|
Indianapolis Colts(5-0) @ St. Louis Rams(0-6) Sunday 1 ET
-This game may be over by the end of the 1st Q. Last time I checked the Colts were a 15-point favorite in this game. QB Peyton Manning just seems to be getting better with age. To make things worse for the lowly Rams, Colts SS Bob Sanders will be playing for the first time this season. There should be a lot of Colts fans who make the short trip over to St. Louis from Indiana in attendance. Heck, even Titans Head coach Jeff Fisher sported a Colts jersey at a charity function with Colts former Head coach Tony Dungy this past week. Titans coach Jeff Fisher stated to the audience, “I just want to feel like a winner.” Haha. The way QB Peyton Manning is playing right now, you would like to think that he could make any “average joe” off the street look good on this team. Colts win big.
San Francisco 49ers(3-2) @ Houston Texans(3-3) Sunday 1 ET
-After starting the season 3-0, the 49ers have dropped 2 straight. They lost a heartbreaker to the Vikings and then got blow out by the Cardinals. Coming off their bye week, the 49ers should be back at full strength as RB Frank Gore will be back in the starting lineup after missing the last two games. Rookie WR Michael Crabtree who held out until last week will make his NFL debut. He should bring a big boost to the 49ers passing game which could use the help. It will be exciting to see how much of an immediate impact. The Texans meanwhile came through with a big victory on the road at Cincinnati. The Texans Offense is very good. QB Matt Schaub may be the most underrated QB in the NFL. Last week he threw for 392 yards and 4 TD passes. Their potent Offense gives them a chance in any game they play in because they can flat out put points on the board. However, the 49ers will be rested, healthy, and hungry off their bye week as the return of RB Frank Gore and debut of Rookie WR Michael Crabtree will get the 49ers Offense rolling once again. 49ers win in what should be a very entertaining game.
San Diego Chargers(2-3) @ Kansas City Chiefs(1-5) Sunday 1 ET
The Kansas Chiefs ended a nine-game losing streak last week with their win over the Redskins. I knew it was going to happen. The Chiefs are a decent football team. Their record does not show, but the organization is an obvious rebuilding mode and they are heading in the right direction. The Charges have lost two straight games to playoff caliber teams in the Steelers and Broncos. This is a must win game for the Chargers if they want to keep pace with the surprising Broncos in the AFC West. Injuries have hurt the Chargers, especially up from on both sides of the ball. Offensively, the Chargers rank last in the NFL in rushing at 57.6 yards per game. Who would think that a team that has RB LaDanlian Tomlinson and RB Darren Sproles is ranked last in that statistic? With that considered, QB Phillip Rivers has done a pretty good job. Chargers win on the road as they get back to running the ball.
Green Bay Packers(3-2) @ Cleveland Browns(1-5) Sunday 1 ET
-This past week the Green Bay Packers re-signed veteran RB Ahman Green to add depth at the RB position which has gotten a bite from the injury bug. RB Ahman Green who has rushed for 8,162 yards and 53 TD for the Packers needs 46-yards to pass NFL Hall of Famer and Packer’s Legend Jim Taylor as the franchises all-time leading rusher. The Packers seem to be re-signing former veteran players to their roster to help out. It would be really great if they could re-sign any players from the 1996 or 1997 teams if they could still play, especially on the O-line. The Browns meanwhile are not a very good football team. There seems to be a different issue or distraction each passing week with this team. Whether it is their QB controversy, H1N1, or who knows. Packers win big in a game they can not afford to lose as the November 1st rematch with the Vikings at Lambeau is next week.
Minnesota Vikings(6-0) @ Pittsburgh Steelers(4-2) Sunday 1 ET
-As much as I hate to say it, the Vikings are a very good football team. RB Adrian Peterson is the NFL’s leading rusher, QB Brett Favre is the league’s third-highest rated passer(109.5 rating, 12 TD, 2 INT), and their Defense leads the NFL in sacks as well. The Pittsburgh Steelers have put together two average performances in a row with victories over the Lions and Browns. However, SS Troy Polamalu coming back this week gives the Steelers a huge emotional and confidence boost. The leader of their team is now back. This should be a very close game. It really could go either way, but I am going to pick the Steelers because at this point in the season they need this win more. Steelers win a close one at home.
New England Patriots(4-2) @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers(0-6) Sunday 1 ET
-59-0! WOW. That has to rank up their as one of the NFL’s largest margins of victory in history. The biggest storyline is this game is that this matchup is the NFL’s third-annual game played in London, England each year at Wembley Stadium. This is the NFL’s chance to showcase America’s game to a European and International audience. However, we all do know how the NFL’s experiment in the league NFL Europa worked out. Well, for the most part this should not be a very competitive game, but at least it will give the fans across the pond an opportunity to see the NFL’s team of the decade in the Patriots and NFL stars in QB Tom Brady and WR Randy Moss. Patriots win big.
Buffalo Bills(2-4) @ Carolina Panthers(2-3) Sunday 4:05 ET
-The Bills are coming of an upset win over the Jets as QB Rookie Mark Sanchez’s 5 INT helped them hang on. The game was not so much how the Bills won the game, but more of how the Jets seemed to have lost the game. Still, they managed to pull out the victory in OT even without their starting QB Trent Edwards who may also be out for this game. If he can not play, the Bills will look to Harvard Alum QB Ryan Fitzpatrick to play under center. Too bad if that is the case, because the Bills have a lot of talent at that position with WR Terrell Owens and WR Lee Evans Meanwhile, the Panthers have won two straight after starting the year winless. The Panthers rushing attack has finally found its identity from last year. Last week against the Bucs, RB DeAngelo Williams(152 yards, 2 TD) and RB Jonathan Stewart(110 yards, 1 TD) played excellent. Their success the last two weeks has kept the pressure of QB Jake Delhomme who continues to struggle. As long as they can keep the ball on the ground and less time in the air it makes for less chances for QB Jake Delhomme to make a mistake.
New York Jets(3-3) @ Oakland Raider(2-4) Sunday 4:05 ET
Wow, what a difference three weeks makes. The New York Jets under first-year Head coach Rex Ryan and Rookie QB Mark Sanchez were undefeated behind their blitzing Defense and surprise solid play at the QB position. Since then the Jets have lost 3 straight, lost DT Kris Jenkins for the season with a torn ACL, and lost their swagger. Rookie QB Mark Sanchez threw 5 INT last week. He had to start playing like a Rookie at some point. However, the Jets biggest cure to the woes may be the Raiders this week. Yes, I know that the Raiders upset the Eagles. You have to give them credit, especially to TE Zach Miller who if you saw the 86-yard TD catch and run, single handedly scored himself zigzagging through the entire Eagles Defense. If there is anyone on this Earth that saw that coming you are either a liar or Al Davis. Personally, I would rather be a liar. QB JaMarcus Russel update: QB rating of 51, 45% completion rate, 803 yards, 2 TD, 6 INT). However, in other news Raiders Head Coach Tom Cable will not be charged for allegedly assaulting one of his assistants according to the Napa County District Attorney’s office. Maybe things have turned for the Raiders organization. Well, maybe not. The Jets get back on track and win on the road, as the Jets and QB Mark Sanchez shows AL Davis and the Raider’s Organization what a young, promising, future star QB in the NFL really looks like.
Atlanta Falcons(4-1) @ Dallas Cowboys(3-2) Sunday 4:15 ET
-How good are the Atlanta Falcons? As of right now, they are looking like serious contenders in the NFC to challenge the Saints. Lot of football left to be played though. The Cowboys meanwhile have climbed now over .500 and are coming off their bye week with the extra time to prepare for the Falcons. The Cowboys three wins this season were against winless teams at the time. The possible return of RB Marion Barber should help take some pressure of QB Tony Romo who has been faced heavy criticism thus far early into the season. If you ask me, the Cowboys Defense should be scrutinized more than the Offense. I believe the Cowboys will be able to compete with the Falcons in this game, but I have to pick QB Matt Ryan and the Falcons as they keep impressing me week by week.
Chicago Bears(3-2) @ Cincinnati Bengals(4-2) Sunday 4:15 ET
-Ladies and gentleman, boys and girls, sit back, relax, and enjoy the Cedric Benson Bowl! The biggest storyline in this game is Bengals RB Cedric Benson having the opportunity to play against his former team who drafted him 4th overall in the 2005 NFL Draft, but then released him last year following two alcohol related arrests and sub par play. RB Cedric Benson made the best out of an opportunity last year and has seemingly revived his career in the Queen City. RB Cedric Benson is currently third in the NFL with 531 yards rushing though 6 games. However, the Bears Defense even without LB Brian Urlacher this season has been stout against the run. This should be a very competitive game. QB Jay Cutler has played well thus far other than the week 1 nightmare, but the Bears Offense has struggled to score points in the red zone as of late. You can not settle for FG or turn the ball over in the red zone if you want to compete in this league. The Bears failed to score three times when they had the ball inside the Falcons 20-yard line last week. However, the Bengals Defense is also coming off a lackluster performance where they gave up 472 yards to the Texans and also lost DE Antwan Odom for the season-ending injury. Something’s gotta give. Bengals RB Cedric Benson has his revenge on his former team as the Bengals win a close one.
New Orleans Saints(6-0) @ Miami Dolphins(2-3) Sunday 4:15 ET
-WOW, How good are the Saints? Coming off an impressive blow out win over the previously undefeated Giants, they may be the best team in football right now lead by QB Drew Brees and the NFL’s #1 Offense. The scariest thing about it is that going into the game the Giants Defense was ranked #1 in the NFL and the Saints put up 48 points on that unit. The Dolphins, who started slow and suffered the loss of QB Chad Pennington, have found their identity the past two weeks in wins after going back to the “Wildcat” Offense. RB Ronnie Brown and RB Ricky Williams have averaged 200.5 yards/game over the past two victories. It will be interesting to see of the Saint’s Defense will be able to stop the “Wildcat,” where so many other teams have failed. Should be a challenge for their Defense. However, you would like to think that even if the Saints Defense has trouble with the “Wildcat,” that their Offense will still be able to outscore the Fins. Saints win on the road to improve to 7-0.
Arizona Cardinals(3-2) @ New York Giants(5-1) Sunday 8:20 ET
-I am sure that the Giants Defense could use a break after being embarrassed last week by QB Drew Brees and the Saints. However, this week it does not get much better for them as they will have to face the Cardinals Offense. Even though the Cardinals Offense has underachieved this year with all their weapons in QB Kurt Warner, WR Larry Fitzgerald, and WR Anquain Boldin, they should still present a challenge for the Giants. The craziest thing about it is, even after their forgettable performance last week, the Giants Defensive unit still ranks #1 in the NFL. Look for the Giants and WB Eli Manning to get back on track on both sides of the ball as the Cardinals travel to the East Coast. Traditionally, they have not performed well after making the long trip East. Giants win at the Meadowlands.
Philadelphia Eagles(3-2) @ Washington Redskins(2-4) Monday 8:30 ET
-This has to be the best MNF matchup yet right? HA. Both of these teams are coming off very disappointing weeks. The Eagles were upset by the Raiders and the Redskins lost to the previously winless Chiefs. The Eagles are a good football team. They were not focused enough and probably looked past the Raiders. However, the Raiders Defense particularly came to play. I promise you, Eagles Head Coach Any Reid will use that loss as a coaching tool for his team. However, the Redskins are reeling a lot more than the Eagles. Redskins Head Coach Jim Zorn has no been tripped of his play-calling responsibilities and his job security is more in question now than ever. I probably will not watch this game as most of the commentary and focus of the game by ESPN’s MNF Crew will be on the Redskins Owner Daniel Snider and the state of their franchise rather than the game itself. Eagles bounce back with the victory as QB Donavan McNabb looks comfortable in his second game back from injury.
Byes: Ravens, Broncos, Lions, Jaguars, Seahawks, Titans
Overall: 56-34
Last Week: 8-6
|
