doesn’t really seem possible. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, I like Colt McCoy. He’s not polished yet, and he’s definitely not an elite quarterback, but he has thrown an insane amount of passes throughout the first six weeks of the season. It doesn’t help that outstanding running back Peyton Hillis has been spotty early this year, but once the offense all starts to gel together and Colt doesn’t need to throw as often as he has been when the running game develops, this team might not be that bad. If not this year then certainly in the future with all of the draft picks that they’ve picked up.
I see Cleveland having the edge here this week. Cleveland’s defense has been a bit more consistent when it comes to yards allowed compared to Seattle, and I think that it really is going to come down to which defenses can capitalize on the oppositions mistakes.
Cleveland takes the win 23-17
Atlanta at Detroit
Atlanta put the ball in the hands of Michael Turner last week, and it paid off. Turner carried the ball 27 times for 139 yards and two touchdowns. With the absence of rookie wide-out Julio Jones the Falcon’s offensive attack became one weapon weaker, but let’s not forget that they still had Roddy White, Michael Turner, Matt Ryan and wily veteran Tony Gonzalez. Atlanta presents a pretty potent attack with a various set of weapons that can make defenses heads spin. Atlanta is going to need Turner to run well, and control the clock to defeat a steadfast Lions team.
Detroit suffered their first loss of the season last week to a very strong 49ers team. A huge hub-bub was made about a post-game handshake, which really stole from the fact that the Lions had just been defeated for the first time. What was different last week compared to the first five Lions victories? How about a Jahvid Best concussion, or even more devastating the fact that Calvin Johnson didn’t catch a single touchdown. Through five games Megatron had a record setting nine reception touchdowns, and although he had over one hundred reception yards he never got into the end zone last week. For the Lions to get back on track they need to stay healthy, and their key weapons need to do what they do best – find the goal line.
Although both teams possess incredible offensive options its going to come down to which defense can weather the attack. Frank Gore ran over what is supposed to be a monster of a d-line last week gaining 141 yards on an average of nine per carry – they can’t let Michael Turner do the same. On the other side Stafford and Johnson will always be dangerous, the Falcons secondary picked off Cam Newton three times and they’re going to have to be just as shutdown against Stafford to pull away another victory. I think the Lions – despite being in tug of wars each week – have the edge in this one, and will have learned from their mistakes last week.
Lions get back on track with another check in the win column. Lions win 27-24
Houston at Tennessee
Houston will be without star wide-out Andre Johnson again this week, and for the past couple of weeks Houston fans have been missing him. Two weeks ago Houston was on the goal line for the last play of the game, and Schaub didn’t have his favorite target and ended up throwing a game-ending interception. Last week Houston went up against what I consider the most dangerous defense within the NFL without Johnson and although Schaub through for 220 yards and a touchdown, the Ravens were able to shutdown the next best player on the Texans – Arian Foster – who rushed only 15 times for 49 yards. Without Andre the teams attack becomes fundamentally one dimensional. But Arian Foster was going against the Ravens – and the Titans are definitely not the Ravens.
Tennessee enjoyed a week off in week six, and it may have been just what they needed. The Titans had two weeks to prepare for an attack that they have to know is going to be primarily on the ground. The biggest threat that they have to face is going to be Arian Foster and they have to know it. They still need to fear Schaub, they still need to be aware of the play action pass, and they still need to play offense too. Tennessee looked hot early in the season, but since Kenny Britt went down the attack has been a little flatter. This is a game where Chris Johnson is going to have to prove his worth for his team to win. Is CJ’s back strong enough to carry this team?
I think Arian Foster is superior to Chris Johnson. I think Houston’s defense is superior to Tennessee’s. I think Schaub is superior to Hasselbeck. I think Houston is an overall better team, and they need to prove that they can win without Andre Johnson – and I think that this is the week to do it.
Houston relies on Arian Foster and the play action pass guiding them to victory 28-24
Denver at Miami
Tebow Time. That’s what this game is. People in Denver are finally happy, and finally getting what they want – their wasted first round draft pick getting his chance. I do believe it’s the right move, I agree that it’s Tebow’s chance after Orton hasn’t been able to produce through the first five games. It’s time to hand over the reins. I just still find it absurd that Tebow was a first round draft pick. I do think it would be a great story if he ended up being a star in the league, a great player, and could turn the franchise around. It would show that the Broncos saw something that no one else did, and that Tebow wasn’t a mistake. Luckily for Tebow he’s going up against a very weak Miami team, and he’s had two weeks to know that he was going to be the starter. The former Gator returns to Florida to sink or swim.
Miami might be even more excited than Denver when it comes to Tebow starting. Don’t believe me? Over 10,000 tickets were sold AFTER Tebow was named the starter. Maybe its because it’s closer to game day, maybe it’s due to the honoring of the Gators team, or maybe its because the Miami fans are intrigued about seeing something new happen in a stadium that is home to a winless Dolphins team. The Dolphins just don’t look good. They’ve lost 11 of their last 12 at home, their 0-5 this season, and they just don’t look anywhere close to turning it around. Matt Moore didn’t look like total rubbish, but he’s not someone that is going to turn the franchise around.
Tim Tebow will enjoy his fun in the sun. The game isn’t going to be pretty, and I think both offenses are going to have some difficulties, but I also think that Tebow just has a knack for winning. He almost got it last week, and I think the Broncos will enjoy at least one victory under Tebow this year.
Broncos win a sloppy one 21-17
San Diego at New York Jets
San Diego will be getting a big boost this week with the return of Antonio Gates. Phillip Rivers is a good quarterback, but he’s better when he has his big target on the active roster. Ryan Matthews is going to have to have a big game, and I think that he’s got it in him. The Jets rush defense hasn’t been prominent this year, and Matthews is just starting to get some of his swagger going. With the shots that Rex Ryan took at Norv Turner this week – whether intentional or not – I think that this San Diego team comes out with a little extra fire in their bellies.
The Jets are coming off of a big Monday night win, and I can’t quite decide if this is a good thing for New York or bad. Sure they righted a losing skid, and sure they beat a conference rival, but where is that going to put their mental state going into a game against one of the most consistent regular season teams in the league? The Jets are going to need their running game to finally show up, they’re going to need Santonio Holmes to do his thing, and Plaxico to become a big target. There are so many things that they need to happen to be able to go toe to toe with this San Diego threat.
I think that the implementation of Gates back into the Chargers offense is going to be one of the biggest points in this game. If Gates can play like everyone expects him to be able to then the Chargers are incredibly dangerous; if Gates can’t play like he should be able to, then the Bolts just go back to their old bag of tricks.
Chargers take one on the road 28-17
Chicago at Tampa Bay
Chicago played very well last week. Yes they played Minnesota, and yes the Vikings really aren’t good this season, but the Bears did some things early that really caught my eye, specifically the big pass to Devin Hester. The Vikings were so afraid of Matt Forte running the ball, that an early play action fake left Hester behind the Vikings safeties and a beautifully placed ball falling into the arms of Hester. That’s what Forte does for this team. Forte is one of the best and most versatile running backs in the game. He influences almost every offensive play the Bears have, including ones where he doesn’t even touch the ball. The fans in London are in for a treat getting to watch this man play the game, and truly alter defensive game plans.
The Buccaneers are coming off of a big win versus conference rival New Orleans saints, but Tampa Bay has bad news with LeGarrette Blount being listed as Doubtful going into the game. If Blount can’t play the Buccaneers offense loses one of its most dangerous threats. Freeman and Williams can do some damage between them, and Earnest Graham might be able to do a little bit himself, but Blount is a player that can change the game with one run hard-nosed downhill run. The Bucs are going to need to lock Forte down, and hold Cutler in check if they want to impress the fans overseas.
I think Forte is enough to distract the Tampa Bay defense and augment the game enough to really make it difficult to get into a rhythm. The Bears look to be coming together quite nicely, and I think that they’ll be more than happy to take a win across the pond.
Bears win 24-21
Washington at Carolina
Grossman threw four picks before being replaced as the Redskins starter last week. The big thing last week was going up against a team that had to win the game. Now with Beck under center Washington is looking like they’re going to start the quarterback they think will get them the win on a week by week basis. And with the division that they are in that might not be a bad decision. The Washington Redskins actually have a chance to do some damage in the NFC East with weapons like Santana Moss and a solid running back core.
Cam Newton got shut down last week. He threw three interceptions, and he didn’t look as good as he’s looked in the previous weeks. He did however rush for one touchdown, and I think Cam’s a guy who will correct his problems while continuing to let his successes grow. Cam and the offense have consistently come very close to beating some very good teams, and I think with Steve Smith and DeAngelo Williams the Panthers have a great chance at getting their second win of the season.
The weapons on either side are going to challenge the other defenses, but I think that the Panthers are due for their second win, and Cam is itching to prove himself – especially after his poor outing last week.
Panthers win 27-17
Sunday, October 16, 2011
Week 6 - Monday Night Football
Monday Night Football
Miami at New York Jets
Miami hasn’t one a game yet this season despite having numbers in the top half of the league for total yards, rushing yards, and passing yards per game. Their biggest problem has been getting points on the board despite the yardage that they continue to pick up. Henne has been a bit surprising early in the year, as well as the split carries between Daniel Thomas and Reggie Bush. It is going to take every bit of practice that the Dolphins have had for the past two weeks to really get them by the Jets this week though, especially considering it’s in Jets land. The big threats are going to need to be everything that they are supposed to be in order to stand a chance.
The Jets sit at 2-3 and are looking to rebound off of a three game skid. I think this is the game that Sanchez is going to need to get back on track for the season. He’s let his team slip three weeks in a row, and being a quarterback for the Jets is no easy task; when you lose three in a row their almost looking for a reason to boo you. Performing at home is a big must for Sanchez this week, and I think he’s going to be looking at film of how guys like Brady exploited the Dolphins secondary earlier in the year. If Santonio Holmes and Plaxico Burress can have big games and get behind the corners, Keller can provide the target that he’s supposed to be, and Shonn Greene can step into the shoes he’s been trying to fill this year, I don’t see how the Jets have a problem on Monday Night.
(Sorry to any of my friends that are Patiots fans and reading this)
This is what I expect from the Jets this Monday night. I think Santonio is going to add to his highlight reel and make some nice big catches. It’s going to be too much for Miami to handle, and the Jets are going to enjoy Monday Night Prime Time Television.
Jets win 28-10
Miami at New York Jets
Miami hasn’t one a game yet this season despite having numbers in the top half of the league for total yards, rushing yards, and passing yards per game. Their biggest problem has been getting points on the board despite the yardage that they continue to pick up. Henne has been a bit surprising early in the year, as well as the split carries between Daniel Thomas and Reggie Bush. It is going to take every bit of practice that the Dolphins have had for the past two weeks to really get them by the Jets this week though, especially considering it’s in Jets land. The big threats are going to need to be everything that they are supposed to be in order to stand a chance.
The Jets sit at 2-3 and are looking to rebound off of a three game skid. I think this is the game that Sanchez is going to need to get back on track for the season. He’s let his team slip three weeks in a row, and being a quarterback for the Jets is no easy task; when you lose three in a row their almost looking for a reason to boo you. Performing at home is a big must for Sanchez this week, and I think he’s going to be looking at film of how guys like Brady exploited the Dolphins secondary earlier in the year. If Santonio Holmes and Plaxico Burress can have big games and get behind the corners, Keller can provide the target that he’s supposed to be, and Shonn Greene can step into the shoes he’s been trying to fill this year, I don’t see how the Jets have a problem on Monday Night.
(Sorry to any of my friends that are Patiots fans and reading this)
This is what I expect from the Jets this Monday night. I think Santonio is going to add to his highlight reel and make some nice big catches. It’s going to be too much for Miami to handle, and the Jets are going to enjoy Monday Night Prime Time Television.
Jets win 28-10
Week 6 - Sunday Night Football
Minnesota at Chicago
If Minnesota plays how they played last week then there should be no problem. Give Peterson the ball early and often, and let him rack up some big scored and make the opposition play catch up. McNabb still didn’t do much though, and the Vikings didn’t do much after the first quarter. If they expect to beat Chicago this week they can’t just play for the first quarter of the game and expect it to be enough. Throughout the game Peterson is going to need to get a lot of touches, and a lot of yards. McNabb needs to finally have a good game, and maybe Chicago will crumble.
I’ll continue to stand by my thoughts that Forte is the Bears offense, and I will continue to think that it is going to work. Cutler is a decent quarterback, nothing special, but when he has the ability to just toss the ball in a dump off to Matt Forte, or hand it off to him in the backfield there’s not too much that could go wrong. Forte makes magic happen, and he exploits various weaknesses in the same defense throughout the game. Unfortunately Jahvid Best got 163 yards on the ground last week, and Jahvid isn’t close to being as good as Adrian Peterson. The good news is probably the fact that the Bears were planning for Stafford to Johnson, and not Best running through them, where as this week they’ll have planned to try and stop Peterson.
I think the Bears rely on Forte and a defensive game plan that focuses completely on Peterson to really take this game and hold it in their hands. The Bears losses this season have come to the last two Super Bowl champions and the Lions, they’ve been plagued with a tough schedule, and I think that they hop back on track this week.
Forte leads the Bears in an NFC north victory 24-17
If Minnesota plays how they played last week then there should be no problem. Give Peterson the ball early and often, and let him rack up some big scored and make the opposition play catch up. McNabb still didn’t do much though, and the Vikings didn’t do much after the first quarter. If they expect to beat Chicago this week they can’t just play for the first quarter of the game and expect it to be enough. Throughout the game Peterson is going to need to get a lot of touches, and a lot of yards. McNabb needs to finally have a good game, and maybe Chicago will crumble.
I’ll continue to stand by my thoughts that Forte is the Bears offense, and I will continue to think that it is going to work. Cutler is a decent quarterback, nothing special, but when he has the ability to just toss the ball in a dump off to Matt Forte, or hand it off to him in the backfield there’s not too much that could go wrong. Forte makes magic happen, and he exploits various weaknesses in the same defense throughout the game. Unfortunately Jahvid Best got 163 yards on the ground last week, and Jahvid isn’t close to being as good as Adrian Peterson. The good news is probably the fact that the Bears were planning for Stafford to Johnson, and not Best running through them, where as this week they’ll have planned to try and stop Peterson.
I think the Bears rely on Forte and a defensive game plan that focuses completely on Peterson to really take this game and hold it in their hands. The Bears losses this season have come to the last two Super Bowl champions and the Lions, they’ve been plagued with a tough schedule, and I think that they hop back on track this week.
Forte leads the Bears in an NFC north victory 24-17
Week 6 - 4 O'Clock
Cleveland at Oakland
Cleveland has some nice young weapons in their attack. Colt McCoy used to be one of my favorite players to watch on Saturdays, and I’m glad to see him taking the reins on this Browns offense. He hasn’t been anything outstanding for the Browns, but he does have six touchdown passes to only three interceptions. Peyton Hillis should be back this week which is a big plus in the Browns column, and Benjamin Watson has been having a decent year, but that’s all I really look forward to when I watch the Browns play.
Oakland had a very emotional win last week, and I wouldn’t be surprised if they carried that over into week six. Darren McFadden should have a nice time running through this Browns defense, and wide-outs Heyward-Bey and Moore should have a field day with their speed blowing past the secondary. I think this game is going to be all Raiders all day, without much competition coming from the other side.
Al Davis’ spirit is going to stick with the Raiders throughout this season, and it’s one of those intangible motivators that somehow plays a factor into outcomes in the league. Put that on top of the fact that McFadden is dominating this year, and the incredible speed the Raiders possess and it’s just too heavy in favor of one side.
Raiders just win baby – 28-13
Houston at Baltimore
Matt Schaub has got to be kicking himself after how last weeks game ended, but he was without his best receiver in Andre Johnson – who unfortunately for Houston fans is out again this week. Arian Foster is a great player, and with him continuing to be healthy it gives the Texans a bit more of a chance than they would have if he weren’t able to play, but Houston might need to rely on him a bit too much. If the Texans go down early in this game they are going to have to rely on their air game, and without their best wide-receiver going up against one of the most feared defenses in the league it might be a scary game.
The Ravens sit in the top ten in points scored per game, and rushing yards per game. They have a plus seven turnover differential. They have Ray Rice. The way the Ravens play the game is terrifying. Coming off of a bye, and before that the picking apart of the New York Jets, the Ravens have got to itching to get back on to the field. Defensive leaders like Suggs, Lewis, and Reed are going to be leading this team hard into the battle against the Texans and I think they will have a field day against an offense that is a lot more one-dimensional without the threat of Andre Johnson.
The Ravens defense is too strong to threaten them with just one big name, as good as Arian Foster is. I don’t think the Texans have enough firepower even if they can shut down the Ravens attack.
The Ravens defense comes off of their bye impressively getting another Baltimore win 28-13
New Orleans at Tampa Bay
New Orleans is a story that I could repeat every week. “They have an incredible amount of weapons. Drew Brees can escape horrible situations and make something out of nothing. Graham, Ingram and other new threats improve this offense again and again,” yadda yadda yadda. But I think this week I’ll take it from a new angle; The Saint’s need to tighten up on defense. They might have one of the better offenses, but they’ve continued to get beaten through their secondary. Maybe it was acceptable against Aaron Rodgers – not acceptable, but expected? But when a rookie can take the ball downfield against you time and time again then there is something wrong with the system. (Nothing against Cam Newton, he is good, but he is still a first year player.) So tighten it up Saints, wrap up some tackles, and deny some big passes, or else you’re in for some surprises later this year.
Tampa Bay needs to shocked and furious after what happened last week. They’re a team that was having a pretty good young season, and went into a game confident, only to get the ball shoved down their throat. It doesn’t help that they are a very young team and don’t have many big veteran leaders, it doesn’t help that Blount left the game early with an injury, but these are things that great teams overcome. I like Tampa Bay and I think they have the foundation to be a great team, but this week Blount is doubtful, and that hurts. Freeman could have a great day, he and Williams are yet to have any huge games, and this one might be it.
I think it’s going to be a shootout in Tampa Bay, and its going to come down to whether the Saints weapons are stronger, or Tampa can rely on another Freeman fourth quarter come back.
I’ve got to give the edge to New Orleans – Brees and friends just come at opposing defenses from too many angles to cover. Saints win 30-24.
Dallas at New England
Detroit shocked Dallas two weeks ago, and then the Cowboys took a week off. This could spell trouble as some teams do better when bouncing right back and getting into the thick of it, but if there’s one team that might be best to have two weeks to prepare for it’s a Tom Brady led offense. Bad news is the Patriots have scored 30+ points for the past 13 straight games. The good news? The last time the Patriots scored under 30 was when they played a Rob Ryan led defense against the Cleveland Browns last season. With the weapons Rob has in place now, compared to what he had in Cleveland, I wouldn’t be surprised if the Boys put up some big trouble for the Pats this week. If Felix Jones can have some big runs early in the game and open up the play action pass for Romo then Dallas might have a chance at winning this one.
New England is playing at home. They’ve recently discovered that they don’t need to only rely on Tom Brady to win, and with this they’ve discovered a new sense of ball control and clock management. In the earlier games of the season the Patriots got into trouble with some high pass attack shoot-outs going both ways. Henne and Fitzpatrick both had monster games through the air against the Patriots secondary. Sense then not only has the secondary tightened up, but New England has learned that Ben-Jarvis Green-Ellis can actually do some damage on the ground. As the Patriots continue to grow and develop as a team, they’re going to need to keep mixing it up to confuse Rob Ryan’s defensive schemes.
The Patriots don’t forget things very often. Last year the Jets embarrassed New England, so New England made up for it by beating them last week. Something tells me that all week Belichick has continued to remind Tom Brady’s offense about what happened when they faced Rob Ryan’s schemes last season.
I think Brady’s Bunch continues to prove that they are learning how to become even better week in and week out, and continue their streak winning 34-24
Cleveland has some nice young weapons in their attack. Colt McCoy used to be one of my favorite players to watch on Saturdays, and I’m glad to see him taking the reins on this Browns offense. He hasn’t been anything outstanding for the Browns, but he does have six touchdown passes to only three interceptions. Peyton Hillis should be back this week which is a big plus in the Browns column, and Benjamin Watson has been having a decent year, but that’s all I really look forward to when I watch the Browns play.
Oakland had a very emotional win last week, and I wouldn’t be surprised if they carried that over into week six. Darren McFadden should have a nice time running through this Browns defense, and wide-outs Heyward-Bey and Moore should have a field day with their speed blowing past the secondary. I think this game is going to be all Raiders all day, without much competition coming from the other side.
Al Davis’ spirit is going to stick with the Raiders throughout this season, and it’s one of those intangible motivators that somehow plays a factor into outcomes in the league. Put that on top of the fact that McFadden is dominating this year, and the incredible speed the Raiders possess and it’s just too heavy in favor of one side.
Raiders just win baby – 28-13
Houston at Baltimore
Matt Schaub has got to be kicking himself after how last weeks game ended, but he was without his best receiver in Andre Johnson – who unfortunately for Houston fans is out again this week. Arian Foster is a great player, and with him continuing to be healthy it gives the Texans a bit more of a chance than they would have if he weren’t able to play, but Houston might need to rely on him a bit too much. If the Texans go down early in this game they are going to have to rely on their air game, and without their best wide-receiver going up against one of the most feared defenses in the league it might be a scary game.
The Ravens sit in the top ten in points scored per game, and rushing yards per game. They have a plus seven turnover differential. They have Ray Rice. The way the Ravens play the game is terrifying. Coming off of a bye, and before that the picking apart of the New York Jets, the Ravens have got to itching to get back on to the field. Defensive leaders like Suggs, Lewis, and Reed are going to be leading this team hard into the battle against the Texans and I think they will have a field day against an offense that is a lot more one-dimensional without the threat of Andre Johnson.
The Ravens defense is too strong to threaten them with just one big name, as good as Arian Foster is. I don’t think the Texans have enough firepower even if they can shut down the Ravens attack.
The Ravens defense comes off of their bye impressively getting another Baltimore win 28-13
New Orleans at Tampa Bay
New Orleans is a story that I could repeat every week. “They have an incredible amount of weapons. Drew Brees can escape horrible situations and make something out of nothing. Graham, Ingram and other new threats improve this offense again and again,” yadda yadda yadda. But I think this week I’ll take it from a new angle; The Saint’s need to tighten up on defense. They might have one of the better offenses, but they’ve continued to get beaten through their secondary. Maybe it was acceptable against Aaron Rodgers – not acceptable, but expected? But when a rookie can take the ball downfield against you time and time again then there is something wrong with the system. (Nothing against Cam Newton, he is good, but he is still a first year player.) So tighten it up Saints, wrap up some tackles, and deny some big passes, or else you’re in for some surprises later this year.
Tampa Bay needs to shocked and furious after what happened last week. They’re a team that was having a pretty good young season, and went into a game confident, only to get the ball shoved down their throat. It doesn’t help that they are a very young team and don’t have many big veteran leaders, it doesn’t help that Blount left the game early with an injury, but these are things that great teams overcome. I like Tampa Bay and I think they have the foundation to be a great team, but this week Blount is doubtful, and that hurts. Freeman could have a great day, he and Williams are yet to have any huge games, and this one might be it.
I think it’s going to be a shootout in Tampa Bay, and its going to come down to whether the Saints weapons are stronger, or Tampa can rely on another Freeman fourth quarter come back.
I’ve got to give the edge to New Orleans – Brees and friends just come at opposing defenses from too many angles to cover. Saints win 30-24.
Dallas at New England
Detroit shocked Dallas two weeks ago, and then the Cowboys took a week off. This could spell trouble as some teams do better when bouncing right back and getting into the thick of it, but if there’s one team that might be best to have two weeks to prepare for it’s a Tom Brady led offense. Bad news is the Patriots have scored 30+ points for the past 13 straight games. The good news? The last time the Patriots scored under 30 was when they played a Rob Ryan led defense against the Cleveland Browns last season. With the weapons Rob has in place now, compared to what he had in Cleveland, I wouldn’t be surprised if the Boys put up some big trouble for the Pats this week. If Felix Jones can have some big runs early in the game and open up the play action pass for Romo then Dallas might have a chance at winning this one.
New England is playing at home. They’ve recently discovered that they don’t need to only rely on Tom Brady to win, and with this they’ve discovered a new sense of ball control and clock management. In the earlier games of the season the Patriots got into trouble with some high pass attack shoot-outs going both ways. Henne and Fitzpatrick both had monster games through the air against the Patriots secondary. Sense then not only has the secondary tightened up, but New England has learned that Ben-Jarvis Green-Ellis can actually do some damage on the ground. As the Patriots continue to grow and develop as a team, they’re going to need to keep mixing it up to confuse Rob Ryan’s defensive schemes.
The Patriots don’t forget things very often. Last year the Jets embarrassed New England, so New England made up for it by beating them last week. Something tells me that all week Belichick has continued to remind Tom Brady’s offense about what happened when they faced Rob Ryan’s schemes last season.
I think Brady’s Bunch continues to prove that they are learning how to become even better week in and week out, and continue their streak winning 34-24
Week 6 - 1 O'Clock
I’m a lot more confident this week, I think I’ve got a better grasp on my balance of picking teams based on how they should be playing compared to how they have been playing. I think I’ll have a big turn around from the 8-5 last week – knock on wood – but enjoy the football everyone, and tell me how you feel!
Teams with a Bye Week
Cardinals, Broncos, Chiefs, Chargers, Seahawks, Titans
Carolina at Atlanta
Cam Newton again last week brought the Panthers very close to victory. If you look at Carolina’s schedule they have had some incredibly tough opponents. In Cam’s first game they faced the Cardinals, but hey, it was his first NFL game ever. From that point on they’ve lost to Green Bay by seven, they beat Jacksonville by six in Cam’s worst game, they only lost to Chicago by five, and last week they almost beat New Orleans but came up short 27-30. Cam is going to catch fire soon, and his team is going to catch on. The Panthers are there, they are so close, and one of these weeks they are going to explode and just continue to cruise onwards. All of their losses have been by single digits so far this season, DeAngelo stepped it up a bit last week rushing for 115 yards and a touchdown, for Carolina to win he’s going to have to do just as well to balance the Panthers offensive attack this week.
Atlanta has weapons. Matt Ryan has a solid seven touchdowns this season, but Michael Turner only has four rushing. Atlanta has been caught up pretty heavily in throwing the ball early in the year, and have only let Turner carry the ball 84 times through five games. Turner is one of the better running backs in the league, and with an average of 4.3 rushes a carry he deserves to carry a little bit more of the workload than he’s been trusted with through the first five. I understand when teams are down they need to rely on some desperation passes, and the Falcons have incredible talents on the receiving end in Roddy White, Julio Jones, and Tony Gonzalez – it’s not surprising that they pass the ball. But use Turner more! Julio is out this week, and that could result in Turner finally getting the ball a bit more.
As much as I like the Panthers in the future I don’t think that big game is going to come in the Georgia Dome. Atlanta’s versatile attack is going to put up the same big numbers they’ve had trouble matching four out of five games early in the year.
Atlanta escapes a heavy Cam Newton attack with a 33-27 win.
Indianapolis at Cincinnati
I picked Indy last week thinking that they were finally going to turn it around. Two weeks ago the Colts’ defense impressed me, last week the Colts offense surprised me, so this week I’m going into watching this game knowing what’s going to happen. The Colts one way or another will shoot themselves in the foot. Painter to Garcon has been working two weeks in a row, but it’s only going to take time until a defense figures out this catch and run routine and shuts it down. I think the Bengals are just the team to do that.
Dalton to Green is something I didn’t think I’d be talking heavily about for at least another year, but I think this game might be a big break out for them. The Colts have given up eight touchdowns and 1271 yards through the air already this season and I don’t think that is going to slow down on Sunday. Dalton will be looking for Green all day and I won’t be surprised to see some big plays coming over the top.
With the Colts giving up over one touchdown through the air a week and Joseph Addai being listed as questionable there are some big areas of concern they need to address before they can expect to get their first win this season.
The Bengals win with Green, Dalton, and Defense 24-10.
Jacksonville at Pittsburgh
In the first five games of the season Jacksonville’s Maurice Jones-Drew has out-rushed opposing running backs each time. Only one of those times did MJD break 100 yards, but that means that Jacksonville’s rushing defense has been doing something right. With a their rookie quarterback, and soft secondary though I will be surprised if Jones-Drew’s back is strong enough to carry his defense over a rebounding Steelers team.
Big Ben threw for five touchdowns last week, finally having the game that everyone that enjoys football knew he would eventually have. This game shouldn’t be much different for the big man. The Jaguars have given up big numbers through the air each week, excluding the rain game they had versus Carolina, and I think Big Ben is going to exploit some weaknesses that the Jaguars haven’t touched up yet. Dustin Keller, Greg Olsen, and Jimmy Graham were leading receivers against this Jacksonville defense for three consecutive weeks, I think Heath Miller might just fall into that category too.
Jacksonville’s passing defense isn’t good enough to slow down the tear that Ben is about to take off on. Mike Wallace and Heath Miller are too dangerous in the open, and with a strong quarterback like Roth they will both get some good opportunities.
Big Ben throws his way to victory for the second consecutive week 30-10.
Buffalo at New York Giants
Buffalo has won some games that were nail biters this year, some games no one expected them to win, and they’ve picked off Tom Brady and Michael Vick four times a piece. They let me down in week four, but did what I expected them to do in week five. I like this Buffalo defense, and I’m going to ride with them for at least one more week. Eli got shell-shocked at the end of the game last week, although it’s arguably not his fault for that last pick-six, I still think it’s going to have a bit of a hangover playing against a tough Bills secondary. On top of their defense, Fred Jackson was a beast again last week, and if he can carry that into New Jersey I think that the Bills are going to continue to shock NFL fans this season.
The Giants are going to have to hope that their wideouts can beat this tough secondary. If Nicks can be the tough receiver that everyone expects him to be game in and game out, if Victor Cruz can become more consistent, and if Mario Manningham can become the player he was in the past years then the Giants will stand a much better chance. Eli is going to have to pick his battles, and not try to force too many throws this week. The Giants rushing defense is going to need to really pick up their game this week if they expect to win.
In the last three games the Giants have given up 128, 138, and 98 yards to LeSean McCoy, Beanie Wells, and Marshawn Lynch respectively. This week with Fred Jackson coming to town they’re in for a rough game, With the Bills secondary continuing to play strong I just don’t see how this game goes any other way.
Bills continue to have a great season and take the win 28-21
San Francisco at Detroit
The 49ers looked incredible last week. They played a very tough Buccaneers team and made it look easier than beating a 0-16 Detroit Lions. Frank Gore was all legs as usual, and although he didn’t have big yards Vernon Davis came into the picture with two big touchdowns. The Niners defense held Josh Freeman to go just 17 of 33, and although Blount left the game early he only picked up 34 carries while replacement Earnest Graham got only 30. San Fran has been a team to watch early in the season, and I really like them. They have an offense that was very underrated although everyone knew how good Frank Gore was going to be, and a defense that can shut down some of the better players in the game. Even if they don’t do anything incredible this week they are going to be a force throughout the season.
What’s there to say about the Lions that I haven’t said for the past two weeks? How about Jahvid Best. He showed up last week, and he showed up HUGE. He may have got shut down for some small runs earlier in the game, but once he broke away for that big one he looked like he was going to continue to run all over the game – and he did. With an outstanding aerial attack it’s not surprising that Jahvid found some space in the running game. If Best can learn to pick apart these holes that the Stafford to Megatron combination is opening up then the Lions are going to learn to win even easier.
As good as the Niners are, and as much as I like them this year, I don’t think they’re the team that’s going to derail the Lions. I think they’ll put up a fight yes, I think they’ll be a tough speed bump, but I don’t think that they’re going to quite pull it off.
Lions do what the Lions do this year and enjoy Megatron’s big catches leading them to victory 28-24
St. Louis at Green Bay
St. Louis is just being caught at the wrong place at the wrong time. Bradford is going to be good, everyone knows that. Steven Jackson is coming back, which could spell some trouble during other games this year. The young receiving core that the Rams possess is something that is going to work out in time. But this week they are playing the Packers. And they are playing at Lambeau. That isn’t a way to get back on track for the season you were hoping for.
The Packers are the Packers. Does that explain it enough for you? They are one of two undefeated teams left this year, they are the defending league champions, and they have the arguably the best player in the league sitting under center. Aaron Rodgers was 26 for 39 last week and threw 396 yards, and even with all of that he was possibly disappointing to some with only two touchdowns. When people are expecting more than that, that’s when you know the player is special. With a offensive that destroys opposing defenses, and a defense that takes the ball away at a positive seven ratio there’s not much that spells defeat this week.
I would be shocked if anything but a Packers victory happens this week. Aaron Rodgers has a 122.9 rating this year, he’s completed over 71 percent of his passes, he has 14 touchdowns to only two interceptions. It’s awe-inspiring. I’ll be busy scraping my jaw off of the floor as a watch him play again this week.
Packers win at no surprise 31-13
Philadelphia at Washington
Philadelphia needs to win this week. It might only be week six to some teams in the NFL but I think that this is the earliest must win game of the season for any team. Sitting at just 1-3 when everyone was expecting one of the better seasons out of all the teams in the league, and going up against a division rival coming off of a bye week, this is a game that Michael Vick and friends need to control. I think the entire Eagles roster got a slap of reality these first four games, they aren’t the team they thought they were going to be, and now it’s time for everyone to put their ego’s aside and just play some ball. That’s what the Eagles need to do, it doesn’t come down to stats or numbers for them from this season so far, they just need to play as one cohesive unit for the first time this year, and if they don’t I think it might be an early write-off for the so called “Dream Team.”
Washington is coming off of a week five bye, and I’m having trouble deciding whether it was well timed, or ill timed. They were 3-1 going into their bye, so maybe it was bad to slow down the roll that they were on. But they are going up against Michael Vick and the Eagles who should be one of the toughest teams to plan for defensively. Grossman is going to have to put up numbers, the triple headed backfield of Hightower, Helu, and Torain should have a nice time running through what has so far been a very soft run defense from the Eagles, and Santana Moss is still one of my favorite wide-outs to watch. The Redskins have the weapons, and they’ve had two weeks to plan so they could quite possibly push on in their NFC East bid.
I think this game is more of the Eagles game to lose than the Redskins to win. The Eagles need to piece it together this week, they need to finally get a statement win after sliding for three games straight, but to do that they can’t try and force it. They need to play their game.
The Eagles take a must win game and make the best of it winning 27-20
Teams with a Bye Week
Cardinals, Broncos, Chiefs, Chargers, Seahawks, Titans
Carolina at Atlanta
Cam Newton again last week brought the Panthers very close to victory. If you look at Carolina’s schedule they have had some incredibly tough opponents. In Cam’s first game they faced the Cardinals, but hey, it was his first NFL game ever. From that point on they’ve lost to Green Bay by seven, they beat Jacksonville by six in Cam’s worst game, they only lost to Chicago by five, and last week they almost beat New Orleans but came up short 27-30. Cam is going to catch fire soon, and his team is going to catch on. The Panthers are there, they are so close, and one of these weeks they are going to explode and just continue to cruise onwards. All of their losses have been by single digits so far this season, DeAngelo stepped it up a bit last week rushing for 115 yards and a touchdown, for Carolina to win he’s going to have to do just as well to balance the Panthers offensive attack this week.
Atlanta has weapons. Matt Ryan has a solid seven touchdowns this season, but Michael Turner only has four rushing. Atlanta has been caught up pretty heavily in throwing the ball early in the year, and have only let Turner carry the ball 84 times through five games. Turner is one of the better running backs in the league, and with an average of 4.3 rushes a carry he deserves to carry a little bit more of the workload than he’s been trusted with through the first five. I understand when teams are down they need to rely on some desperation passes, and the Falcons have incredible talents on the receiving end in Roddy White, Julio Jones, and Tony Gonzalez – it’s not surprising that they pass the ball. But use Turner more! Julio is out this week, and that could result in Turner finally getting the ball a bit more.
As much as I like the Panthers in the future I don’t think that big game is going to come in the Georgia Dome. Atlanta’s versatile attack is going to put up the same big numbers they’ve had trouble matching four out of five games early in the year.
Atlanta escapes a heavy Cam Newton attack with a 33-27 win.
Indianapolis at Cincinnati
I picked Indy last week thinking that they were finally going to turn it around. Two weeks ago the Colts’ defense impressed me, last week the Colts offense surprised me, so this week I’m going into watching this game knowing what’s going to happen. The Colts one way or another will shoot themselves in the foot. Painter to Garcon has been working two weeks in a row, but it’s only going to take time until a defense figures out this catch and run routine and shuts it down. I think the Bengals are just the team to do that.
Dalton to Green is something I didn’t think I’d be talking heavily about for at least another year, but I think this game might be a big break out for them. The Colts have given up eight touchdowns and 1271 yards through the air already this season and I don’t think that is going to slow down on Sunday. Dalton will be looking for Green all day and I won’t be surprised to see some big plays coming over the top.
With the Colts giving up over one touchdown through the air a week and Joseph Addai being listed as questionable there are some big areas of concern they need to address before they can expect to get their first win this season.
The Bengals win with Green, Dalton, and Defense 24-10.
Jacksonville at Pittsburgh
In the first five games of the season Jacksonville’s Maurice Jones-Drew has out-rushed opposing running backs each time. Only one of those times did MJD break 100 yards, but that means that Jacksonville’s rushing defense has been doing something right. With a their rookie quarterback, and soft secondary though I will be surprised if Jones-Drew’s back is strong enough to carry his defense over a rebounding Steelers team.
Big Ben threw for five touchdowns last week, finally having the game that everyone that enjoys football knew he would eventually have. This game shouldn’t be much different for the big man. The Jaguars have given up big numbers through the air each week, excluding the rain game they had versus Carolina, and I think Big Ben is going to exploit some weaknesses that the Jaguars haven’t touched up yet. Dustin Keller, Greg Olsen, and Jimmy Graham were leading receivers against this Jacksonville defense for three consecutive weeks, I think Heath Miller might just fall into that category too.
Jacksonville’s passing defense isn’t good enough to slow down the tear that Ben is about to take off on. Mike Wallace and Heath Miller are too dangerous in the open, and with a strong quarterback like Roth they will both get some good opportunities.
Big Ben throws his way to victory for the second consecutive week 30-10.
Buffalo at New York Giants
Buffalo has won some games that were nail biters this year, some games no one expected them to win, and they’ve picked off Tom Brady and Michael Vick four times a piece. They let me down in week four, but did what I expected them to do in week five. I like this Buffalo defense, and I’m going to ride with them for at least one more week. Eli got shell-shocked at the end of the game last week, although it’s arguably not his fault for that last pick-six, I still think it’s going to have a bit of a hangover playing against a tough Bills secondary. On top of their defense, Fred Jackson was a beast again last week, and if he can carry that into New Jersey I think that the Bills are going to continue to shock NFL fans this season.
The Giants are going to have to hope that their wideouts can beat this tough secondary. If Nicks can be the tough receiver that everyone expects him to be game in and game out, if Victor Cruz can become more consistent, and if Mario Manningham can become the player he was in the past years then the Giants will stand a much better chance. Eli is going to have to pick his battles, and not try to force too many throws this week. The Giants rushing defense is going to need to really pick up their game this week if they expect to win.
In the last three games the Giants have given up 128, 138, and 98 yards to LeSean McCoy, Beanie Wells, and Marshawn Lynch respectively. This week with Fred Jackson coming to town they’re in for a rough game, With the Bills secondary continuing to play strong I just don’t see how this game goes any other way.
Bills continue to have a great season and take the win 28-21
San Francisco at Detroit
The 49ers looked incredible last week. They played a very tough Buccaneers team and made it look easier than beating a 0-16 Detroit Lions. Frank Gore was all legs as usual, and although he didn’t have big yards Vernon Davis came into the picture with two big touchdowns. The Niners defense held Josh Freeman to go just 17 of 33, and although Blount left the game early he only picked up 34 carries while replacement Earnest Graham got only 30. San Fran has been a team to watch early in the season, and I really like them. They have an offense that was very underrated although everyone knew how good Frank Gore was going to be, and a defense that can shut down some of the better players in the game. Even if they don’t do anything incredible this week they are going to be a force throughout the season.
What’s there to say about the Lions that I haven’t said for the past two weeks? How about Jahvid Best. He showed up last week, and he showed up HUGE. He may have got shut down for some small runs earlier in the game, but once he broke away for that big one he looked like he was going to continue to run all over the game – and he did. With an outstanding aerial attack it’s not surprising that Jahvid found some space in the running game. If Best can learn to pick apart these holes that the Stafford to Megatron combination is opening up then the Lions are going to learn to win even easier.
As good as the Niners are, and as much as I like them this year, I don’t think they’re the team that’s going to derail the Lions. I think they’ll put up a fight yes, I think they’ll be a tough speed bump, but I don’t think that they’re going to quite pull it off.
Lions do what the Lions do this year and enjoy Megatron’s big catches leading them to victory 28-24
St. Louis at Green Bay
St. Louis is just being caught at the wrong place at the wrong time. Bradford is going to be good, everyone knows that. Steven Jackson is coming back, which could spell some trouble during other games this year. The young receiving core that the Rams possess is something that is going to work out in time. But this week they are playing the Packers. And they are playing at Lambeau. That isn’t a way to get back on track for the season you were hoping for.
The Packers are the Packers. Does that explain it enough for you? They are one of two undefeated teams left this year, they are the defending league champions, and they have the arguably the best player in the league sitting under center. Aaron Rodgers was 26 for 39 last week and threw 396 yards, and even with all of that he was possibly disappointing to some with only two touchdowns. When people are expecting more than that, that’s when you know the player is special. With a offensive that destroys opposing defenses, and a defense that takes the ball away at a positive seven ratio there’s not much that spells defeat this week.
I would be shocked if anything but a Packers victory happens this week. Aaron Rodgers has a 122.9 rating this year, he’s completed over 71 percent of his passes, he has 14 touchdowns to only two interceptions. It’s awe-inspiring. I’ll be busy scraping my jaw off of the floor as a watch him play again this week.
Packers win at no surprise 31-13
Philadelphia at Washington
Philadelphia needs to win this week. It might only be week six to some teams in the NFL but I think that this is the earliest must win game of the season for any team. Sitting at just 1-3 when everyone was expecting one of the better seasons out of all the teams in the league, and going up against a division rival coming off of a bye week, this is a game that Michael Vick and friends need to control. I think the entire Eagles roster got a slap of reality these first four games, they aren’t the team they thought they were going to be, and now it’s time for everyone to put their ego’s aside and just play some ball. That’s what the Eagles need to do, it doesn’t come down to stats or numbers for them from this season so far, they just need to play as one cohesive unit for the first time this year, and if they don’t I think it might be an early write-off for the so called “Dream Team.”
Washington is coming off of a week five bye, and I’m having trouble deciding whether it was well timed, or ill timed. They were 3-1 going into their bye, so maybe it was bad to slow down the roll that they were on. But they are going up against Michael Vick and the Eagles who should be one of the toughest teams to plan for defensively. Grossman is going to have to put up numbers, the triple headed backfield of Hightower, Helu, and Torain should have a nice time running through what has so far been a very soft run defense from the Eagles, and Santana Moss is still one of my favorite wide-outs to watch. The Redskins have the weapons, and they’ve had two weeks to plan so they could quite possibly push on in their NFC East bid.
I think this game is more of the Eagles game to lose than the Redskins to win. The Eagles need to piece it together this week, they need to finally get a statement win after sliding for three games straight, but to do that they can’t try and force it. They need to play their game.
The Eagles take a must win game and make the best of it winning 27-20
Friday, October 14, 2011
Week 5 Reflection
So week five didn’t go as well as week four, but I’m still not too disappointed. I knew going into the week that a lot of those games were going to be tough to call, and I picked some based on how poorly some teams were playing to date, and not how well they should have been playing. After starting off at a lowly 3-5 through the one o’clock games I was very confident with the rest of my picks. I got the rest of Sunday’s games correct, and finished with a Monday night victory.
Games I got wrong:
Tennessee at Pittsburgh
I thought Chris Johnson and Hasselbeck were both going to have big games and really turn this defense inside out with a slew of wild plays. I was wrong. Big Ben went into the game with a lot of turnovers, and I thought that was going to continue. Again, I was wrong. Big Ben came out and although he threw one touchdown, he also showed why he’s a multiple time Super Bowl Champion throwing for five touchdowns. Maybe Big Ben’s back. I’ll be keeping my eyes on him and holding off on the doubt for a few games.
Seattle at New York Giants
I thought this was the most sure thing of the week. I thought the Giants were going to destroy Seattle. And when Jackson left the game, I would have promised you the game was over. When Eli was driving down the field, I wasn’t worried one bit. I guess I should have been. I don’t know what to even say for this game, the Giants just didn’t show up. The holes in their team were exposed, and they were taken advantage of. The Seahawks went in to Giants territory, took their ball, brought it back home to Seattle, and locked the door.
Arizona at Minnesota
It was only a matter of time until Adrian Peterson reminded everyone who he is; why not at home versus the Cardinals? AP had three touchdowns in the first quarter and with each one I was kicking myself. This was one of those games where I was thinking “oh, the Vikings haven’t been doing anything so far, they don’t stand a chance,” when I should have been thinking “The Vikings are going to explode.” I was brought back to reality, and reminded that Minnesota can be good when Adrian gets the ball.
Kansas City at Indianapolis
I thought Indy was going to turn it around this week, and I thought that their defense was going to be strong enough to hold off any attack that the Chiefs brought on. I was close, the game was close, and honestly I’m not even mad that I got this game wrong. The Colts were up by three scores at one point, and I thought that the game was out of reach. And then Dwayne Bowe came knocking. Kansas City came roaring back, and snatched victory away in a very entertaining win. Hats off to you Mr. Bowe.
Oakland at Houston
Andre Johnson was out and Al Davis had just past away. I don’t know what I was thinking. Yes it was a close game, and yes Schaub had a chance to win the game in the final seconds. But Al Davis reached down from the heavens and made sure that didn’t happen. Davis was always about winning, for years it was what he preached. And I should have known that emotion was going to be a strong factor for the game. I thought Arian Foster and the Texans offense was going to be too much, I thought they would stampede over the Raiders, and for a while I remained confident, I was confident until Schaub’s last throw. And then I realized how foolish I was. The Raiders weren’t going to let Houston get a game winner, not that day. Was I wrong? Yes. Do I wish I was right? Of course. Am I upset? Not at all. I’m happy for the Raiders, I’m happy Al Davis’ legacy lived that day, and will continue to live on.
Things to look forward to:
The Eagles want to win, and the Redskins have had two weeks to prepare to Vick and the troops. This is probably going to be one of the better games of the week. I think this is an early “must win” for the Eagles, but I don’t expect it to be easy for anybody.
San Francisco and Detroit are two of my favorite teams to watch so far this year. San Fran has surprised everyone with a pretty balanced attack across the board, and a stellar defense. Put that up against Stafford and Megatron – Suh and Fairley, and I think we have a nail biter on our hands.
Week 5 record: 8-5 – 61.5%
Overall Record: 22-7 – 75.8%
My favorite play of the week:
I know I picked Tennessee to win, and of course I wanted them to, but I need to give credit where credit is due. When someone goes for a trick play it’s always fun to watch. When a team goes for a trick play and it’s successful it’s even better. When a team goes for a trick play, and it’s the last thing you expect because of how much time is left on the clock, think Super Bowl Saints, it’s absolutely phenomenal.
I respect what the Steelers did, I loved it, and it was my favorite play of the week. I thought the Bowe catch was awesome, the Seattle pick-six was a game winner, but I found this to be the most intriguing play of the week, and I can’t get over how fun to watch plays like this are.
Games I got wrong:
Tennessee at Pittsburgh
I thought Chris Johnson and Hasselbeck were both going to have big games and really turn this defense inside out with a slew of wild plays. I was wrong. Big Ben went into the game with a lot of turnovers, and I thought that was going to continue. Again, I was wrong. Big Ben came out and although he threw one touchdown, he also showed why he’s a multiple time Super Bowl Champion throwing for five touchdowns. Maybe Big Ben’s back. I’ll be keeping my eyes on him and holding off on the doubt for a few games.
Seattle at New York Giants
I thought this was the most sure thing of the week. I thought the Giants were going to destroy Seattle. And when Jackson left the game, I would have promised you the game was over. When Eli was driving down the field, I wasn’t worried one bit. I guess I should have been. I don’t know what to even say for this game, the Giants just didn’t show up. The holes in their team were exposed, and they were taken advantage of. The Seahawks went in to Giants territory, took their ball, brought it back home to Seattle, and locked the door.
Arizona at Minnesota
It was only a matter of time until Adrian Peterson reminded everyone who he is; why not at home versus the Cardinals? AP had three touchdowns in the first quarter and with each one I was kicking myself. This was one of those games where I was thinking “oh, the Vikings haven’t been doing anything so far, they don’t stand a chance,” when I should have been thinking “The Vikings are going to explode.” I was brought back to reality, and reminded that Minnesota can be good when Adrian gets the ball.
Kansas City at Indianapolis
I thought Indy was going to turn it around this week, and I thought that their defense was going to be strong enough to hold off any attack that the Chiefs brought on. I was close, the game was close, and honestly I’m not even mad that I got this game wrong. The Colts were up by three scores at one point, and I thought that the game was out of reach. And then Dwayne Bowe came knocking. Kansas City came roaring back, and snatched victory away in a very entertaining win. Hats off to you Mr. Bowe.
Oakland at Houston
Andre Johnson was out and Al Davis had just past away. I don’t know what I was thinking. Yes it was a close game, and yes Schaub had a chance to win the game in the final seconds. But Al Davis reached down from the heavens and made sure that didn’t happen. Davis was always about winning, for years it was what he preached. And I should have known that emotion was going to be a strong factor for the game. I thought Arian Foster and the Texans offense was going to be too much, I thought they would stampede over the Raiders, and for a while I remained confident, I was confident until Schaub’s last throw. And then I realized how foolish I was. The Raiders weren’t going to let Houston get a game winner, not that day. Was I wrong? Yes. Do I wish I was right? Of course. Am I upset? Not at all. I’m happy for the Raiders, I’m happy Al Davis’ legacy lived that day, and will continue to live on.
Things to look forward to:
The Eagles want to win, and the Redskins have had two weeks to prepare to Vick and the troops. This is probably going to be one of the better games of the week. I think this is an early “must win” for the Eagles, but I don’t expect it to be easy for anybody.
San Francisco and Detroit are two of my favorite teams to watch so far this year. San Fran has surprised everyone with a pretty balanced attack across the board, and a stellar defense. Put that up against Stafford and Megatron – Suh and Fairley, and I think we have a nail biter on our hands.
Week 5 record: 8-5 – 61.5%
Overall Record: 22-7 – 75.8%
My favorite play of the week:
I know I picked Tennessee to win, and of course I wanted them to, but I need to give credit where credit is due. When someone goes for a trick play it’s always fun to watch. When a team goes for a trick play and it’s successful it’s even better. When a team goes for a trick play, and it’s the last thing you expect because of how much time is left on the clock, think Super Bowl Saints, it’s absolutely phenomenal.
I respect what the Steelers did, I loved it, and it was my favorite play of the week. I thought the Bowe catch was awesome, the Seattle pick-six was a game winner, but I found this to be the most intriguing play of the week, and I can’t get over how fun to watch plays like this are.
Saturday, October 8, 2011
Week 5 - Monday Night Football
Monday Night!
Chicago at Detroit
Cutler has relied on Forte so much early in the season so far, and for good reason. Forte has been one of the most threatening dual-threats in the league. Going into the week Matt led the team with total yards from scrimmage, and that hasn’t changed. He has over 300 receiving and rushing yards so far this season, which is something that I find astonishing. For the Bears to do well against the Lions though, they’re going to need Cutler to do more than just give the ball to Forte. Last week Cutler went just 9-17 with 102 yards, and relied on Forte’s 205 rushing yards to beat the Panthers. This week they’re facing a team that’s much better than the Panthers in an impressive Detroit.
Detroit continued to play their game last week. A game of catch-up. Stafford and Megatron did what they do, too. It was a week of consistencies for the Lions, and I love it. They’re one of the teams that I will never count out of a game this season, until that final whistle blows. Calvin Johnson had no touchdowns through three quarters last week, and the Lions looked like they were in rough shape, so what did they do? They kept throwing to him. In the fourth quarter Calvin caught two touchdowns, and got his team another victory.
I love what the Lions do, and going up against a defense that just let Cam Newton throw for almost 375 yards, I don’t see Stafford doing any worse.
The Lions are playing at home, on Monday night primetime television, in front of what is going to be one of the loudest crowds of the year. The Bears are going to need to prepare for a lot this week, and adding in the noise is going to make this game even more difficult.
Detroit enjoys the noise, the hometown atmosphere, and a primetime game, as they beat the Bears and remain undefeated. Lions 24 Bears 20.
Chicago at Detroit
Cutler has relied on Forte so much early in the season so far, and for good reason. Forte has been one of the most threatening dual-threats in the league. Going into the week Matt led the team with total yards from scrimmage, and that hasn’t changed. He has over 300 receiving and rushing yards so far this season, which is something that I find astonishing. For the Bears to do well against the Lions though, they’re going to need Cutler to do more than just give the ball to Forte. Last week Cutler went just 9-17 with 102 yards, and relied on Forte’s 205 rushing yards to beat the Panthers. This week they’re facing a team that’s much better than the Panthers in an impressive Detroit.
Detroit continued to play their game last week. A game of catch-up. Stafford and Megatron did what they do, too. It was a week of consistencies for the Lions, and I love it. They’re one of the teams that I will never count out of a game this season, until that final whistle blows. Calvin Johnson had no touchdowns through three quarters last week, and the Lions looked like they were in rough shape, so what did they do? They kept throwing to him. In the fourth quarter Calvin caught two touchdowns, and got his team another victory.
I love what the Lions do, and going up against a defense that just let Cam Newton throw for almost 375 yards, I don’t see Stafford doing any worse.
The Lions are playing at home, on Monday night primetime television, in front of what is going to be one of the loudest crowds of the year. The Bears are going to need to prepare for a lot this week, and adding in the noise is going to make this game even more difficult.
Detroit enjoys the noise, the hometown atmosphere, and a primetime game, as they beat the Bears and remain undefeated. Lions 24 Bears 20.
Week 5 - Sunday Night Football
Green Bay at Atlanta
Aaron Rodgers has been arguably the best player in the NFL this year to date. He threw for monster numbers game one, and hasn’t slowed down even a step. Last week Rodgers showed why he might be the deadliest quarterback in the league when he went for four touchdowns through the air, and two touchdowns with his feet. With threats of Jennings, Driver, Finley, and Nelson, coupled with a backfield of Starks, Grant, and Kuhn the Packers are putting up more points than anyone else in the league. And what’s even better is that the Packers defense does their part just as well. Early in the season the Packers defense has 12 takeaways, and 11 sacks. Wow. Talk about well rounded.
Atlanta has some monsters on their team as well. Matt Ryan is a young proven quarterback, who the Atlanta front offense has given some nice targets to play with. Roddy White is consistently one of the top receivers in the league the past few years, but now with Julio Jones stepping up to play, Roddy doesn’t have to do everything himself. Michael Turner will always keep that offense balanced, being one of the premier running backs in the league. If the Falcons want to put up a fighting chance this week all of these guys are going to have to have really good games.
The biggest thing in this Sunday Night game is going to be whether or not the Falcons offensive line can prevent the Packers from getting to Ryan. Everyone already knows the Packers offense is going to put up points, so the Falcons are going to need to put up a lot of their own if they want to win, which means Ryan needs to avoid big hits.
Packers continue to roll in week 5 beating Atlanta 34-20
Aaron Rodgers has been arguably the best player in the NFL this year to date. He threw for monster numbers game one, and hasn’t slowed down even a step. Last week Rodgers showed why he might be the deadliest quarterback in the league when he went for four touchdowns through the air, and two touchdowns with his feet. With threats of Jennings, Driver, Finley, and Nelson, coupled with a backfield of Starks, Grant, and Kuhn the Packers are putting up more points than anyone else in the league. And what’s even better is that the Packers defense does their part just as well. Early in the season the Packers defense has 12 takeaways, and 11 sacks. Wow. Talk about well rounded.
Atlanta has some monsters on their team as well. Matt Ryan is a young proven quarterback, who the Atlanta front offense has given some nice targets to play with. Roddy White is consistently one of the top receivers in the league the past few years, but now with Julio Jones stepping up to play, Roddy doesn’t have to do everything himself. Michael Turner will always keep that offense balanced, being one of the premier running backs in the league. If the Falcons want to put up a fighting chance this week all of these guys are going to have to have really good games.
The biggest thing in this Sunday Night game is going to be whether or not the Falcons offensive line can prevent the Packers from getting to Ryan. Everyone already knows the Packers offense is going to put up points, so the Falcons are going to need to put up a lot of their own if they want to win, which means Ryan needs to avoid big hits.
Packers continue to roll in week 5 beating Atlanta 34-20
Week 5 - 4:00 O'Clock Games
Tampa Bay at San Francisco
Freeman was huge on Monday night with his arm, throwing a solid 287 yards and one touchdown, but more importantly were his legs. When the Bucs were in a tough spot in the fourth quarter, Freeman did as Freeman does, and once again led his team downfield for a game winning scoring drive. Freeman’s fourth quarter play is something that was talked about a lot last week, and he proved why. When the game is close, and time is winding down, Freeman is proving he’s one of the more clutch quarterbacks in the league. Not only was Freeman good, but they got the legs I was expecting out of Blount for 127 yards on only 25 touches. If Blount can do that again, then Tampa Bay could pose a pretty big threat for the 49ers.
San Francisco sits atop a lowly NFC West. The only team with more than one win has surprised many with their 3-1 start. Frank Gore last week threw the team on his one leg, and hobbled his way through a repulsive Eagles defense for 127 yards on only 15 carries. More impressive has been the 9ers defense. They’ve already picked off opposing quarterbacks six times, forced five fumbles, and amassed nine sacks in just four games. This defense is for real.
I like both of these teams. I think they’re both underrated, and can both do incredible things. This week though, I think Patrick Willis and the 49ers defense is going to shut down Freeman’s attempt at starting 4-1.
San Francisco takes one at home 24-14
New York Jets at New England
This year the Jets have not been able to find their running game. With only averaging 71 rushing yards a game, they’ve been struggling to stay afloat in most games this season. Sure the Jets started off hot, they had back to back wins to start the season, one being handed to them by Tony Romo, and the other being handed to them by the league when they scheduled the Jaguars for week two. Since then, the Jets lost to two good teams in the Raiders and got pummeled by the Ravens. Luckily for New York fans, the Patriots defense is nothing close to what the Ravens through at them last week. For the Jets to be successful this week, they’re going to need to rely on their defense to assault Tom Brady, and get some early takeaways.
Last week Brady threw for his least amount of yards so far this season with only 226 yards on 16 completions and two touchdowns. The Patriots went the whole game without turning the ball over to the Raiders though, and played with a much more balanced attack that Brady himself said he liked. With guys like Stevan Ridley and BenJarvus Green-Ellis showing some life in the Patriots running game, that potent offense just got much more dangerous. I expect the Pats to continue with what they did last week, and show a balanced front against a Jets defense that could spell some trouble.
The Pats have to still be mad about how their season ended last year, and now is really their first chance at true revenge. I expect big plays, and a few early scores. I don’t think it’s going to be a blowout like it was during the regular season last year, but I do expect some numbers to be put on the board.
Pats do what they do best and win. Patriots 31 Jets 17
San Diego at Denver
San Diego has built up a really nice offense early in the season. Philip Rivers has consistently been good, with a completion percentage close to 70, and five touchdowns. Despite having six interceptions, he already has close to 1300 yards, and looks like he could be dangerous week in and week out as any other quarterback in the league. With weapons like Vincent Jackson for Rivers to throw to it isn’t hard to see why they’ve been successful through the air. And to complete the balanced attack, the Chargers have a backfield complimentary of itself with Ryan Mathews and Mike Tolbert. All around this offense is solid, and I won’t be surprised when they show up to play this weekend.
Denver needs an identity. They’re always questioned by their quarterback situation, their leading receiver is second year player Eric Decker, and their running game is just something I don’t understand. McGahee has all of their rushing touchdowns this season with a total of one. If a team can’t pound the ball in with the running game, I don’t see how they can be successful in the NFL.
San Diego beats up on a soft Broncos team 27-13
Freeman was huge on Monday night with his arm, throwing a solid 287 yards and one touchdown, but more importantly were his legs. When the Bucs were in a tough spot in the fourth quarter, Freeman did as Freeman does, and once again led his team downfield for a game winning scoring drive. Freeman’s fourth quarter play is something that was talked about a lot last week, and he proved why. When the game is close, and time is winding down, Freeman is proving he’s one of the more clutch quarterbacks in the league. Not only was Freeman good, but they got the legs I was expecting out of Blount for 127 yards on only 25 touches. If Blount can do that again, then Tampa Bay could pose a pretty big threat for the 49ers.
San Francisco sits atop a lowly NFC West. The only team with more than one win has surprised many with their 3-1 start. Frank Gore last week threw the team on his one leg, and hobbled his way through a repulsive Eagles defense for 127 yards on only 15 carries. More impressive has been the 9ers defense. They’ve already picked off opposing quarterbacks six times, forced five fumbles, and amassed nine sacks in just four games. This defense is for real.
I like both of these teams. I think they’re both underrated, and can both do incredible things. This week though, I think Patrick Willis and the 49ers defense is going to shut down Freeman’s attempt at starting 4-1.
San Francisco takes one at home 24-14
New York Jets at New England
This year the Jets have not been able to find their running game. With only averaging 71 rushing yards a game, they’ve been struggling to stay afloat in most games this season. Sure the Jets started off hot, they had back to back wins to start the season, one being handed to them by Tony Romo, and the other being handed to them by the league when they scheduled the Jaguars for week two. Since then, the Jets lost to two good teams in the Raiders and got pummeled by the Ravens. Luckily for New York fans, the Patriots defense is nothing close to what the Ravens through at them last week. For the Jets to be successful this week, they’re going to need to rely on their defense to assault Tom Brady, and get some early takeaways.
Last week Brady threw for his least amount of yards so far this season with only 226 yards on 16 completions and two touchdowns. The Patriots went the whole game without turning the ball over to the Raiders though, and played with a much more balanced attack that Brady himself said he liked. With guys like Stevan Ridley and BenJarvus Green-Ellis showing some life in the Patriots running game, that potent offense just got much more dangerous. I expect the Pats to continue with what they did last week, and show a balanced front against a Jets defense that could spell some trouble.
The Pats have to still be mad about how their season ended last year, and now is really their first chance at true revenge. I expect big plays, and a few early scores. I don’t think it’s going to be a blowout like it was during the regular season last year, but I do expect some numbers to be put on the board.
Pats do what they do best and win. Patriots 31 Jets 17
San Diego at Denver
San Diego has built up a really nice offense early in the season. Philip Rivers has consistently been good, with a completion percentage close to 70, and five touchdowns. Despite having six interceptions, he already has close to 1300 yards, and looks like he could be dangerous week in and week out as any other quarterback in the league. With weapons like Vincent Jackson for Rivers to throw to it isn’t hard to see why they’ve been successful through the air. And to complete the balanced attack, the Chargers have a backfield complimentary of itself with Ryan Mathews and Mike Tolbert. All around this offense is solid, and I won’t be surprised when they show up to play this weekend.
Denver needs an identity. They’re always questioned by their quarterback situation, their leading receiver is second year player Eric Decker, and their running game is just something I don’t understand. McGahee has all of their rushing touchdowns this season with a total of one. If a team can’t pound the ball in with the running game, I don’t see how they can be successful in the NFL.
San Diego beats up on a soft Broncos team 27-13
Week 5 - 1:00 O'Clock Games
First things first, week five is the first week that the National Football League has byes this year. It brings the total games of the week down to a small 13, and sees that the following teams are taking a break to recover, regroup, and figure out any hiccups they have for the next 12 weeks. The Ravens, Browns, Cowboys, Dolphins, Rams, and Redskins all have the week off, so for the fans of those teams this week – sit back and enjoy the touch match-ups that the league is letting you enjoy.
Secondly, week five is full of games that I believe could go either way. I’m not saying this for a cop out, or as an excuse for any games that I might get wrong, I just truly believe that the majority of the games this week could go either way. I will accept the games that I pick wrong, I will not complain, and I will not mess with my record with any cheesy excuses, the picks I make are final, and I will stand by them. So we go.
Tennessee at Pittsburgh
Tennessee finally started to come together last week, in a fairly impressive showing. They faced Cleveland, who I still believe is a few years out of a winning record, so take what they did with a grain of salt. Hasselbeck came out hot and threw for three touchdowns in the first half against a soft Browns secondary. He still finished at 10 for 20 on the day, for a total of 220 yards and three touchdowns. He did have a couple of blemishes on the game, 50% on completions isn’t anything to really brag about, and throwing an interception can definitely ruin what was shaping up to be a good day. But losing your best receiver the week before, and still connecting for three touchdowns definitely sends a message. On top of that, Chris Johnson might finally be knocking some lockout rust off of his legs, he surpassed the century mark and hit 101 yards on 23 carries. Although it isn’t CJ’s most impressive showing, it might be a spark that’s showing he’s getting back in to form. Between Hasselbeck and Johnson, the Titans look like they’re in pretty good shape this week.
James Harrison is hurt, Big Ben has been sacked 14 times, lost four fumbles, and thrown five interceptions, and the Steelers are reeling. Normally this would be a time when I say it’s the perfect time for a team to show what they’re made of, it’s time for them to get out there and play their game. But with both their offensive leader giving the ball away three times more than scoring, and one of their emotional leaders on the defensive side of the ball already ruled out, I think that Pittsburgh is surprisingly the underdog this week. They still have Mendenhall and Wallace on the offensive side of the ball, both of who can turn nothing into a touchdown, and a number of intimidating players on defense, but I think that the mental game might just be too much for the Steelers this week. Their only saving grace might be that they are playing at home.
Hasselbeck and Johnson surprise a shock a strong defense on the road and Tennessee leaves with the win 20-13
Cincinnati at Jacksonville
Last week I wrote of Cincinnati’s defense. I completely overlooked them, and handed Buffalo a monster of a win. I don’t think I’ll make the same mistake twice. Cinci held Fred Jackson to just 66 yards on 17 carries, when Jackson had been one of the best rushers in the league through the first three weeks. The Bengal’s actually sit at first in the league right now with allowing opposing offenses an average of only 275.5 yards per game. The Jaguars do have some weapons, but with a rookie quarterback, and no huge names in the wide receiver department, I think the Bengals defense wins the game for two weeks in a row.
Jacksonville put up a decent fight against the powerhouse New Orleans Saints, but they fell behind early and left the games in the hands of rookie quarterback Blaine Gabbert. Gabbert ended the game at 16-42, 196 yards and a touchdown. The yardage and touchdown aren’t awful, but a percentage that low is something that won’t beat a defense that’s as strong as the Bengals. On top of that, if the Jags fall behind early against this week they need to really on their best offensive player, Maurice Jones-Drew. Last week MJD had 84 yards, and an average of 7.6 a carry, the bad news there is Jones-Drew only got 11 carries compared to Gabberts 42 passing attempts. This week Jacksonville needs to pick their poison, throw the ball with your rookie quarterback again, or give the ball to a running back that is facing statistically one of the best defenses in the league.
I need to go with Cincinnati this week, they proved to me last week that once they figure out the opposing offense they are going to be a force.
Bengals win 23-10
Seattle at New York Giants
Sidney Rice returning the past couple of weeks has made Seattles offense much better than it was in the first two weeks. In the two games that Rice has played, he’s already only one reception short of being tied for the lead. This addition to the offense seems to be what Jackson has been waiting for to finally start realizing his own potential. Seattle still sits towards the bottom of the league in points and yards, rushing, passing and total. Maybe the next few weeks they can figure out how to get Lynch more involved by spreading out opposing defenses with Rice, but I still think they’re at least a couple of weeks away from really clicking.
Last week the Giants did exactly what I thought they would do against a tough and underrated Cardinals team. New York let the Cardinals hang around, and even lead the game; but just as I expected, Eli somehow, and some way finds a way to win more often than not. Sure some people will argue they got help from the officials with what was a very controversial no-fumble call, but a win is a win. Eli threw two touchdowns in just 58 short seconds, along with a rushing touchdown from both Bradshaw and Jacobs earlier in the game, to steal a win from Arizona. The two headed rushing attack is impressive, the defense is incredibly beat up but continues to hold their own, and Eli still shocks everyone with ridiculous wins.
I don’t think Eli will need two late touchdowns in this one to secure the win. I think the Giants will lock it up early against the inexperienced Seattle offense, and hold the ball with a well balance rushing attack.
New York continues to impress with Eli and a banged up defense winning 24-13.
Arizona at Minnesota
Arizona might not be the best team in the league, but expect for the last two minutes last week they looked pretty impressive. Beanie Wells ran for 138 yards on 27 carries, on top of that he pounded three of those carries into the end zone. I think this was the game Beanie needed to prove that he can be the workhorse for that team. Better news? Kolb thrived under a well balance offense. The games that Kolb started in Philadelphia last season were all games that didn’t rely on just one player shocking a defense, but a plethora of offensive play styles all folding into one to keep the defense guessing. With Wells proving that he can carry his worth, not only is it going to make the Kolb to Fitzgerald combination even scarier, but it’s going to open up receivers like Early Doucet, and Todd Heap later in games. As long as the defense can hold opposing offenses in check, I think Arizona is going to get better each week.
Speaking of getting better, Adrian Peterson needs to become a presence for the Vikings to be successful. McNabb may have finally done a little better, and proven a little bit of his worth this past week, but this team needs Peterson to be good to succeed. Sure Peterson is third in the league on rushing yards right now, and yes he has gotten his share of touches, but what has he done with those touches? Only 3 touchdowns over 4 games. Yeah, some players can only dream of having that in a year, or even a career. But Peterson isn’t “some player.” For the Vikings to be successful AP needs to have a combination of 2008’s yardage, with 2009’s touchdowns, and 2010’s fumbles. Peterson needs to be THE player for the Vikings, because McNabb just doesn’t seem to be working out.
Honestly, this was the hardest game for me to pick this week. I flip-flopped back and forth, looking at both teams from both sides of the ball many times more than I do on most of my games, but with how theses have been playing this year I don’t see how Minnesota can win. Things just haven’t been going right for them this season, and this week I don’t see that changing.
Arizona wins with Beanie Wells getting a majority of touches 21-17
Philadelphia at Buffalo
Anyone who is a football fan has heard this whole “Dream Team” thing. I’m pretty sick of it. Why? Because I predicted the Eagles to be in the SuperBowl before the season even started. Is it still possible? Of Course. But not with how they have been playing. Michael Vick gained nearly 500 yards between his arm and legs last week, but somehow the team still managed to lose the game. The defense that is supposed to be one of the premiere defenses in the game hasn’t given up less than 100 yards on the ground through four weeks. That includes a spectrum of rushing attacks ranging from the dual-headed dragon of Bradshaw and Jacobs of the Giants, to a Frank Gore who was bang-up and questionable going into the game with an ankle sprain. I don’t care if an offense is good, great, or even incredible. If a defense can’t control the pace of the game, if they continue to give up big plays at game changing times, how can they expect to win?
Now that my rant on my disappointment in the Eagles is over, let’s talk about the Bills. Like I said when I was talking about the Bengals earlier, Jackson was held to just 66 yards on 17 carries. Buffalo can’t do this if they expect to beat Philadelphia. I still have faith in Fitzpatrick, and still believe that he and his receivers are fantastic threats in any game, but until the Eagles prove that they can stop the run I’d keep sending Jackson right up the middle until he gets tired, and then hope C.J. Spiller can come out and play and keep that rushing attack going.
The Eagles rushing defense is too poor, and the Bills rushing attack is too strong. I can’t see this game going any other way, especially in Bills territory.
I can’t believe I’m saying this, growing up in a generation where the Bills have forever been in the shadows of the AFC East, but Buffalo moves to 4-1 after winning a high scoring affair 34-31.
New Orleans at Carolina
New Orleans offense continued to impress me last week. It seems that each weeks there’s a new standout player, and a balanced pass heavy attack has kept defenses guessing throughout the early season. With only one loss coming this year, to the reigning champion Green Bay Packers, the Saints have continued to look as good as they’ve been for the past two years. With Drew Brees acquiring new targets like Sproles and Graham, the Saints have grown where they’ve been best, the passing game. Currently ranked second in passing yards per game, and offensive yards per game, Drew and friends are showing no signs of slowing down.
So far this season pass heavy offenses have been a struggle for the blitz heavy Saints defense. Week one saw Aaron Rodgers put up 312 yards and three touchdowns, and week three showed how good Matt Schaub is when he threw for 373 yards and three touchdowns. Now Cam Newton might not be on the Schaub or Rodgers level yet, but when it comes to passing this season Cam sits above both of them in yards thrown. Steve Smith is returning to his former glory with the revitalization of the team. Smith has 24 receptions for 530 yards, and two touchdowns, and expect those numbers to increase this week.
I expect the game to be a fun one, with some big offensive plays coming from either side of the ball. With Carolina being at home I suspect that they’ll being throwing everything they’ve got at New Orleans to try and shock them with the upset. But Brees and company are too good, too versatile.
New Orleans takes one on the road 31-24
Kansas City at Indianapolis
Kansas City had a decent game against Minnesota last week, but that hasn’t been hard for any team this year. Luckily for them, this week is a match-up of backups. Without Jamaal Charles, the Chiefs are going to be the underdogs more often than not this year, and I don’t think that this week is much different. On the bright side, Matt Cassel and Dwayne Bowe seem to be improving their game each week, and quite possibly could exploit some holes in the Colts secondary this week.
Indianapolis put up a good fight last week. Painter had an above average game thanks to some long catch and runs from Pierre Garcon. Even if no one else is a believer in Painter, Coach Caldwell is fully committed to giving him another start in week five. If the offensive line can hold up, and give him a few extra seconds to breathe, we might see some more long touchdown passes from the young quarterback this week.
This is probably going to be more of a defensive battle than offensive showcase, and I think the Colts probably have a few more weapons, and play stopping players on their roster.
Colts win 17-13
Oakland at Houston
Darren McFadden has rushed for over 150 yards twice this season. In both of those games the Raiders have found a victory. The other two games? McFadden didn’t reach 150 if you add them together, close at 147, but not quite 150. In both of these games the Raiders have lost. Get what I’m saying yet? Oakland, you’ve got one of the best runners in the game, you’ve got the most running yards per game in the league, stick with it! The Houston defense hasn’t faced a rushing attack like the Raiders can present yet this season, with the only team that’s gone over 100 yards against them on the ground being the Dolphins.
Andre Johnson is out. Although this doesn’t spell defeat for the Texans, it does hurt their chances. Andre would spread defenses, and keep the secondary always looking for the pass. This week Jacoby Jones and Owen Daniels are going to have to step up and play big factors in the passing game to compliment Arian Foster’s moves out of the backfield. Foster ran 30 times for over 150 yards last week in his first real game back this season, and as long as his legs keep moving under him this Texans offense should be just fine.
This game is going to be determined by rushing defense. Last week Stevan Ridley of the New England Patriots ran through the Raiders defense. If that defensive front doesn’t step up to a rookie running back, how are they going to do against a proven Arian Foster?
Houston relies on the legs of Arian Foster, and runs to the 24-17 victory.
Secondly, week five is full of games that I believe could go either way. I’m not saying this for a cop out, or as an excuse for any games that I might get wrong, I just truly believe that the majority of the games this week could go either way. I will accept the games that I pick wrong, I will not complain, and I will not mess with my record with any cheesy excuses, the picks I make are final, and I will stand by them. So we go.
Tennessee at Pittsburgh
Tennessee finally started to come together last week, in a fairly impressive showing. They faced Cleveland, who I still believe is a few years out of a winning record, so take what they did with a grain of salt. Hasselbeck came out hot and threw for three touchdowns in the first half against a soft Browns secondary. He still finished at 10 for 20 on the day, for a total of 220 yards and three touchdowns. He did have a couple of blemishes on the game, 50% on completions isn’t anything to really brag about, and throwing an interception can definitely ruin what was shaping up to be a good day. But losing your best receiver the week before, and still connecting for three touchdowns definitely sends a message. On top of that, Chris Johnson might finally be knocking some lockout rust off of his legs, he surpassed the century mark and hit 101 yards on 23 carries. Although it isn’t CJ’s most impressive showing, it might be a spark that’s showing he’s getting back in to form. Between Hasselbeck and Johnson, the Titans look like they’re in pretty good shape this week.
James Harrison is hurt, Big Ben has been sacked 14 times, lost four fumbles, and thrown five interceptions, and the Steelers are reeling. Normally this would be a time when I say it’s the perfect time for a team to show what they’re made of, it’s time for them to get out there and play their game. But with both their offensive leader giving the ball away three times more than scoring, and one of their emotional leaders on the defensive side of the ball already ruled out, I think that Pittsburgh is surprisingly the underdog this week. They still have Mendenhall and Wallace on the offensive side of the ball, both of who can turn nothing into a touchdown, and a number of intimidating players on defense, but I think that the mental game might just be too much for the Steelers this week. Their only saving grace might be that they are playing at home.
Hasselbeck and Johnson surprise a shock a strong defense on the road and Tennessee leaves with the win 20-13
Cincinnati at Jacksonville
Last week I wrote of Cincinnati’s defense. I completely overlooked them, and handed Buffalo a monster of a win. I don’t think I’ll make the same mistake twice. Cinci held Fred Jackson to just 66 yards on 17 carries, when Jackson had been one of the best rushers in the league through the first three weeks. The Bengal’s actually sit at first in the league right now with allowing opposing offenses an average of only 275.5 yards per game. The Jaguars do have some weapons, but with a rookie quarterback, and no huge names in the wide receiver department, I think the Bengals defense wins the game for two weeks in a row.
Jacksonville put up a decent fight against the powerhouse New Orleans Saints, but they fell behind early and left the games in the hands of rookie quarterback Blaine Gabbert. Gabbert ended the game at 16-42, 196 yards and a touchdown. The yardage and touchdown aren’t awful, but a percentage that low is something that won’t beat a defense that’s as strong as the Bengals. On top of that, if the Jags fall behind early against this week they need to really on their best offensive player, Maurice Jones-Drew. Last week MJD had 84 yards, and an average of 7.6 a carry, the bad news there is Jones-Drew only got 11 carries compared to Gabberts 42 passing attempts. This week Jacksonville needs to pick their poison, throw the ball with your rookie quarterback again, or give the ball to a running back that is facing statistically one of the best defenses in the league.
I need to go with Cincinnati this week, they proved to me last week that once they figure out the opposing offense they are going to be a force.
Bengals win 23-10
Seattle at New York Giants
Sidney Rice returning the past couple of weeks has made Seattles offense much better than it was in the first two weeks. In the two games that Rice has played, he’s already only one reception short of being tied for the lead. This addition to the offense seems to be what Jackson has been waiting for to finally start realizing his own potential. Seattle still sits towards the bottom of the league in points and yards, rushing, passing and total. Maybe the next few weeks they can figure out how to get Lynch more involved by spreading out opposing defenses with Rice, but I still think they’re at least a couple of weeks away from really clicking.
Last week the Giants did exactly what I thought they would do against a tough and underrated Cardinals team. New York let the Cardinals hang around, and even lead the game; but just as I expected, Eli somehow, and some way finds a way to win more often than not. Sure some people will argue they got help from the officials with what was a very controversial no-fumble call, but a win is a win. Eli threw two touchdowns in just 58 short seconds, along with a rushing touchdown from both Bradshaw and Jacobs earlier in the game, to steal a win from Arizona. The two headed rushing attack is impressive, the defense is incredibly beat up but continues to hold their own, and Eli still shocks everyone with ridiculous wins.
I don’t think Eli will need two late touchdowns in this one to secure the win. I think the Giants will lock it up early against the inexperienced Seattle offense, and hold the ball with a well balance rushing attack.
New York continues to impress with Eli and a banged up defense winning 24-13.
Arizona at Minnesota
Arizona might not be the best team in the league, but expect for the last two minutes last week they looked pretty impressive. Beanie Wells ran for 138 yards on 27 carries, on top of that he pounded three of those carries into the end zone. I think this was the game Beanie needed to prove that he can be the workhorse for that team. Better news? Kolb thrived under a well balance offense. The games that Kolb started in Philadelphia last season were all games that didn’t rely on just one player shocking a defense, but a plethora of offensive play styles all folding into one to keep the defense guessing. With Wells proving that he can carry his worth, not only is it going to make the Kolb to Fitzgerald combination even scarier, but it’s going to open up receivers like Early Doucet, and Todd Heap later in games. As long as the defense can hold opposing offenses in check, I think Arizona is going to get better each week.
Speaking of getting better, Adrian Peterson needs to become a presence for the Vikings to be successful. McNabb may have finally done a little better, and proven a little bit of his worth this past week, but this team needs Peterson to be good to succeed. Sure Peterson is third in the league on rushing yards right now, and yes he has gotten his share of touches, but what has he done with those touches? Only 3 touchdowns over 4 games. Yeah, some players can only dream of having that in a year, or even a career. But Peterson isn’t “some player.” For the Vikings to be successful AP needs to have a combination of 2008’s yardage, with 2009’s touchdowns, and 2010’s fumbles. Peterson needs to be THE player for the Vikings, because McNabb just doesn’t seem to be working out.
Honestly, this was the hardest game for me to pick this week. I flip-flopped back and forth, looking at both teams from both sides of the ball many times more than I do on most of my games, but with how theses have been playing this year I don’t see how Minnesota can win. Things just haven’t been going right for them this season, and this week I don’t see that changing.
Arizona wins with Beanie Wells getting a majority of touches 21-17
Philadelphia at Buffalo
Anyone who is a football fan has heard this whole “Dream Team” thing. I’m pretty sick of it. Why? Because I predicted the Eagles to be in the SuperBowl before the season even started. Is it still possible? Of Course. But not with how they have been playing. Michael Vick gained nearly 500 yards between his arm and legs last week, but somehow the team still managed to lose the game. The defense that is supposed to be one of the premiere defenses in the game hasn’t given up less than 100 yards on the ground through four weeks. That includes a spectrum of rushing attacks ranging from the dual-headed dragon of Bradshaw and Jacobs of the Giants, to a Frank Gore who was bang-up and questionable going into the game with an ankle sprain. I don’t care if an offense is good, great, or even incredible. If a defense can’t control the pace of the game, if they continue to give up big plays at game changing times, how can they expect to win?
Now that my rant on my disappointment in the Eagles is over, let’s talk about the Bills. Like I said when I was talking about the Bengals earlier, Jackson was held to just 66 yards on 17 carries. Buffalo can’t do this if they expect to beat Philadelphia. I still have faith in Fitzpatrick, and still believe that he and his receivers are fantastic threats in any game, but until the Eagles prove that they can stop the run I’d keep sending Jackson right up the middle until he gets tired, and then hope C.J. Spiller can come out and play and keep that rushing attack going.
The Eagles rushing defense is too poor, and the Bills rushing attack is too strong. I can’t see this game going any other way, especially in Bills territory.
I can’t believe I’m saying this, growing up in a generation where the Bills have forever been in the shadows of the AFC East, but Buffalo moves to 4-1 after winning a high scoring affair 34-31.
New Orleans at Carolina
New Orleans offense continued to impress me last week. It seems that each weeks there’s a new standout player, and a balanced pass heavy attack has kept defenses guessing throughout the early season. With only one loss coming this year, to the reigning champion Green Bay Packers, the Saints have continued to look as good as they’ve been for the past two years. With Drew Brees acquiring new targets like Sproles and Graham, the Saints have grown where they’ve been best, the passing game. Currently ranked second in passing yards per game, and offensive yards per game, Drew and friends are showing no signs of slowing down.
So far this season pass heavy offenses have been a struggle for the blitz heavy Saints defense. Week one saw Aaron Rodgers put up 312 yards and three touchdowns, and week three showed how good Matt Schaub is when he threw for 373 yards and three touchdowns. Now Cam Newton might not be on the Schaub or Rodgers level yet, but when it comes to passing this season Cam sits above both of them in yards thrown. Steve Smith is returning to his former glory with the revitalization of the team. Smith has 24 receptions for 530 yards, and two touchdowns, and expect those numbers to increase this week.
I expect the game to be a fun one, with some big offensive plays coming from either side of the ball. With Carolina being at home I suspect that they’ll being throwing everything they’ve got at New Orleans to try and shock them with the upset. But Brees and company are too good, too versatile.
New Orleans takes one on the road 31-24
Kansas City at Indianapolis
Kansas City had a decent game against Minnesota last week, but that hasn’t been hard for any team this year. Luckily for them, this week is a match-up of backups. Without Jamaal Charles, the Chiefs are going to be the underdogs more often than not this year, and I don’t think that this week is much different. On the bright side, Matt Cassel and Dwayne Bowe seem to be improving their game each week, and quite possibly could exploit some holes in the Colts secondary this week.
Indianapolis put up a good fight last week. Painter had an above average game thanks to some long catch and runs from Pierre Garcon. Even if no one else is a believer in Painter, Coach Caldwell is fully committed to giving him another start in week five. If the offensive line can hold up, and give him a few extra seconds to breathe, we might see some more long touchdown passes from the young quarterback this week.
This is probably going to be more of a defensive battle than offensive showcase, and I think the Colts probably have a few more weapons, and play stopping players on their roster.
Colts win 17-13
Oakland at Houston
Darren McFadden has rushed for over 150 yards twice this season. In both of those games the Raiders have found a victory. The other two games? McFadden didn’t reach 150 if you add them together, close at 147, but not quite 150. In both of these games the Raiders have lost. Get what I’m saying yet? Oakland, you’ve got one of the best runners in the game, you’ve got the most running yards per game in the league, stick with it! The Houston defense hasn’t faced a rushing attack like the Raiders can present yet this season, with the only team that’s gone over 100 yards against them on the ground being the Dolphins.
Andre Johnson is out. Although this doesn’t spell defeat for the Texans, it does hurt their chances. Andre would spread defenses, and keep the secondary always looking for the pass. This week Jacoby Jones and Owen Daniels are going to have to step up and play big factors in the passing game to compliment Arian Foster’s moves out of the backfield. Foster ran 30 times for over 150 yards last week in his first real game back this season, and as long as his legs keep moving under him this Texans offense should be just fine.
This game is going to be determined by rushing defense. Last week Stevan Ridley of the New England Patriots ran through the Raiders defense. If that defensive front doesn’t step up to a rookie running back, how are they going to do against a proven Arian Foster?
Houston relies on the legs of Arian Foster, and runs to the 24-17 victory.
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
Week 4 Reflections
So my first week with publicizing my picks went really well. I was confident in who I picked, and why I picked them for the most part, there were things I learned throughout the week that really made me sway towards one team over the other, especially after looking at certain offensive versus defensive tendencies, but I can't reveal all of my secrets. This is a weekly reflection that that I'll be putting up every week either Tuesday or Wednesday nights, pretty much just covering certain things that went against how I thought they would, my weekly record, my overall record, and my favorite play of the week. So without further hesitation, let's reflect.
Wrong picks:
This week I only got two picks wrong. The first of those was the Bills versus the Bengals. Not only did I pick the Bills, but I have them a huge victory, boy was I wrong. I stated the fact that rookies Dalton and Green probably weren't going to be that incredible against a defense that had just shut down Tom Brady and the Patriots the week before. Dalton surprised me a lot with his mobility outside of the pocket, making a few big plays including the his diving first down late in the fourth quarter. It wasn't the offense that really surprised me though, but the Bengals defense. I completely overlooked how solid they are, and how concrete of a force they were, including the brick wall they put in front of Fred Jackson. Cincinnati's defense is something to remember in future weeks.
Next was my pick of Minnesota over Kansas City. I again made one really bold prediction here saying Adrian Peterson was going to go off and have a huge day. Kansas City's defense stopped him, McNabb, and the entire Vikings offense making me look pretty foolish. McNabb has really disappointed me so far this year, and he's really making me question picking the Vikings for any game that he starts. On the other side of the ball Dwayne Bowe has been stepping it up the past couple of weeks now as he and Matt Cassel finally look like they're falling back into form. Maybe just some lockout rust? We'll see.
Things to look forward to:
Some big rivalries this week. The Jets at the Patriots where they've lost real big the last few times in New England. Cam Newton and his Panthers will be playing host to Drew Brees and the Saints in a clash of a past and future Superbowl MVP, yeah, I said it. Indy looks for their first win versus a Kansas City team that might be piecing together their broken puzzle. And Chicago adventures to what is sure to be a LOUD Ford Field.
Player's I'd keep my eyes on this week are Fred Jackson versus Philadelphia's horrible rush defense, the battle of rookie Quarterbacks in Dalton vs. Gabbert, Hasselbeck versus a beat up Steelers defense, B.J Raji to get through and pummel Matt Ryan a few times, and the entire Detroit Lions defensive line as they keep Cutler looking worried.
Week 4 Record: 14-2 87.5%
Overall Record: 14-2 87.5%
My Favorite Play of the Week:
Every Sunday night my roommates and I go out for wings, drinks, and football. This past week as we sat down and watched the Ravens give the ball to the Jets for the first time, I looked around the table and said "Sanchez will throw a pick this drive." Although I wasn't quite right, something equally as big and exciting happened.
If there's one thing I love more than anything else in football it's heavy blitz packages. Thank you Ed Reed, Terrell Suggs, and Jameel McClain for an incredible first defensive play against the Jets.
That's it for this weeks reflection, if you guys want to see something else added let me know, I'm open to suggestions. If you like this, if you don't, or anything else just drop a comment. I'll be putting my picks up by Friday night, there's just a little more to be broken down before I can commit to anything concrete.
Footballs just three and a half days away.
Wrong picks:
This week I only got two picks wrong. The first of those was the Bills versus the Bengals. Not only did I pick the Bills, but I have them a huge victory, boy was I wrong. I stated the fact that rookies Dalton and Green probably weren't going to be that incredible against a defense that had just shut down Tom Brady and the Patriots the week before. Dalton surprised me a lot with his mobility outside of the pocket, making a few big plays including the his diving first down late in the fourth quarter. It wasn't the offense that really surprised me though, but the Bengals defense. I completely overlooked how solid they are, and how concrete of a force they were, including the brick wall they put in front of Fred Jackson. Cincinnati's defense is something to remember in future weeks.
Next was my pick of Minnesota over Kansas City. I again made one really bold prediction here saying Adrian Peterson was going to go off and have a huge day. Kansas City's defense stopped him, McNabb, and the entire Vikings offense making me look pretty foolish. McNabb has really disappointed me so far this year, and he's really making me question picking the Vikings for any game that he starts. On the other side of the ball Dwayne Bowe has been stepping it up the past couple of weeks now as he and Matt Cassel finally look like they're falling back into form. Maybe just some lockout rust? We'll see.
Things to look forward to:
Some big rivalries this week. The Jets at the Patriots where they've lost real big the last few times in New England. Cam Newton and his Panthers will be playing host to Drew Brees and the Saints in a clash of a past and future Superbowl MVP, yeah, I said it. Indy looks for their first win versus a Kansas City team that might be piecing together their broken puzzle. And Chicago adventures to what is sure to be a LOUD Ford Field.
Player's I'd keep my eyes on this week are Fred Jackson versus Philadelphia's horrible rush defense, the battle of rookie Quarterbacks in Dalton vs. Gabbert, Hasselbeck versus a beat up Steelers defense, B.J Raji to get through and pummel Matt Ryan a few times, and the entire Detroit Lions defensive line as they keep Cutler looking worried.
Week 4 Record: 14-2 87.5%
Overall Record: 14-2 87.5%
My Favorite Play of the Week:
Every Sunday night my roommates and I go out for wings, drinks, and football. This past week as we sat down and watched the Ravens give the ball to the Jets for the first time, I looked around the table and said "Sanchez will throw a pick this drive." Although I wasn't quite right, something equally as big and exciting happened.
If there's one thing I love more than anything else in football it's heavy blitz packages. Thank you Ed Reed, Terrell Suggs, and Jameel McClain for an incredible first defensive play against the Jets.
That's it for this weeks reflection, if you guys want to see something else added let me know, I'm open to suggestions. If you like this, if you don't, or anything else just drop a comment. I'll be putting my picks up by Friday night, there's just a little more to be broken down before I can commit to anything concrete.
Footballs just three and a half days away.
Monday, October 3, 2011
Monday Night Football
Curtis Painter has played in three games in his young career. In those three games he’s completed just one out of every three passes, thrown two interceptions, and lost three fumbles. With an offense that is designed around one of the greatest quarterbacks in the league, Curtis Painter has some monstrous shoes to fill. I don’t think that Curtis Painter has the ability to lead this offense the way that it needs to be lead for the Colts to win. I expect the Colts offense to look confused and make some mistakes that cause some big problems for them throughout the game. On the other hand the Indianapolis Defense hasn’t looked too horrible yet this year led by one of the most consistent players in the NFL – Dwight Freeney. Dwight Freeney is an animal, he’s big, fast, and strong. Don’t want to take my word for it? Then check this out.
I’d like to keep my shoes on thank you. It’s going to take a whole lot of this, and an impressive rush stopping defense for the Colts to pull out a victory in week four.
LeGarrette Blount is one of my favorite players to watch in the league. He’s a tough down hill runner, who doesn’t care who or what gets in his way. He’s going to use a versatile set of athletic abilities to either run an opponent over, or leave them diving for his shadow. If the Buccaneers can establish an early running game between the tackles, they are going to have a field day against this Colts defense. Once Blount makes a few hard runs up the gut, the play action is going to open up and Freeman is going to hit a few long bombs before this one is over. With Painter starting opposite the Tampa Bay defense I don’t foresee too many problems as long as they don’t let Indianapolis
With Painter starting it’s really going to come down to the Colts defense, and that’s just asking too much against this young impressive Tampa Bay Tampa
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