Atlanta at New Orleans
The Falcons are fighting for their playoff lives in the Big Easy on Monday Night. Matt Ryan, Michael Turner, Roddy White, Julio Jones and a slew of other possible pro-bowl candidates head in to New Orleans hoping to go another step in the right direction for their playoff dreams. If Ryan can hit some big passes over the top Atlanta will have a good chance in Prime Time. Drew Brees has been great on Prime Time this season though, and I don’t think he’s going to let that fall off in week 16 of the regular season. Brees and friends are out for blood against division rival Falcons, and I don’t think they are going to fall aside easily. With one of the most dangerous offensive attacks in football I think the Saints should be just fine at home.
New Orleans wins 35-28
Saturday, December 24, 2011
Week 16 - Sunday Night Football
Chicago at Green Bay
No Jay Cutler and no Matt Forte absolutely demolishes any chance that this Bears team once had. They still have a good defense, but their offense is just completely horrendous now. The Packers got their loss out of the way, and now they can focus on more important things, like the playoffs and the Super Bowl. Sure an undefeated season would be great, but I think they’d rather have another ring. A slap in the face from the Chiefs Tamba Hali might be all they needed to wake them up from whatever 19-0 daze they were in. Aaron Rodgers gets back on track at home on Saturday.
Packers win 31-16
No Jay Cutler and no Matt Forte absolutely demolishes any chance that this Bears team once had. They still have a good defense, but their offense is just completely horrendous now. The Packers got their loss out of the way, and now they can focus on more important things, like the playoffs and the Super Bowl. Sure an undefeated season would be great, but I think they’d rather have another ring. A slap in the face from the Chiefs Tamba Hali might be all they needed to wake them up from whatever 19-0 daze they were in. Aaron Rodgers gets back on track at home on Saturday.
Packers win 31-16
Week 16 - 4 O'Clock
San Diego at Detroit
San Diego is doing some serious damage lately. They’re playing like the team that everyone expected them to play at the start of the season. It might be late in the year, but luckily they are playing in one of the most confusing divisions in all of football right now. I think Rivers is finally back on, and Ryan Matthews has gotten a few touchdowns over the last few weeks which must be raising his confidence. The Lions have Suh, they have Stafford, and they have an incredible amount of talent at the wide receiver position. Every week you can expect to see some good stuff from this Lions team, but this week I think it’s not going to be as easy as a come back as it has been in weeks prior for this Detroit team.
San Diego 31 Detroit 27
Philadelphia at Dallas
Philly is another team that is figuring it all out late in the year. The team is finally coming together and playing like they want to win. The defense looked great against the Jets offense last week, and they have one of the best running backs in the game with LeSean “Shady” McCoy. I think if this team can play how they did last week they shouldn’t have any trouble against the Cowboys. Romo is hot lately and he’s been getting touchdown after touchdown, but the absence of a great running back again is going to hurt him down the stretch. DeMarco Murray provided something that Romo hasn’t had in his career – balance. That balance made him a million times better than he has been, and now he’s back to his former self. It’s going to be a team that thinks they need to win through the air, and it’s not going to work.
Philly wins on the road 31-21
San Francisco at Seattle
San Francisco shut down Big Ben and the Steelers. San Francisco hasn’t given up a rushing touchdown all year. San Francisco has Frank Gore. The 49ers look absolutely incredible on the defensive side of the ball this year, maybe one of the best. If they could develop some corners, and stop allowing touchdowns through the air, they’d be a team that could ride their defense through the Super Bowl. It’s their offense that scares me. Sure they have Frank Gore and he is an absolute monster, but what happens when the niners start throwing against a good defense. I’m not saying Seattle’s defense is elite, but last week they looked pretty darn good. If the Seahawks want to win it’s going to be how they won last week, with defensive touchdowns. In the end, Frank Gore is too much.
San Francisco wins 21-17
San Diego is doing some serious damage lately. They’re playing like the team that everyone expected them to play at the start of the season. It might be late in the year, but luckily they are playing in one of the most confusing divisions in all of football right now. I think Rivers is finally back on, and Ryan Matthews has gotten a few touchdowns over the last few weeks which must be raising his confidence. The Lions have Suh, they have Stafford, and they have an incredible amount of talent at the wide receiver position. Every week you can expect to see some good stuff from this Lions team, but this week I think it’s not going to be as easy as a come back as it has been in weeks prior for this Detroit team.
San Diego 31 Detroit 27
Philadelphia at Dallas
Philly is another team that is figuring it all out late in the year. The team is finally coming together and playing like they want to win. The defense looked great against the Jets offense last week, and they have one of the best running backs in the game with LeSean “Shady” McCoy. I think if this team can play how they did last week they shouldn’t have any trouble against the Cowboys. Romo is hot lately and he’s been getting touchdown after touchdown, but the absence of a great running back again is going to hurt him down the stretch. DeMarco Murray provided something that Romo hasn’t had in his career – balance. That balance made him a million times better than he has been, and now he’s back to his former self. It’s going to be a team that thinks they need to win through the air, and it’s not going to work.
Philly wins on the road 31-21
San Francisco at Seattle
San Francisco shut down Big Ben and the Steelers. San Francisco hasn’t given up a rushing touchdown all year. San Francisco has Frank Gore. The 49ers look absolutely incredible on the defensive side of the ball this year, maybe one of the best. If they could develop some corners, and stop allowing touchdowns through the air, they’d be a team that could ride their defense through the Super Bowl. It’s their offense that scares me. Sure they have Frank Gore and he is an absolute monster, but what happens when the niners start throwing against a good defense. I’m not saying Seattle’s defense is elite, but last week they looked pretty darn good. If the Seahawks want to win it’s going to be how they won last week, with defensive touchdowns. In the end, Frank Gore is too much.
San Francisco wins 21-17
Week 16 - 1 O'Clock
Miami at New England
I think this game is going to be a lot closer than a lot of people are expecting. The Dolphins have been hot over these past few weeks and Reggie Bush had over 200 rushing last week against Buffalo. This game could be dangerous for the Patriots, who have lost to the Dolphins a number of times in December in years past. Gronkowski and the Patriots don’t look at history though, they’ll come out and play their best, and I think their best is better than anyone else in the AFC right now. I think it’s going to be close, but with Tom Brady I like the Patriots.
Pats win 31-24
Jacksonville at Tennessee
Jacksonville is riding the shoulders of Maurice Jones-Drew for as far as they can this season, the rest of their offense and defense hasn’t done anything that great, and really nothing to mention. Tennessee sometimes can rely on Hasselbeck and other times can rely on Chris Johnson but it has become very inconsistent. I think the fact that the Jags have a player that they can funnel things through actually gives them the edge here. Tennessee could be angry, being the first team to lose to the Colts all year, but I think that anger isn’t going to do too much and is actually going to hurt them more than help them.
MJD and the Jaguars win on the road 21-16
New York Giants at New York Jets
Both of these teams look like they’ve lost their way. I think that the Giants defense, although pretty beat up, is good enough to cause some damage against an ailing Jets offense. Sanchez hasn’t done too much lately, and I think that players are finally starting to figure out that this offense really isn’t all that great. As long as the Giants pass rush can get to Sanchez I think that the Jets aren’t going to have much hope. With Nicks, Manningham and Cruz on there for the offense sets in the Giants offense I think that they should be able to have some big plays over the Jets defense too.
Giants win on the road at home 27-17
Tampa Bay at Carolina
A few weeks ago I said that Tampa Bay was battling against the Panthers to determine that they weren’t the worst team in the NFC South. I was wrong. The Panthers have proven at least to me that they are the number three team in that division. The Buccaneers with guys like Blount and Freeman do have a very strong future, but this year just hasn’t been their year. I think Cam Newton, DeAngelo Williams, and Steve Smith have a field day over this secondary and walk away victorious.
Panthers win 31-21
St. Louis at Pittsburgh
Again, I can talk about St. Louis ailing offense, or how bad their defense is, but it’s just old news. If the Rams want to win there is one man that needs to get the ball or be involved at least half of the plays and that is Steven Jackson. The Rams need to use him as much as possible. The Steelers may be a beat up offense, but they still have one of the better defenses in the league, and with a bad Rams offense this game shouldn’t be all that difficult to handle.
Steelers rebound and win 21-13
Cleveland at Baltimore
Cleveland has a pretty good defense this year, and it looks like Peyton Hillis is waking up for these last few weeks which could spell trouble for whatever defense start to get in the Browns way. Cleveland has the potential to be good in the next few years, especially with the Ravens and the Steelers both getting older, but this year still belongs to those two. Joe Flacco is going to need to get a lot better very quickly if he wants to close out this season and have a good playoff run, Ray Rice can only do so much. I think it’s the Ravens defense that wins this one in a low scoring affair.
Ravens win 17-13
Arizona at Cincinnati
Arizona has looked too questionable for too long. I’ve liked them in some games because I figured they would go down to the wire and the Cardinals have been exceptional in clutch situations this year. But I think despite how good they’ve been with the game on the line late, they aren’t going to have that opportunity against the Bengals. Cincinnati is too good on both sides of the ball right now, and I think that Green and Dalton are going to both have big days. The scariest thing about the Bengals is their balance of attack. They’ll hit you with a fifty yard bomb to Green and the next three plays let Benson rush it up the gut. The Bengals are good this year.
Cincy wins 28-17
Minnesota at Washington
Minnesota is an odd team. Adrian Peterson is amazing when he plays, and he always elevates the team to a new level, but he can only do so much for that franchise. I think that the Vikings still have some great players on offense, but lately they just aren’t doing everything they need to be doing as a complete team. Washington may be beat up, but they are figuring some things out. I like Grossman and I really like Santana Moss. I think Grossman is going to come out firing here today, and I think it’s going to pay off and pave the way for some big rushing yards for Helu in the second half.
Washington wins at home 27-20
Denver at Buffalo
Tebow time only exists when the Broncos play mediocre teams. Good news for Denver fans is that the majority of the teams that they play are all mediocre teams. I think that once the Broncos organization takes the reins off of Tebow and they start letting him go for those big throws earlier in the game then the Denver Broncos are finally going to be a team that can beat some of the better ones, but they’ve got this safety net on him and it’s killing them against teams like the Lions and Patriots. Buffalo has some deep threats, some great players, and a secondary that early in the year was considered one of the better ones, lately though none of this has really shown up. I think the Bills are spent after having such a good first half, and they’re going to continue to fall.
Tebow Time wins over another mediocre team 20-17
Oakland at Kansas City
Oakland is beat up. McFadden is still out with a foot injury, and now Michael Bush is listed as questionable with a beat up shoulder. They have Carson Palmer who has been an anomaly coming in late in this season, and they just look like they are a very beat up team right now. Kansas City just beat a team that was 13-0 and their spirits have to be soaring. The team is fighting for interim head coach Romeo Crennel, and a couple of wins over these last two weeks could land him the job. I think the defensive line that the Chiefs have with Tamba Hali leading the charge is a vicious one, and if they get to Palmer enough it is going to lead the way for a little winning streak for this Kansas City team.
Kansas City takes two in a row 21-17
I think this game is going to be a lot closer than a lot of people are expecting. The Dolphins have been hot over these past few weeks and Reggie Bush had over 200 rushing last week against Buffalo. This game could be dangerous for the Patriots, who have lost to the Dolphins a number of times in December in years past. Gronkowski and the Patriots don’t look at history though, they’ll come out and play their best, and I think their best is better than anyone else in the AFC right now. I think it’s going to be close, but with Tom Brady I like the Patriots.
Pats win 31-24
Jacksonville at Tennessee
Jacksonville is riding the shoulders of Maurice Jones-Drew for as far as they can this season, the rest of their offense and defense hasn’t done anything that great, and really nothing to mention. Tennessee sometimes can rely on Hasselbeck and other times can rely on Chris Johnson but it has become very inconsistent. I think the fact that the Jags have a player that they can funnel things through actually gives them the edge here. Tennessee could be angry, being the first team to lose to the Colts all year, but I think that anger isn’t going to do too much and is actually going to hurt them more than help them.
MJD and the Jaguars win on the road 21-16
New York Giants at New York Jets
Both of these teams look like they’ve lost their way. I think that the Giants defense, although pretty beat up, is good enough to cause some damage against an ailing Jets offense. Sanchez hasn’t done too much lately, and I think that players are finally starting to figure out that this offense really isn’t all that great. As long as the Giants pass rush can get to Sanchez I think that the Jets aren’t going to have much hope. With Nicks, Manningham and Cruz on there for the offense sets in the Giants offense I think that they should be able to have some big plays over the Jets defense too.
Giants win on the road at home 27-17
Tampa Bay at Carolina
A few weeks ago I said that Tampa Bay was battling against the Panthers to determine that they weren’t the worst team in the NFC South. I was wrong. The Panthers have proven at least to me that they are the number three team in that division. The Buccaneers with guys like Blount and Freeman do have a very strong future, but this year just hasn’t been their year. I think Cam Newton, DeAngelo Williams, and Steve Smith have a field day over this secondary and walk away victorious.
Panthers win 31-21
St. Louis at Pittsburgh
Again, I can talk about St. Louis ailing offense, or how bad their defense is, but it’s just old news. If the Rams want to win there is one man that needs to get the ball or be involved at least half of the plays and that is Steven Jackson. The Rams need to use him as much as possible. The Steelers may be a beat up offense, but they still have one of the better defenses in the league, and with a bad Rams offense this game shouldn’t be all that difficult to handle.
Steelers rebound and win 21-13
Cleveland at Baltimore
Cleveland has a pretty good defense this year, and it looks like Peyton Hillis is waking up for these last few weeks which could spell trouble for whatever defense start to get in the Browns way. Cleveland has the potential to be good in the next few years, especially with the Ravens and the Steelers both getting older, but this year still belongs to those two. Joe Flacco is going to need to get a lot better very quickly if he wants to close out this season and have a good playoff run, Ray Rice can only do so much. I think it’s the Ravens defense that wins this one in a low scoring affair.
Ravens win 17-13
Arizona at Cincinnati
Arizona has looked too questionable for too long. I’ve liked them in some games because I figured they would go down to the wire and the Cardinals have been exceptional in clutch situations this year. But I think despite how good they’ve been with the game on the line late, they aren’t going to have that opportunity against the Bengals. Cincinnati is too good on both sides of the ball right now, and I think that Green and Dalton are going to both have big days. The scariest thing about the Bengals is their balance of attack. They’ll hit you with a fifty yard bomb to Green and the next three plays let Benson rush it up the gut. The Bengals are good this year.
Cincy wins 28-17
Minnesota at Washington
Minnesota is an odd team. Adrian Peterson is amazing when he plays, and he always elevates the team to a new level, but he can only do so much for that franchise. I think that the Vikings still have some great players on offense, but lately they just aren’t doing everything they need to be doing as a complete team. Washington may be beat up, but they are figuring some things out. I like Grossman and I really like Santana Moss. I think Grossman is going to come out firing here today, and I think it’s going to pay off and pave the way for some big rushing yards for Helu in the second half.
Washington wins at home 27-20
Denver at Buffalo
Tebow time only exists when the Broncos play mediocre teams. Good news for Denver fans is that the majority of the teams that they play are all mediocre teams. I think that once the Broncos organization takes the reins off of Tebow and they start letting him go for those big throws earlier in the game then the Denver Broncos are finally going to be a team that can beat some of the better ones, but they’ve got this safety net on him and it’s killing them against teams like the Lions and Patriots. Buffalo has some deep threats, some great players, and a secondary that early in the year was considered one of the better ones, lately though none of this has really shown up. I think the Bills are spent after having such a good first half, and they’re going to continue to fall.
Tebow Time wins over another mediocre team 20-17
Oakland at Kansas City
Oakland is beat up. McFadden is still out with a foot injury, and now Michael Bush is listed as questionable with a beat up shoulder. They have Carson Palmer who has been an anomaly coming in late in this season, and they just look like they are a very beat up team right now. Kansas City just beat a team that was 13-0 and their spirits have to be soaring. The team is fighting for interim head coach Romeo Crennel, and a couple of wins over these last two weeks could land him the job. I think the defensive line that the Chiefs have with Tamba Hali leading the charge is a vicious one, and if they get to Palmer enough it is going to lead the way for a little winning streak for this Kansas City team.
Kansas City takes two in a row 21-17
Thursday, December 22, 2011
Week 16 - Thursday Night Football
Houston at Indianapolis
Houston may have a back up quarterback and they may have lost to a young Panthers team last week, but they still have Arian Foster. Each and every week if Houston has Arian Foster running the ball I am confident that they are going to move the ball and put up points. Andre Johnson is still out with a hamstring injury which definitely hurts how productive Yates is going to be this game. But with an offense that is completely focused around their running game, I think that the Texans should be just fine. The Colts finally picked up their first win of the season, and I would say it’s mostly due to the fact that they shut down Chris Johnson, but hey, but teams this year have done the same thing. If the Colts can shut down Arian Foster today and limit him to as little carries for as little yards as possible then maybe they can make a small little winning streak to end the season on. However, I don’t think this is going to happen. The Texans are too good this year, and the Colts have been far too disappointing.
Texans win at Indy 28-17
Houston may have a back up quarterback and they may have lost to a young Panthers team last week, but they still have Arian Foster. Each and every week if Houston has Arian Foster running the ball I am confident that they are going to move the ball and put up points. Andre Johnson is still out with a hamstring injury which definitely hurts how productive Yates is going to be this game. But with an offense that is completely focused around their running game, I think that the Texans should be just fine. The Colts finally picked up their first win of the season, and I would say it’s mostly due to the fact that they shut down Chris Johnson, but hey, but teams this year have done the same thing. If the Colts can shut down Arian Foster today and limit him to as little carries for as little yards as possible then maybe they can make a small little winning streak to end the season on. However, I don’t think this is going to happen. The Texans are too good this year, and the Colts have been far too disappointing.
Texans win at Indy 28-17
Sunday, December 18, 2011
Week 15 - Monday Night Football
Pittsburgh has a hurt Big Ben which a lot of people would probably think is a bad thing for Steelers Nation, but Ben has actually had some great games over the years when he has been hurt. I think Mendenhall and the Steelers running game is going to hit a brick wall here and not have much room to work with, but I think this is going to open up the passing game and Mike Wallace is going to have a very big game. The 49ers have depended on Frank Gore and their defense to win games this whole season, and it has worked for the most part. But for this one I think the Steelers are going to strike too fast and too often for the 49ers to really play their game how they like to. I still think Gore is going to have a really good game, but I think the Steelers offense outplays San Francisco’s defense and stuns the 49ers crowd on the road.
Pittsburgh wins at San Francisco 28-24
Pittsburgh wins at San Francisco 28-24
Week 15 - Sunday Night Football
Baltimore at San Diego
Baltimore is a great team, they have a great offense that is still growing, and they are anchored by a defense that can still hold some of the best offenses in check. This season Baltimore has consistently held off strong opponents, and failed to overcome their weakest opponents. Flacco has been good at times, and awful at others. It should be interesting seeing what the Ravens do against a team that is on as big of an upswing as the Chargers. I actually really like how the Chargers have been playing for these past few weeks. They’ve finally taken all of the potential weapons they have and learned how to mold them together to make one unstoppable force. Rivers is finally looking good again, which is allowing Matthews and Tolbert to have pretty good running games. I like Baltimore a lot, but I think San Diego’s momentum carries them through on prime time at home.
San Diego wins 27-24
Baltimore is a great team, they have a great offense that is still growing, and they are anchored by a defense that can still hold some of the best offenses in check. This season Baltimore has consistently held off strong opponents, and failed to overcome their weakest opponents. Flacco has been good at times, and awful at others. It should be interesting seeing what the Ravens do against a team that is on as big of an upswing as the Chargers. I actually really like how the Chargers have been playing for these past few weeks. They’ve finally taken all of the potential weapons they have and learned how to mold them together to make one unstoppable force. Rivers is finally looking good again, which is allowing Matthews and Tolbert to have pretty good running games. I like Baltimore a lot, but I think San Diego’s momentum carries them through on prime time at home.
San Diego wins 27-24
Week 15 - 4 O'Clock
Detroit at Oakland
Detroit is still a team that I think is great. Calvin Johnson may not have caught a touchdown for a few weeks now, but I think he will get at least one in this game. The return of Suh is going to be probably the biggest exclamation point of the day for the Lions and we will remember how big of an impact he can make against any given team. On Thanksgiving the Lions were giving the Packers a pretty good run, until Suh got ejected and then it all fell apart. Suh brings dominance to the table, and against a struggling Palmer it could spell disaster for the Raiders.
Detroit wins on the road 35-21
Cleveland at Arizona
Cleveland is a team that I’ve completely lost hope in. They don’t have a running game this year, and they haven’t had a passing game all season. Now with Colt McCoy out with a concussion they Browns are going to be relying on their backup Seneca Wallace. If Wallace hasn’t been able to beat out Colt for the starting job this is going to be ugly. Skelton has led the Cardinals to some pretty nice wins, and with Beanie Wells in the backfield, and Larry Fitzgerald running any route its not hard to see why. As long as all of these guys play their games right the Cardinals should be fine.
Arizona 21 Cleveland 10
New York Jets at Philadelphia
I don’t think Mark Sanchez is a great quarterback. I think Sanchez has a cast of great players around him that can sometimes make him look much better than he actually is. The receiving core in place is surprisingly good, and running backs like Tomlinson and Greene can make any offense look a lot better than it really is. The best thing the Jets have going for them is their defense, and they are going up against one tough offense. The Eagles are dangerous. They’ve got a wide variety of plays they can throw at you through a stellar running game, a great passing game, and a quarterback that can keep the ball himself. Although the Jets defense has been good, I think LeSean McCoy is going to open up and exploit this them, and then Vick is going to throw it over the top through some nice play action passes.
Philly enjoys a win at home 34-20
New England at Denver
I’m sick of the Tebow talk and I’m glad that it is finally going to get a good stomping this week. If you look at the teams Tim Tebow has played, the only one that has been truly good was the Detroit Lions who beat them 42-10. Now I think that the Patriots offense is better than the Lions offense, and I think that they’re defenses are actually pretty comparable. Tebow has been glorified by a fairly weak schedule, and a great defense that is taking weak offenses and holding them to low points. Don’t get me wrong, what Tebow has done in the last quarter of almost every game has been incredible, but I just feel like the one good team he played against he got walloped, and I think that is what is going to finally happen again here.
Patriots win 31-13
Detroit is still a team that I think is great. Calvin Johnson may not have caught a touchdown for a few weeks now, but I think he will get at least one in this game. The return of Suh is going to be probably the biggest exclamation point of the day for the Lions and we will remember how big of an impact he can make against any given team. On Thanksgiving the Lions were giving the Packers a pretty good run, until Suh got ejected and then it all fell apart. Suh brings dominance to the table, and against a struggling Palmer it could spell disaster for the Raiders.
Detroit wins on the road 35-21
Cleveland at Arizona
Cleveland is a team that I’ve completely lost hope in. They don’t have a running game this year, and they haven’t had a passing game all season. Now with Colt McCoy out with a concussion they Browns are going to be relying on their backup Seneca Wallace. If Wallace hasn’t been able to beat out Colt for the starting job this is going to be ugly. Skelton has led the Cardinals to some pretty nice wins, and with Beanie Wells in the backfield, and Larry Fitzgerald running any route its not hard to see why. As long as all of these guys play their games right the Cardinals should be fine.
Arizona 21 Cleveland 10
New York Jets at Philadelphia
I don’t think Mark Sanchez is a great quarterback. I think Sanchez has a cast of great players around him that can sometimes make him look much better than he actually is. The receiving core in place is surprisingly good, and running backs like Tomlinson and Greene can make any offense look a lot better than it really is. The best thing the Jets have going for them is their defense, and they are going up against one tough offense. The Eagles are dangerous. They’ve got a wide variety of plays they can throw at you through a stellar running game, a great passing game, and a quarterback that can keep the ball himself. Although the Jets defense has been good, I think LeSean McCoy is going to open up and exploit this them, and then Vick is going to throw it over the top through some nice play action passes.
Philly enjoys a win at home 34-20
New England at Denver
I’m sick of the Tebow talk and I’m glad that it is finally going to get a good stomping this week. If you look at the teams Tim Tebow has played, the only one that has been truly good was the Detroit Lions who beat them 42-10. Now I think that the Patriots offense is better than the Lions offense, and I think that they’re defenses are actually pretty comparable. Tebow has been glorified by a fairly weak schedule, and a great defense that is taking weak offenses and holding them to low points. Don’t get me wrong, what Tebow has done in the last quarter of almost every game has been incredible, but I just feel like the one good team he played against he got walloped, and I think that is what is going to finally happen again here.
Patriots win 31-13
Week 15 - 1 O'Clock
Cincinnati at St. Louis
Cincinnati is having a pretty great season. Andy Dalton and AJ Green have continued to do just about everything right throughout their rookie campaigns together. Dalton has really come together and I think shocked the majority of the NFL viewers in what looks to be one of the strongest rookie seasons that I’ve seen. It helps that Dalton has weapons around him like Green, Gresham, and Benson, but Dalton looks like a strong candidate for a great player for years to come. St. Louis looked awful against Seattle last week. They have one of the best running backs in the league, and the refused to use him in countless situations. At one point St. Louis had around ten plays on Seattle’s one yard line, and not until the last play did they give the ball to Jackson with a lead blocker. If St. Louis can’t get something as simple as that in order how are they supposed to win games in the National Football League.
Cincinnati wins 27-10
New Orleans at Minnesota
New Orleans is one of the strongest offenses in the league with Drew Brees leading the way. There isn’t much to say that everyone doesn’t already know about the Saints offense, Ingram is out this week so expect the carries to be split between Thomas, Ivory, and Sproles. The various receivers will still be there, and Jimmy Graham is still one of the most dangerous weapons the Saints have. Peterson is probably going to be back for this one luckily for the Vikings. Peterson on the field makes the entire offense exponentially better. The question is whether or not Peterson can carry this team against such a strong opponent.
Saints win on the road 34-24
Green Bay at Kansas City
Green Bay is absolutely incredible. Aaron Rogers continues to light up any defense that stands in his way. Rogers doesn’t care which receiver is running down the field, and he can look through his progressions quickly enough that as long as someone is getting open he is going to find them. Jennings being hurt definitely does not help their cause, but with a number of viable back-ups the Packers should be just fine. Kansas City is simply not good right now. They have far too many injuries that are plaguing their season, and firing their head coach is going to possibly hurt their chances even more. The Chiefs are in for a rough ending of their season, with Green Bay being just another painful weekend along the way.
Green Bay wins big 45-10
Seattle at Chicago
This is a game that I’m actually pretty excited for. I know the Rams team that Seattle played against last week was far from good but Seattle’s defense has looked surprisingly good for a few games now. They’ve gotten some good turnovers against a lot of different opponents, and this week going against a back-up quarterback, with a back up running back behind him and not a great core of receivers, I think that Seattle’s defense might make some surprising plays. They have a good young secondary crew, but I think it’s going to work out pretty well in this one.
Seahawks defense wins on the road 20-10
Tennessee at Indianapolis
Chris Johnson has finally turned it on. I’ve been on him all season saying that he’s not the CJ of old, saying he isn’t good this season, and for the past few weeks he has absolutely proven me wrong. Hasselbeck and Locker are both great quarterbacks and no matter which one is under center the Titans will still stand a great chance in this one. Why? Let’s look at the other side of the game. It’s the Indianapolis Colts. There really isn’t much to say. With Peyton Manning gone this team is just is absolutely awful. Chris Johnson is going to run all over this Colts team.
Tennessee wins 27-10
Washington at New York Giants
The Redskins have Santana Moss back which is a big plus, and Helu ran really well against an okay Patriots rush defense last week. Washington could be in an okay place for the rest of the season. I don’t think that they have all of the weapons that they need you to be a great contender in such a strong division. The New York Giants on the other hand have all of the weapons that they could need. Eli Manning is turning it on late in the season, and with receivers like Cruz, Manningham, and Nicks it would be hard not to. The return of Bradshaw is going to help balance this offense out and give them some more clock management.
The Giants win at home 31-21
Carolina at Houston
Carolina can be great at times. They have a diverse group of weapons that can attack a defense from a number of different angles. Cam Newton is probably the best offensive rookie this year, and when he’s on and hitting his targets downfield it makes for a dangerous attack. If DeAngelo Williams can have a good game it could be the deciding factor for this one. On the other side we’ve got rookie quarter back Yates who has done surprisingly well. It helps that the young man has guys like Arian Foster and Andre Johnson on his side, but even with the absence of Johnson again this week I think the Texans are a handful. I don’t think the Panthers defense is going to have what it takes to slow down Arian.
Texans win 28-24
Miami at Buffalo
Matt Moore and Reggie Bush have become the life of this offense. When these two guys are on this team can be a very difficult one to plan against. They have had some great plays since their bye week, and they could push to make a statement for the next few seasons over these next few weeks. I think the Bills want to make sure they aren’t considered the laughing stock of the AFC East and they take this game very seriously. I think Stevie Johnson is going to have a pretty big week, and CJ Spiller is going to run for a surprisingly good number off yards. I think Buffalo wants to prove to their home crowd that they’ve still got some gas left in the tank.
Bills win 24-17
Cincinnati is having a pretty great season. Andy Dalton and AJ Green have continued to do just about everything right throughout their rookie campaigns together. Dalton has really come together and I think shocked the majority of the NFL viewers in what looks to be one of the strongest rookie seasons that I’ve seen. It helps that Dalton has weapons around him like Green, Gresham, and Benson, but Dalton looks like a strong candidate for a great player for years to come. St. Louis looked awful against Seattle last week. They have one of the best running backs in the league, and the refused to use him in countless situations. At one point St. Louis had around ten plays on Seattle’s one yard line, and not until the last play did they give the ball to Jackson with a lead blocker. If St. Louis can’t get something as simple as that in order how are they supposed to win games in the National Football League.
Cincinnati wins 27-10
New Orleans at Minnesota
New Orleans is one of the strongest offenses in the league with Drew Brees leading the way. There isn’t much to say that everyone doesn’t already know about the Saints offense, Ingram is out this week so expect the carries to be split between Thomas, Ivory, and Sproles. The various receivers will still be there, and Jimmy Graham is still one of the most dangerous weapons the Saints have. Peterson is probably going to be back for this one luckily for the Vikings. Peterson on the field makes the entire offense exponentially better. The question is whether or not Peterson can carry this team against such a strong opponent.
Saints win on the road 34-24
Green Bay at Kansas City
Green Bay is absolutely incredible. Aaron Rogers continues to light up any defense that stands in his way. Rogers doesn’t care which receiver is running down the field, and he can look through his progressions quickly enough that as long as someone is getting open he is going to find them. Jennings being hurt definitely does not help their cause, but with a number of viable back-ups the Packers should be just fine. Kansas City is simply not good right now. They have far too many injuries that are plaguing their season, and firing their head coach is going to possibly hurt their chances even more. The Chiefs are in for a rough ending of their season, with Green Bay being just another painful weekend along the way.
Green Bay wins big 45-10
Seattle at Chicago
This is a game that I’m actually pretty excited for. I know the Rams team that Seattle played against last week was far from good but Seattle’s defense has looked surprisingly good for a few games now. They’ve gotten some good turnovers against a lot of different opponents, and this week going against a back-up quarterback, with a back up running back behind him and not a great core of receivers, I think that Seattle’s defense might make some surprising plays. They have a good young secondary crew, but I think it’s going to work out pretty well in this one.
Seahawks defense wins on the road 20-10
Tennessee at Indianapolis
Chris Johnson has finally turned it on. I’ve been on him all season saying that he’s not the CJ of old, saying he isn’t good this season, and for the past few weeks he has absolutely proven me wrong. Hasselbeck and Locker are both great quarterbacks and no matter which one is under center the Titans will still stand a great chance in this one. Why? Let’s look at the other side of the game. It’s the Indianapolis Colts. There really isn’t much to say. With Peyton Manning gone this team is just is absolutely awful. Chris Johnson is going to run all over this Colts team.
Tennessee wins 27-10
Washington at New York Giants
The Redskins have Santana Moss back which is a big plus, and Helu ran really well against an okay Patriots rush defense last week. Washington could be in an okay place for the rest of the season. I don’t think that they have all of the weapons that they need you to be a great contender in such a strong division. The New York Giants on the other hand have all of the weapons that they could need. Eli Manning is turning it on late in the season, and with receivers like Cruz, Manningham, and Nicks it would be hard not to. The return of Bradshaw is going to help balance this offense out and give them some more clock management.
The Giants win at home 31-21
Carolina at Houston
Carolina can be great at times. They have a diverse group of weapons that can attack a defense from a number of different angles. Cam Newton is probably the best offensive rookie this year, and when he’s on and hitting his targets downfield it makes for a dangerous attack. If DeAngelo Williams can have a good game it could be the deciding factor for this one. On the other side we’ve got rookie quarter back Yates who has done surprisingly well. It helps that the young man has guys like Arian Foster and Andre Johnson on his side, but even with the absence of Johnson again this week I think the Texans are a handful. I don’t think the Panthers defense is going to have what it takes to slow down Arian.
Texans win 28-24
Miami at Buffalo
Matt Moore and Reggie Bush have become the life of this offense. When these two guys are on this team can be a very difficult one to plan against. They have had some great plays since their bye week, and they could push to make a statement for the next few seasons over these next few weeks. I think the Bills want to make sure they aren’t considered the laughing stock of the AFC East and they take this game very seriously. I think Stevie Johnson is going to have a pretty big week, and CJ Spiller is going to run for a surprisingly good number off yards. I think Buffalo wants to prove to their home crowd that they’ve still got some gas left in the tank.
Bills win 24-17
Saturday, December 17, 2011
Week 15 - Saturday Night Football
Dallas at Tampa Bay
Dallas has had the game won two weeks in a row, and has been destroyed by icing the kicker calls. The best thing going for Dallas right now is Tony Romo. The man has had fifteen touchdowns in the last six games, and it has led the Cowboys to being in great positions throughout their games. I do think that Romo has been a lot better due to the incredible running back that he had playing behind him in DeMarco Murray and unfortunately for any Dallas fan the rookie running back went down with a broken leg last week. Good news for them is that they are getting Miles Austin back at wide receiver and that could definitely open the game up. The Buccaneers got dominated by a Jaguars team that has been anything but good this season. Tampa Bay was the only team to allow Jacksonville to score over 20 points so far this season. The brightest star on this Tampa Bay team is Blount. He can run like a truck, and make any linebacker look like a corner back trying to tackle him. If the Bucs want to have any chance of winning this one it is going to be through clock management and letting Blount run the ball, while their defense holds Dallas’ offense to doing very little on very few drives.
Romo’s hot right now, and Dallas needs to win. Cowboys win on the road 31-14
Dallas has had the game won two weeks in a row, and has been destroyed by icing the kicker calls. The best thing going for Dallas right now is Tony Romo. The man has had fifteen touchdowns in the last six games, and it has led the Cowboys to being in great positions throughout their games. I do think that Romo has been a lot better due to the incredible running back that he had playing behind him in DeMarco Murray and unfortunately for any Dallas fan the rookie running back went down with a broken leg last week. Good news for them is that they are getting Miles Austin back at wide receiver and that could definitely open the game up. The Buccaneers got dominated by a Jaguars team that has been anything but good this season. Tampa Bay was the only team to allow Jacksonville to score over 20 points so far this season. The brightest star on this Tampa Bay team is Blount. He can run like a truck, and make any linebacker look like a corner back trying to tackle him. If the Bucs want to have any chance of winning this one it is going to be through clock management and letting Blount run the ball, while their defense holds Dallas’ offense to doing very little on very few drives.
Romo’s hot right now, and Dallas needs to win. Cowboys win on the road 31-14
Thursday, December 15, 2011
Week 15 - Thursday Night Football
Jacksonville at Atlanta
Jacksonville had a huge win last week as they rode on the shoulders of Maurice Jones-Drew to four touchdowns. MJD is clearly one of the better players in the league at the running back position, but how many times can the Jags rely on solely him to lead the team to victory? The Atlanta Falcons have one of the more explosive weapons in the NFL on the offensive side of the ball. Julio Jones had two long touchdown receptions last week which helped seal a great game for Matt Ryan. I think the Jags are hot right now, and they’re playing with nothing to lose, so the game could be dangerous. But on the other side of the ball the Falcons are playing with everything to lose. Only two games behind the Saints in the NFC South with just three games left the Falcons have to win out for the remainder of their schedule to feel even remotely comfortable.
The Falcons win a must-win at home 28-17
Jacksonville had a huge win last week as they rode on the shoulders of Maurice Jones-Drew to four touchdowns. MJD is clearly one of the better players in the league at the running back position, but how many times can the Jags rely on solely him to lead the team to victory? The Atlanta Falcons have one of the more explosive weapons in the NFL on the offensive side of the ball. Julio Jones had two long touchdown receptions last week which helped seal a great game for Matt Ryan. I think the Jags are hot right now, and they’re playing with nothing to lose, so the game could be dangerous. But on the other side of the ball the Falcons are playing with everything to lose. Only two games behind the Saints in the NFC South with just three games left the Falcons have to win out for the remainder of their schedule to feel even remotely comfortable.
The Falcons win a must-win at home 28-17
Sunday, December 11, 2011
Week 14 - Monday Night Football
St. Louis at Seattle
St. Louis is a continuing letdown. St. Louis can do great things if they could block for Steven Jackson but for years they just haven’t been able to give him the holes that he needs to be a consistency. Teams know to plan for him, because that’s all that they have, and when that happens St. Louis needs to start throwing the ball. Seattle has been surprisingly good on defense when they know that the pass is coming. I think that this game is going to be won by Seattle’s defense, with some big plays stopping the rush coupled with a couple of pick sixes to really tie this one off. I don’t have much to say about the Rams defense or the Seahawks offense because neither of them are really that great. Expect Seattle’s defense to do big things and win this one.
Seattle takes one in prime time 21-13
St. Louis is a continuing letdown. St. Louis can do great things if they could block for Steven Jackson but for years they just haven’t been able to give him the holes that he needs to be a consistency. Teams know to plan for him, because that’s all that they have, and when that happens St. Louis needs to start throwing the ball. Seattle has been surprisingly good on defense when they know that the pass is coming. I think that this game is going to be won by Seattle’s defense, with some big plays stopping the rush coupled with a couple of pick sixes to really tie this one off. I don’t have much to say about the Rams defense or the Seahawks offense because neither of them are really that great. Expect Seattle’s defense to do big things and win this one.
Seattle takes one in prime time 21-13
Week 14 - Sunday Night Football
New York Giants at Dallas
Eli Manning and the Giants are a team that has been doing things really well throughout the season despite playing against two of the best teams in the league over the last two weeks. They’ve given up eight touchdowns in two week and this week they are going up against Tony Romo who could possibly do the same thing. I think this game is going to come down to who can run the ball more effectively. Ahmad Bradshaw is back, and DeMarco Murray is still there for the Cowboys. I think Bradshaw is going to come in to the game hot and looking to do a lot for the Giants, and Demarco is going to do what he’s done in weeks past and give Tony the versatility that he needs to play well. I think both running backs come very close to one hundred yards but DeMarco has the edge at home. Tony Romo and Dez hook up for a touchdown or two, and the Cowboys outgun the Giants.
Cowboys win a good one 24-21
Eli Manning and the Giants are a team that has been doing things really well throughout the season despite playing against two of the best teams in the league over the last two weeks. They’ve given up eight touchdowns in two week and this week they are going up against Tony Romo who could possibly do the same thing. I think this game is going to come down to who can run the ball more effectively. Ahmad Bradshaw is back, and DeMarco Murray is still there for the Cowboys. I think Bradshaw is going to come in to the game hot and looking to do a lot for the Giants, and Demarco is going to do what he’s done in weeks past and give Tony the versatility that he needs to play well. I think both running backs come very close to one hundred yards but DeMarco has the edge at home. Tony Romo and Dez hook up for a touchdown or two, and the Cowboys outgun the Giants.
Cowboys win a good one 24-21
Week 14 - 4 O'Clock
Chicago at Denver
Chicago is very beat up. They are without their starting quarterback which definitely hurts their team, but more importantly they are without the best player on their team in Matt Forte. A Bears team without Forte is going to really need to step up defensively to make sure the other team is not putting up points to beat the little amount that they are going to accrue. The Denver Broncos defense is going to do what they have done for the past month – make sure that they don’t give up too many points. The Broncos have relied on their defense to give Tebow the ball in the last drive of the game just losing by enough points where they can still win with one drive. That’s what is going to happen again today, and everyone will credit Tebow for the work that the Broncos defense did.
Broncos defense wins 16-13
San Francisco at Arizona
San Francisco has been a great team this season, despite a couple of small hiccups that have lead to a just a couple of losses. San Fran knows what it takes to win, and they have done everything right the majority of the time. Their defense has done very well at stopping plays, and Alex Smith and Gore have done well getting the points that they need. Arizona has a great running back in Beanie Wells and they walked away with a long Stephens-Howling reception touchdown, but they have not been consistent throughout the season. I don’t trust putting my faith in them this game based on a couple of great game ending plays. IF Arizona can get the game to overtime I’d go with them, but I don’t think it will get that far.
San Fran wins 17-10
Buffalo at San Diego
Buffalo is another one of those teams that was great early in the year, but this much later they haven’t been doing that well. They still have Fitzpatrick and they still have a lot of good receivers that can spread the field, but after that their running game has hit a huge speed bump and their overall offense hasn’t been nearly as good. The takeaways haven’t been there like they were before, and the defense isn’t putting their team in position to win. San Diego looks like they hit a huge spark last week and I think that it actually might carry over here. I think Rivers is going to have a decent game and throw for a few scores in this one. Ryan Matthews is going to balance out the attack and the Chargers are going to look good winning at home.
San Diego wins 27-20
Oakland at Green Bay
Oakland is without McFadden again, and they are still being led by Carson Palmer. Palmer seems to have fixed a few things in his game from when he first back this season, but he’s still not perfect. With Michael Bush running the ball instead of McFadden the team isn’t as good as they could be, but they definitely aren’t bad either. Green Bay is a team that it doesn’t matter who you put in front of them, they are going to put up big points, and they are going to rip apart your secondary. I think Green Bay is not going to take their foot off of the gas pedal today, and they continue to motor their way on to 13-0.
Green Bay and Aaron Rodgers do it again 35-27
Chicago is very beat up. They are without their starting quarterback which definitely hurts their team, but more importantly they are without the best player on their team in Matt Forte. A Bears team without Forte is going to really need to step up defensively to make sure the other team is not putting up points to beat the little amount that they are going to accrue. The Denver Broncos defense is going to do what they have done for the past month – make sure that they don’t give up too many points. The Broncos have relied on their defense to give Tebow the ball in the last drive of the game just losing by enough points where they can still win with one drive. That’s what is going to happen again today, and everyone will credit Tebow for the work that the Broncos defense did.
Broncos defense wins 16-13
San Francisco at Arizona
San Francisco has been a great team this season, despite a couple of small hiccups that have lead to a just a couple of losses. San Fran knows what it takes to win, and they have done everything right the majority of the time. Their defense has done very well at stopping plays, and Alex Smith and Gore have done well getting the points that they need. Arizona has a great running back in Beanie Wells and they walked away with a long Stephens-Howling reception touchdown, but they have not been consistent throughout the season. I don’t trust putting my faith in them this game based on a couple of great game ending plays. IF Arizona can get the game to overtime I’d go with them, but I don’t think it will get that far.
San Fran wins 17-10
Buffalo at San Diego
Buffalo is another one of those teams that was great early in the year, but this much later they haven’t been doing that well. They still have Fitzpatrick and they still have a lot of good receivers that can spread the field, but after that their running game has hit a huge speed bump and their overall offense hasn’t been nearly as good. The takeaways haven’t been there like they were before, and the defense isn’t putting their team in position to win. San Diego looks like they hit a huge spark last week and I think that it actually might carry over here. I think Rivers is going to have a decent game and throw for a few scores in this one. Ryan Matthews is going to balance out the attack and the Chargers are going to look good winning at home.
San Diego wins 27-20
Oakland at Green Bay
Oakland is without McFadden again, and they are still being led by Carson Palmer. Palmer seems to have fixed a few things in his game from when he first back this season, but he’s still not perfect. With Michael Bush running the ball instead of McFadden the team isn’t as good as they could be, but they definitely aren’t bad either. Green Bay is a team that it doesn’t matter who you put in front of them, they are going to put up big points, and they are going to rip apart your secondary. I think Green Bay is not going to take their foot off of the gas pedal today, and they continue to motor their way on to 13-0.
Green Bay and Aaron Rodgers do it again 35-27
Week 14 - 1 O'Clock
Tampa Bay at Jacksonville
This game is not the most fun to begin with Sunday football. The only thing that I’m really looking forward to in this whole game is watching Blount run. Throughout the entire season I’ve been talking about how good Blount is, and after that run that he had versus the Packers I believe it even more. Don’t remember the one I’m talking about? Here you go.
That’s what this game is going to come down to, a beast of Blount running through a Jacksonville defense. The only chance the Jags have of turning this around is if there great running back Jones-Drew can gain big yards rushing over a beat up Bucs defensive-line.
Tampa Bay wins this one 24-13
Houston at Cincinnati
Throughout the week this is a game that I have truly looked forward to. I like the Texans a lot, and Arian Foster is one of my favorite players in the league, and the Cincy defense is really good this year. I think the Texans are trying to dig themselves out of a huge hole as they don’t have Schaub, and Andre Johnson is out again now with his other hamstring bothering him. So for the offense it’s going to come down to Arian Foster once again, and he is great. But can he be enough to carry this Houston team? For Cincy we’ve got Dalton and Green again. These young guys are awesome. I think it’s going to be an aerial show for Dalton, and then Benson is going to bust a few up the got to really keep the game balanced. Cincy’s D is going up against a pretty one-dimensional offense and this is their chance to really get a hold in the wild card.
Cincy wins at home 20-17
Kansas City at New York Jets
Kansas City is still as banged up as they have been for weeks. The offense has a couple of good weapons in Bowe and Jackie Battle, but besides that it is going to come down to whether or not the Chiefs defense can stop the Jets offense. Sanchez is either on or he’s off throughout games. He never really skates by and gets his team a win by doing “just enough.” I think Sanchez realizes the position that the Jets are in and knows that this is a game that they need to win to stand a chance at the wild card. Santonio will have a couple big catches in the middle of the field, and then Plax will come in during the red zone snaps and catch the touchdowns.
Jets win at home 27-10
Minnesota at Detroit
With Adrian Peterson out again the Vikings are losing their franchises best player. Luckily rookie quarterback Christian Ponder is healthy enough to make the start, which makes the team a little bit better. The Vikings still lack a great receiver though, and that’s all Ponder is really going to need to become that next level QB, someone that can stretch the field consistently. Detroit has been pretty questionable the second half of this season, as Megatron has been shut down severely compared to early in the season. The Lions have been crushing themselves with personal foul penalties and giving up unearned yards in nearly every game. I think the Lions are finally going to get their heads on right, not give up any stupid penalties, and throw the ball all over Minnesota’s defense.
Lions win 34-20
Indianapolis at Baltimore
Indy got beat up last week. You can look at the final score against the Patriots and say “wow, they really stuck around versus one of the better teams in the league.” Wrong. The Patriots gave up in the fourth quarter and tried doing things defensively that they don’t normally do in game situations. The Colts are just as bad as they were two weeks ago, three weeks ago, all season. Baltimore has a history this season of losing games to teams that they should demolish though. Despite their history of these pushover game losses Baltimore needs this win to stay in the playoff picture, they’ve got Pitt and Cincy right there with them and they need to win out to feel really comfortable.
Baltimore wins 24-9
Philadelphia at Miami
Philly finally get Vick and Maclin back. This team has been awful without the both of them and maybe this is the boost that the Eagles need to really get back on track. LeSean has been consistent and the one bright spot for the Eagles throughout the season, and I think that it’s just going to keep growing. The biggest week spot that Philly has had has been their rush defense, and with a Reggie Bush coming in that has been very good these last few weeks – it could get scary. Reggie and Matt Moore have turned this franchise around this second half of the season. I think Reggie is going to have a pretty big game, breaking a hundred and maybe getting closer to 150 with a few scores.
The Dolphins beat the Eagles at home 27-13
New Orleans at Tennessee
New Orleans has done some big things with some little players throughout this entire season. Darren Sproles has done incredible things over the season, and then there is little known Lance Moore who over the last five games has had five touchdowns. Drew Brees knows how to spread the ball to all of their weapons and it leaves opposing defenses baffled. The Titans have Hasselbeck that knows how to throw the deep ball, and Chris Johnson who has finally been revitalized these last few weeks. I’ve been hesitant on saying he’s back, but I’m pretty sure he’s back. Chris Johnson is going to really balance this offense out and make the Titans a lot more dangerous.
New Orlean’s weapons outgun Tennessee’s 35-24
Atlanta at Carolina
Matt Ryan and the Falcons have been a big let down for me. I expected a lot more out of the Falcons throughout this season, and they haven’t done too much. They have great weapons in Julio, Roddy, and Turner but they just haven’t pieced it all together yet. And they are going up against a Carolina team that has been putting up big points all throughout the season. I think Cam Newton and friends do what they have done all season and they just continue to put up points. Carolina is on a mission to let everyone in the NFC South know that they are not a joke anymore.
Cam and the Panthers win 31-17
New England at Washington
New England is going to do exactly what New England always does. They are going to settle for short dump passes between the 20’s and once they get into the red zone they will toss the ball to Gronk or Hernandez and put up some very big points. On the other side of the ball they are going to let Washington take those short dump passes between the 20s and once they get in their own red zone defensively they will tighten up their zone defense and only give up the field goals. New England is a great team, and its just going to be proven even more today.
Pats win 35-17
This game is not the most fun to begin with Sunday football. The only thing that I’m really looking forward to in this whole game is watching Blount run. Throughout the entire season I’ve been talking about how good Blount is, and after that run that he had versus the Packers I believe it even more. Don’t remember the one I’m talking about? Here you go.
That’s what this game is going to come down to, a beast of Blount running through a Jacksonville defense. The only chance the Jags have of turning this around is if there great running back Jones-Drew can gain big yards rushing over a beat up Bucs defensive-line.
Tampa Bay wins this one 24-13
Houston at Cincinnati
Throughout the week this is a game that I have truly looked forward to. I like the Texans a lot, and Arian Foster is one of my favorite players in the league, and the Cincy defense is really good this year. I think the Texans are trying to dig themselves out of a huge hole as they don’t have Schaub, and Andre Johnson is out again now with his other hamstring bothering him. So for the offense it’s going to come down to Arian Foster once again, and he is great. But can he be enough to carry this Houston team? For Cincy we’ve got Dalton and Green again. These young guys are awesome. I think it’s going to be an aerial show for Dalton, and then Benson is going to bust a few up the got to really keep the game balanced. Cincy’s D is going up against a pretty one-dimensional offense and this is their chance to really get a hold in the wild card.
Cincy wins at home 20-17
Kansas City at New York Jets
Kansas City is still as banged up as they have been for weeks. The offense has a couple of good weapons in Bowe and Jackie Battle, but besides that it is going to come down to whether or not the Chiefs defense can stop the Jets offense. Sanchez is either on or he’s off throughout games. He never really skates by and gets his team a win by doing “just enough.” I think Sanchez realizes the position that the Jets are in and knows that this is a game that they need to win to stand a chance at the wild card. Santonio will have a couple big catches in the middle of the field, and then Plax will come in during the red zone snaps and catch the touchdowns.
Jets win at home 27-10
Minnesota at Detroit
With Adrian Peterson out again the Vikings are losing their franchises best player. Luckily rookie quarterback Christian Ponder is healthy enough to make the start, which makes the team a little bit better. The Vikings still lack a great receiver though, and that’s all Ponder is really going to need to become that next level QB, someone that can stretch the field consistently. Detroit has been pretty questionable the second half of this season, as Megatron has been shut down severely compared to early in the season. The Lions have been crushing themselves with personal foul penalties and giving up unearned yards in nearly every game. I think the Lions are finally going to get their heads on right, not give up any stupid penalties, and throw the ball all over Minnesota’s defense.
Lions win 34-20
Indianapolis at Baltimore
Indy got beat up last week. You can look at the final score against the Patriots and say “wow, they really stuck around versus one of the better teams in the league.” Wrong. The Patriots gave up in the fourth quarter and tried doing things defensively that they don’t normally do in game situations. The Colts are just as bad as they were two weeks ago, three weeks ago, all season. Baltimore has a history this season of losing games to teams that they should demolish though. Despite their history of these pushover game losses Baltimore needs this win to stay in the playoff picture, they’ve got Pitt and Cincy right there with them and they need to win out to feel really comfortable.
Baltimore wins 24-9
Philadelphia at Miami
Philly finally get Vick and Maclin back. This team has been awful without the both of them and maybe this is the boost that the Eagles need to really get back on track. LeSean has been consistent and the one bright spot for the Eagles throughout the season, and I think that it’s just going to keep growing. The biggest week spot that Philly has had has been their rush defense, and with a Reggie Bush coming in that has been very good these last few weeks – it could get scary. Reggie and Matt Moore have turned this franchise around this second half of the season. I think Reggie is going to have a pretty big game, breaking a hundred and maybe getting closer to 150 with a few scores.
The Dolphins beat the Eagles at home 27-13
New Orleans at Tennessee
New Orleans has done some big things with some little players throughout this entire season. Darren Sproles has done incredible things over the season, and then there is little known Lance Moore who over the last five games has had five touchdowns. Drew Brees knows how to spread the ball to all of their weapons and it leaves opposing defenses baffled. The Titans have Hasselbeck that knows how to throw the deep ball, and Chris Johnson who has finally been revitalized these last few weeks. I’ve been hesitant on saying he’s back, but I’m pretty sure he’s back. Chris Johnson is going to really balance this offense out and make the Titans a lot more dangerous.
New Orlean’s weapons outgun Tennessee’s 35-24
Atlanta at Carolina
Matt Ryan and the Falcons have been a big let down for me. I expected a lot more out of the Falcons throughout this season, and they haven’t done too much. They have great weapons in Julio, Roddy, and Turner but they just haven’t pieced it all together yet. And they are going up against a Carolina team that has been putting up big points all throughout the season. I think Cam Newton and friends do what they have done all season and they just continue to put up points. Carolina is on a mission to let everyone in the NFC South know that they are not a joke anymore.
Cam and the Panthers win 31-17
New England at Washington
New England is going to do exactly what New England always does. They are going to settle for short dump passes between the 20’s and once they get into the red zone they will toss the ball to Gronk or Hernandez and put up some very big points. On the other side of the ball they are going to let Washington take those short dump passes between the 20s and once they get in their own red zone defensively they will tighten up their zone defense and only give up the field goals. New England is a great team, and its just going to be proven even more today.
Pats win 35-17
Thursday, December 8, 2011
Week 14 - Thursday Night Football
Cleveland at Pittsburgh
In a battle of the AFC North Cleveland is the lowest of the four on the totem pole. Cleveland has looked quite soft over the course of the season, and although that may change after some well placed draft picks for next year – this years Browns just don’t have what it takes. Peyton Hillis was destroyed by the Madden Course, Colt McCoy hasn’t been consistent enough to make a dent in any opposition, and despite a sometimes well played defensive game it hasn’t done enough for the Browns to win a majority of their games. Pittsburgh on the other hand has been very well rounded this year, and despite two losses to division rival Baltimore they have looked pretty incredible shutting down some of the better teams in the league.With a defense that produces consistently along with an explosive offense both on the ground and through the air the Steelers are one of the favorites in the AFC at this point in the season. Big Ben will have a decent game, but I think that the majority of Pitts offense goes through Mendenhall on Thursday night.
The Steelers win 27-13
In a battle of the AFC North Cleveland is the lowest of the four on the totem pole. Cleveland has looked quite soft over the course of the season, and although that may change after some well placed draft picks for next year – this years Browns just don’t have what it takes. Peyton Hillis was destroyed by the Madden Course, Colt McCoy hasn’t been consistent enough to make a dent in any opposition, and despite a sometimes well played defensive game it hasn’t done enough for the Browns to win a majority of their games. Pittsburgh on the other hand has been very well rounded this year, and despite two losses to division rival Baltimore they have looked pretty incredible shutting down some of the better teams in the league.With a defense that produces consistently along with an explosive offense both on the ground and through the air the Steelers are one of the favorites in the AFC at this point in the season. Big Ben will have a decent game, but I think that the majority of Pitts offense goes through Mendenhall on Thursday night.
The Steelers win 27-13
Saturday, December 3, 2011
Week 13 - Monday Night Football
San Diego at Jacksonville
Of all the Monday night games of the year this is the one that I look forward to the least. I wouldn’t have minded if this game was on Thursday night so I would have actually had an excuse to miss it. Unfortunately I’m going to have to suffer through watching Rivers try and correct all of these awful mistakes, and a weak Jaguars offense on the counter attack. There isn’t really much to say about this one, but I think Rivers will actually show up on Monday night. I think Norv might finally figure something out, and the Chargers might actually get a win. I’m not saying it’s a definite, as this is probably the most unpredictable game of the week. Rivers could do what Vince Young did on Thursday and just throw the game away, I wouldn’t be too surprised. I don’t think the Jags defense is good enough to do that though, and I think somehow the Chargers actually pull one off.
I’ve got to give it to the Charges here – they’re due for a win.
Chargers 24 Jaguars 17
Of all the Monday night games of the year this is the one that I look forward to the least. I wouldn’t have minded if this game was on Thursday night so I would have actually had an excuse to miss it. Unfortunately I’m going to have to suffer through watching Rivers try and correct all of these awful mistakes, and a weak Jaguars offense on the counter attack. There isn’t really much to say about this one, but I think Rivers will actually show up on Monday night. I think Norv might finally figure something out, and the Chargers might actually get a win. I’m not saying it’s a definite, as this is probably the most unpredictable game of the week. Rivers could do what Vince Young did on Thursday and just throw the game away, I wouldn’t be too surprised. I don’t think the Jags defense is good enough to do that though, and I think somehow the Chargers actually pull one off.
I’ve got to give it to the Charges here – they’re due for a win.
Chargers 24 Jaguars 17
Week 13 - Sunday Night Football
Detroit at New Orleans
Easily what I would call the game of the week. Detroit has some explosive weapons on offense, and a quarterback to wide receiver combination that is one of the best in football this year. The running game might be a little lacking for the Lions right now, but they still excel in the passing game, which just happens to be one of the Saints bigger weaknesses. Megatron and wide out friends on the Lions are going to be ecstatic getting the chance to go against this underperforming secondary. For the Saints to win they are going to have to rely on getting a few early turnovers against Detroit. Stafford usually throws a pick or two early before turning it on in the second half, so New Orleans is going to have to get a take away or two early in both halves to keep this Detroit team on their heels. Brees will find a way to pass through this Lions defense the same way Rodgers did after Suh got ejected, and if they studied how easy that Jones touchdown was last week then the potent wide out group in New Orleans should have some big plays themselves. As Brees continues to go deep wait and watch for the small dump routes to Sproles, those are always fun to watch by what I think is the best free agent pick up of the last off season.
The New Orleans Saints win the best game of the week 38-35
Easily what I would call the game of the week. Detroit has some explosive weapons on offense, and a quarterback to wide receiver combination that is one of the best in football this year. The running game might be a little lacking for the Lions right now, but they still excel in the passing game, which just happens to be one of the Saints bigger weaknesses. Megatron and wide out friends on the Lions are going to be ecstatic getting the chance to go against this underperforming secondary. For the Saints to win they are going to have to rely on getting a few early turnovers against Detroit. Stafford usually throws a pick or two early before turning it on in the second half, so New Orleans is going to have to get a take away or two early in both halves to keep this Detroit team on their heels. Brees will find a way to pass through this Lions defense the same way Rodgers did after Suh got ejected, and if they studied how easy that Jones touchdown was last week then the potent wide out group in New Orleans should have some big plays themselves. As Brees continues to go deep wait and watch for the small dump routes to Sproles, those are always fun to watch by what I think is the best free agent pick up of the last off season.
The New Orleans Saints win the best game of the week 38-35
Week 13 - 4 O'Clock
Baltimore at Cleveland
Flacco loves to win games that are big and meaningful. He doesn’t care for the games that don’t mean anything, and luckily for fans of the Ravens this game does mean something. Cleveland might not be a team that is on top of it’s game, but they are still a division rival, and with both Pitt and Cincy being very good this year Baltimore is going to need to win almost every game from here on out. I think Ray Rice will have a decent game, but Flacco is going to be the man in this one. Torrey Smith will probably drop a ball or two, but he’s also going to get at least one deep touchdown in this one. Hillis is listed on injury report again, but he’ll get some time. I don’t think he or Colt or anyone else on this offense is going to do much though, the Ravens defense is going to be fired up for this one.
Baltimore wins another division game 28-13
Dallas at Arizona
DeMarco Murray is one of my favorite players to talk about. Out of nowhere this guy has stormed onto the field and is in the conversation for rookie of the year along with Newton, Green, and Dalton. Murray has done incredible things when he gets the ball, rushing for big yards consistently, and catching defenses off guard. Most notably for Murray though is what he does for the team. Romo was a player who I always questioned and never really thought was anything great, but with DeMarco stealing a lot of the spotlight Romo has really come into his own. With more time in the pocket to find guys like Dez and Witten, Romo has turned into a player who is actually worth watching. Arizona has a very underrated Beanie Wells rushing the ball, but with a quarterback situation that hasn’t really been even good this year it’s been hard for Arizona to win games. Kolb might be playing this weekend, but don’t think that means anything great. The Cowboys are going to go into Arizona and continue to give Murray the ball and watch the young man run.
Cowboys win again 31-17
Green Bay at New York Giants
Again, it’s all going to be about Aaron Rodgers. The man is having an incredible season – arguably one of the best ever. He’s leading his team on a mission that few have had the chance of capturing, and I think he’s going to do it again this week. The weapons at his disposal are some that other teams dream of having. A lot of it is Aaron being great, but a lot is also the players around him being great. With one of the deepest receiving cores in football Rodgers can throw the ball to any end of the field and know that someone is going to be there to catch it. The Giants have a great pass rush, and they have a decent secondary despite dealing with a lot of injuries. Bradshaw is going to be there to run the ball again, and Eli has been known to lead some great drives with receivers like Cruz streaking down the field. This game comes down to how well Rodgers can pick apart this defense though, and I don’t think it should be too difficult.
Aaron Rodgers throws to victory again 35-24
St. Louis at San Francisco
As much as I love what Steven Jackson brings to the table, he doesn’t have a team around him. He could possibly be one of the best running backs in the league, I think he is, but he doesn’t have a team with him that can help him come close to winning any games. This team really needs to put some good players on both sides of the ball in the next year. Jackson deserves a stronger cast around him. San Fran is going to be angry after their loss last week, and an angry 49ers team is going to be scary. I thought they were scary before last week, with some of the toughest guys on either side of the ball and its going to be dangerous to see what they do to a consistently underachieving Rams team.
Frank Gore and Patrick Willis get back on the right foot with a 27-10 victory
Flacco loves to win games that are big and meaningful. He doesn’t care for the games that don’t mean anything, and luckily for fans of the Ravens this game does mean something. Cleveland might not be a team that is on top of it’s game, but they are still a division rival, and with both Pitt and Cincy being very good this year Baltimore is going to need to win almost every game from here on out. I think Ray Rice will have a decent game, but Flacco is going to be the man in this one. Torrey Smith will probably drop a ball or two, but he’s also going to get at least one deep touchdown in this one. Hillis is listed on injury report again, but he’ll get some time. I don’t think he or Colt or anyone else on this offense is going to do much though, the Ravens defense is going to be fired up for this one.
Baltimore wins another division game 28-13
Dallas at Arizona
DeMarco Murray is one of my favorite players to talk about. Out of nowhere this guy has stormed onto the field and is in the conversation for rookie of the year along with Newton, Green, and Dalton. Murray has done incredible things when he gets the ball, rushing for big yards consistently, and catching defenses off guard. Most notably for Murray though is what he does for the team. Romo was a player who I always questioned and never really thought was anything great, but with DeMarco stealing a lot of the spotlight Romo has really come into his own. With more time in the pocket to find guys like Dez and Witten, Romo has turned into a player who is actually worth watching. Arizona has a very underrated Beanie Wells rushing the ball, but with a quarterback situation that hasn’t really been even good this year it’s been hard for Arizona to win games. Kolb might be playing this weekend, but don’t think that means anything great. The Cowboys are going to go into Arizona and continue to give Murray the ball and watch the young man run.
Cowboys win again 31-17
Green Bay at New York Giants
Again, it’s all going to be about Aaron Rodgers. The man is having an incredible season – arguably one of the best ever. He’s leading his team on a mission that few have had the chance of capturing, and I think he’s going to do it again this week. The weapons at his disposal are some that other teams dream of having. A lot of it is Aaron being great, but a lot is also the players around him being great. With one of the deepest receiving cores in football Rodgers can throw the ball to any end of the field and know that someone is going to be there to catch it. The Giants have a great pass rush, and they have a decent secondary despite dealing with a lot of injuries. Bradshaw is going to be there to run the ball again, and Eli has been known to lead some great drives with receivers like Cruz streaking down the field. This game comes down to how well Rodgers can pick apart this defense though, and I don’t think it should be too difficult.
Aaron Rodgers throws to victory again 35-24
St. Louis at San Francisco
As much as I love what Steven Jackson brings to the table, he doesn’t have a team around him. He could possibly be one of the best running backs in the league, I think he is, but he doesn’t have a team with him that can help him come close to winning any games. This team really needs to put some good players on both sides of the ball in the next year. Jackson deserves a stronger cast around him. San Fran is going to be angry after their loss last week, and an angry 49ers team is going to be scary. I thought they were scary before last week, with some of the toughest guys on either side of the ball and its going to be dangerous to see what they do to a consistently underachieving Rams team.
Frank Gore and Patrick Willis get back on the right foot with a 27-10 victory
Week 13 - 1 O'Clock
Tennessee at Buffalo
Chris Johnson had a pretty good game for the third time this season. The man is still playing very unpredictably, and has been incredibly inconsistent. Matt Hasselbeck has been having a pretty good last few games, nothing too amazing but still enough to keep the Titans hanging around if not winning. I thought when Britt went out early this team was going to rely entirely on C.J but it looks like Hasselbeck is comfortable with the reigns. Buffalo is unpredictable as an entire team. They’ve been so volatile this season, winning games that I didn’t think they would stand a chance in, and then blowing games where I thought it would be an easy win. This week is going to be tough, but I think the Bills step it up with their rush d and shut down Johnson early resulting in Hasselbeck needing to air it out. The Bills corners are due for a big day, and I think they have some clutch interceptions in this game.
Buffalo wins at home 27-17
Kansas City at Chicago
Kansas City is as beaten and battered as ever. I’ve said it nearly every week but without Jamaal Charles this team is so much worse than they were expected to be during the preseason. There are a lot of teams that have been defined by one player and I think that Charles has really been the key in Kansas City over the last couple of years, with him they were awesome, without they are nothing. Sure Dwayne Bowe can still make some big plays, but all it takes is one great corner and the best of wide receivers can be shut down. The Bears are still without Cutler who was blowing my mind this year. Going into the season I didn’t think Cutler was going to be anything, but depending on Forte was the smartest thing he could do. Almost any quarterback can be great with a man like Forte standing in the backfield with them, and this Sunday I think Forte does what he always does and has a great game.
Forte rushes for big yards as the Bears beat the Chiefs 31-16
Atlanta at Houston
Atlanta has one of the better offenses in the league with Matt Ryan under center. When Ryan has needed to hoist the ball up he’s had guys like Roddy White, Julio Jones, and Tony Gonzalez on the other side to reel them in. Now Michael Turner is questionable for this week, and he’s been a force throughout the majority of the season. If Turner doesn’t play it doesn’t mean Atlanta is out of this one, they’ve still got a great group of receivers going against a Houston secondary that isn’t the best. Houston on the other side is on to their third string rookie quarterback. A lot of people were ready for Leinart to really make his move and show if he had the stuff to be a starter in the NFL, myself included, but that ended really quickly with his injury. The game is going to come down to Arian Foster again. Arian has been possibly my favorite consistent throughout the season. When he’s healthy I can all but guarantee big things. I love Foster, but I don’t know if he’s enough to make up for the rookie quarterback, and a secondary that gives up some big plays.
Matt Ryan outguns Arian Foster in a 34-31 win
Oakland at Miami
Oakland is without McFadden again this week, and despite Michael Bush being really good in his absence he still isn’t as good as McFadden. Carson Palmer is still learning the Raiders system, and building chemistry with his young wide receiver core. I do like the Raiders though, I think they have a great system in place with a lot of young players who are going to end up doing great things in their careers either in the Black and Silver or somewhere else. Sunday will be a good test for the Raiders as they face a Dolphins team on the upswing. For years now the Fins have been looking for a quarterback to name their go to guy, and it looks like he finally may have shown up in Matt Moore. Moore has been great in Miami, doing way better than I think anyone could have predicted. Reggie Bush is playing the game like he’s having fun again, and burning some turf along the way. If Brandon Marshall can keep the ball in his hands instead of on the ground then this could actually be a pretty dangerous offense for the remainder of the season. The Fins are good, but this is scarily a must win for the Raiders as the Broncos are closing in. I think Oakland shows up in Miami fired up and ready to play.
Raider Nation enjoys their victory 28-23
Denver at Minnesota
Tim Tebow. What is it in this guy that just doesn’t let him lose? I know, I know. It’s not all Tebow, it isn’t him winning all of these games, it is a lot of his team rallying around him. The Broncos defense has been great since Tebow has been starting, and they haven’t faced the greatest of opponents either. Incredibly though, the Broncos are in position to make a push for the AFC West, and it shouldn’t be too difficult going up against a Vikings team that is missing their best player. With Peterson out again there isn’t too much to look forward to if you’re a Vikings fan. Ponder might make a big play through the air or on his feet, but the running game isn’t nearly as dangerous, and the wide outs aren’t really there for someone like Ponder to really start to make a name for himself. Sure the Purple People Eaters still have Allen on the line, and he’ll probably make a big hit or two as he hunts down Tebow, but the Vikings are wounded right now, and the Broncos are on a roll.
Tebow Time continues as the Broncos win on the road 17-14
Indianapolis at New England
Do I need to write about this game? Being from New England I know how hard the Pats go into these games against the Colts. For years people have called Peyton names, and yelled at the TV as he threw touchdown after touchdown. The Pats have gotten the best of Indy more times than I can recall during my stint of football fandom, and I don’t think there’s a single way that this game could fall the other way. Freeney and Mathis on defense, and Reggie Wayne and a slew of receivers on offense are consistencies that the Pats have gotten used to, and guys like Orlovsky shouldn’t pose too much of a threat. Brady is going to do what Brady does best, and go wild over the top against an ailing Colts secondary. Gronk, Welker, and Branch are going to be their usual selves and have a well balance game between them. The Law Firm will probably show up and break through some big holes in the middle. I see the Pats going crazy on this one, and not slowing down. Bill doesn’t mind running up the score, and I think he does it on Sunday.
Patriots dominate the Colts in a lopsided 42-10 victory.
Cincinnati at Pittsburgh
The Bengals are in a tough spot. They set themselves up in a decent position through the first half of the season, but going into these last few games their facing some pretty tough opponents. Dalton and Green have been able to figure a lot of things out early together, and it’s going to be fun to watch for years, but with a Steelers team that is going to be angry after narrowly beating the lowly Chiefs I think that this game is going to be very difficult from the get go. Big Ben and Mendenhall are facing a tough defense, but I predict that they are both going to have pretty substantial games. I’m sure the Steelers have been watching Cincy film for a while now, and learning some ways to pick them apart. Pittsburgh is a great team, and I think they aren’t going to give one up to a great rival at home.
Pitt wins this one 24-20
Carolina at Tampa Bay
Cam Newton is consistently a topic to be brought up whenever one talks about the Panthers. He’s exceeding expectations on a weekly basis, and is delivering far more than anyone could have expected from a first year player. DeAngelo Williams finally decided that he was going to play for his money last week, and it made a big impact on the game. Sure it was against the Colts, but yards are yards, and it could have been the spark that Williams needed. Tampa Bay has some great young players themselves. I like what Freeman can do, and I love what Blount does on a weekly basis. Blount is one of the toughest runners in the league, lowering his shoulder and running through many would be tacklers in what seems to be a weekly occurrence. I like Tampa, and going up against a division rival at home this late in the season is usually something that the tend to handle very well. With a young team like Carolina coming in at just 3-8 I don’t think Tampa is going to have an incredibly difficult time showing their home team that they aren’t the worst in the NFC South for at least one more year.
Tampa Bay wins this one 31-27
New York Jets at Washington
The Jets barely beat the Bills last week, as they were lucky enough to avoid a few possible touchdown passes late. But the Jets are the Jets and they are team that knows what it takes to win. Rex Ryan can’t be happy with how they have been playing lately and is going to use this game to take out some anger. I think Greene is due to finally have some big yards, and guys like Plax and Santonio are going to be very consistent despite having and underperforming Sanchez throwing the ball. Washington is a team that I would love to see do well, but it’s just not going to happen. The injuries that they are dealing with are too astronomical for anyone to deal with, and this week it is going to be the same old story. The injury situation is one that is defining the Redskins season, and with the Jets coming to town its not going to get any better.
Jets win on the road 24-17
Chris Johnson had a pretty good game for the third time this season. The man is still playing very unpredictably, and has been incredibly inconsistent. Matt Hasselbeck has been having a pretty good last few games, nothing too amazing but still enough to keep the Titans hanging around if not winning. I thought when Britt went out early this team was going to rely entirely on C.J but it looks like Hasselbeck is comfortable with the reigns. Buffalo is unpredictable as an entire team. They’ve been so volatile this season, winning games that I didn’t think they would stand a chance in, and then blowing games where I thought it would be an easy win. This week is going to be tough, but I think the Bills step it up with their rush d and shut down Johnson early resulting in Hasselbeck needing to air it out. The Bills corners are due for a big day, and I think they have some clutch interceptions in this game.
Buffalo wins at home 27-17
Kansas City at Chicago
Kansas City is as beaten and battered as ever. I’ve said it nearly every week but without Jamaal Charles this team is so much worse than they were expected to be during the preseason. There are a lot of teams that have been defined by one player and I think that Charles has really been the key in Kansas City over the last couple of years, with him they were awesome, without they are nothing. Sure Dwayne Bowe can still make some big plays, but all it takes is one great corner and the best of wide receivers can be shut down. The Bears are still without Cutler who was blowing my mind this year. Going into the season I didn’t think Cutler was going to be anything, but depending on Forte was the smartest thing he could do. Almost any quarterback can be great with a man like Forte standing in the backfield with them, and this Sunday I think Forte does what he always does and has a great game.
Forte rushes for big yards as the Bears beat the Chiefs 31-16
Atlanta at Houston
Atlanta has one of the better offenses in the league with Matt Ryan under center. When Ryan has needed to hoist the ball up he’s had guys like Roddy White, Julio Jones, and Tony Gonzalez on the other side to reel them in. Now Michael Turner is questionable for this week, and he’s been a force throughout the majority of the season. If Turner doesn’t play it doesn’t mean Atlanta is out of this one, they’ve still got a great group of receivers going against a Houston secondary that isn’t the best. Houston on the other side is on to their third string rookie quarterback. A lot of people were ready for Leinart to really make his move and show if he had the stuff to be a starter in the NFL, myself included, but that ended really quickly with his injury. The game is going to come down to Arian Foster again. Arian has been possibly my favorite consistent throughout the season. When he’s healthy I can all but guarantee big things. I love Foster, but I don’t know if he’s enough to make up for the rookie quarterback, and a secondary that gives up some big plays.
Matt Ryan outguns Arian Foster in a 34-31 win
Oakland at Miami
Oakland is without McFadden again this week, and despite Michael Bush being really good in his absence he still isn’t as good as McFadden. Carson Palmer is still learning the Raiders system, and building chemistry with his young wide receiver core. I do like the Raiders though, I think they have a great system in place with a lot of young players who are going to end up doing great things in their careers either in the Black and Silver or somewhere else. Sunday will be a good test for the Raiders as they face a Dolphins team on the upswing. For years now the Fins have been looking for a quarterback to name their go to guy, and it looks like he finally may have shown up in Matt Moore. Moore has been great in Miami, doing way better than I think anyone could have predicted. Reggie Bush is playing the game like he’s having fun again, and burning some turf along the way. If Brandon Marshall can keep the ball in his hands instead of on the ground then this could actually be a pretty dangerous offense for the remainder of the season. The Fins are good, but this is scarily a must win for the Raiders as the Broncos are closing in. I think Oakland shows up in Miami fired up and ready to play.
Raider Nation enjoys their victory 28-23
Denver at Minnesota
Tim Tebow. What is it in this guy that just doesn’t let him lose? I know, I know. It’s not all Tebow, it isn’t him winning all of these games, it is a lot of his team rallying around him. The Broncos defense has been great since Tebow has been starting, and they haven’t faced the greatest of opponents either. Incredibly though, the Broncos are in position to make a push for the AFC West, and it shouldn’t be too difficult going up against a Vikings team that is missing their best player. With Peterson out again there isn’t too much to look forward to if you’re a Vikings fan. Ponder might make a big play through the air or on his feet, but the running game isn’t nearly as dangerous, and the wide outs aren’t really there for someone like Ponder to really start to make a name for himself. Sure the Purple People Eaters still have Allen on the line, and he’ll probably make a big hit or two as he hunts down Tebow, but the Vikings are wounded right now, and the Broncos are on a roll.
Tebow Time continues as the Broncos win on the road 17-14
Indianapolis at New England
Do I need to write about this game? Being from New England I know how hard the Pats go into these games against the Colts. For years people have called Peyton names, and yelled at the TV as he threw touchdown after touchdown. The Pats have gotten the best of Indy more times than I can recall during my stint of football fandom, and I don’t think there’s a single way that this game could fall the other way. Freeney and Mathis on defense, and Reggie Wayne and a slew of receivers on offense are consistencies that the Pats have gotten used to, and guys like Orlovsky shouldn’t pose too much of a threat. Brady is going to do what Brady does best, and go wild over the top against an ailing Colts secondary. Gronk, Welker, and Branch are going to be their usual selves and have a well balance game between them. The Law Firm will probably show up and break through some big holes in the middle. I see the Pats going crazy on this one, and not slowing down. Bill doesn’t mind running up the score, and I think he does it on Sunday.
Patriots dominate the Colts in a lopsided 42-10 victory.
Cincinnati at Pittsburgh
The Bengals are in a tough spot. They set themselves up in a decent position through the first half of the season, but going into these last few games their facing some pretty tough opponents. Dalton and Green have been able to figure a lot of things out early together, and it’s going to be fun to watch for years, but with a Steelers team that is going to be angry after narrowly beating the lowly Chiefs I think that this game is going to be very difficult from the get go. Big Ben and Mendenhall are facing a tough defense, but I predict that they are both going to have pretty substantial games. I’m sure the Steelers have been watching Cincy film for a while now, and learning some ways to pick them apart. Pittsburgh is a great team, and I think they aren’t going to give one up to a great rival at home.
Pitt wins this one 24-20
Carolina at Tampa Bay
Cam Newton is consistently a topic to be brought up whenever one talks about the Panthers. He’s exceeding expectations on a weekly basis, and is delivering far more than anyone could have expected from a first year player. DeAngelo Williams finally decided that he was going to play for his money last week, and it made a big impact on the game. Sure it was against the Colts, but yards are yards, and it could have been the spark that Williams needed. Tampa Bay has some great young players themselves. I like what Freeman can do, and I love what Blount does on a weekly basis. Blount is one of the toughest runners in the league, lowering his shoulder and running through many would be tacklers in what seems to be a weekly occurrence. I like Tampa, and going up against a division rival at home this late in the season is usually something that the tend to handle very well. With a young team like Carolina coming in at just 3-8 I don’t think Tampa is going to have an incredibly difficult time showing their home team that they aren’t the worst in the NFC South for at least one more year.
Tampa Bay wins this one 31-27
New York Jets at Washington
The Jets barely beat the Bills last week, as they were lucky enough to avoid a few possible touchdown passes late. But the Jets are the Jets and they are team that knows what it takes to win. Rex Ryan can’t be happy with how they have been playing lately and is going to use this game to take out some anger. I think Greene is due to finally have some big yards, and guys like Plax and Santonio are going to be very consistent despite having and underperforming Sanchez throwing the ball. Washington is a team that I would love to see do well, but it’s just not going to happen. The injuries that they are dealing with are too astronomical for anyone to deal with, and this week it is going to be the same old story. The injury situation is one that is defining the Redskins season, and with the Jets coming to town its not going to get any better.
Jets win on the road 24-17
Thursday, December 1, 2011
Week 13 - Thursday Night Football
Philadelphia at Seattle
Well what’ve we got here? An Eagles team that got exposed against one of the best offenses in the league going up against one of the worst teams in the NFL. It’s a battle of the birds ladies and gentlemen, and things could get crazy. The Eagles don’t have starters playing, let alone showing up to Seattle this week. Both Mike Vick and Jeremy Maclin are sitting back in Philly while the Dream Team takes its talent on the road. Not only has the Eagles rush defense been pretty terrible all season, but this week much of their secondary is beat up too. LeSean McCoy is still a game time decision, and with Vince Young taking the snaps this could get interesting really quickly. Luckily Young and backup wide receiver Cooper have been building a decent report and this could definitely be a small weapon that the Eagles go to early and often. Attacking the Eagles we have a Seahawk that has been pretty hot for the past couple of weeks in Marshawn Lynch. Although Jackson and Rice aren’t the most dangerous threat in the league, they can still make a play or two a game, and with Lynch to balance out the attack I expect some trouble for flat tire that is the Eagles defense. Overall though, despite possibly another big game from Lynch, I don’t think the Seahawks defense has enough to stop even the backup weapons that the Eagles possess.
Eagles win a scrappy one on Thursday night 27-20
Well what’ve we got here? An Eagles team that got exposed against one of the best offenses in the league going up against one of the worst teams in the NFL. It’s a battle of the birds ladies and gentlemen, and things could get crazy. The Eagles don’t have starters playing, let alone showing up to Seattle this week. Both Mike Vick and Jeremy Maclin are sitting back in Philly while the Dream Team takes its talent on the road. Not only has the Eagles rush defense been pretty terrible all season, but this week much of their secondary is beat up too. LeSean McCoy is still a game time decision, and with Vince Young taking the snaps this could get interesting really quickly. Luckily Young and backup wide receiver Cooper have been building a decent report and this could definitely be a small weapon that the Eagles go to early and often. Attacking the Eagles we have a Seahawk that has been pretty hot for the past couple of weeks in Marshawn Lynch. Although Jackson and Rice aren’t the most dangerous threat in the league, they can still make a play or two a game, and with Lynch to balance out the attack I expect some trouble for flat tire that is the Eagles defense. Overall though, despite possibly another big game from Lynch, I don’t think the Seahawks defense has enough to stop even the backup weapons that the Eagles possess.
Eagles win a scrappy one on Thursday night 27-20
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