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
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