NFL Week 4 Preview - late and night games

In our late games, we have a matchup of undefeated teams. Unless we have a repeat of last years Eagles-Bengals result, one will exit with a loss. We’ll cover that game first.

New York Jets (3-0) @ New Orleans (3-0)

Jets: Sure QB Mark Sanchez has dazzled us so far this year. Let’s see what he can do in the hostile environment of the Superdome. How he comes out of this game will give us a big indication of how far he progressed as a bona fide NFL quarterback. But “Sanchize” can’t do it alone, and the O line will be his main support. While Sanchez will get the majority of the attention, don’t forget the Jets rushing attack. The Jets of ‘09 resemble the Ravens of years past. All Rex Ryan asks is the Sanchez manage the game and the defense will take care of the result. We know the Jets can play defense under Ryan and his staff, but will they be able to even put a halt on the vaunted Saints passing attack?

Saints: To keep the Jets D from constantly applying pressure to QB Drew Brees, RB Pierre Thomas must be effective. You can also put RB Reggie Bush in there, too. Not only is Bush a threat rushing, but, he’s a matchup nightmare. You better believe that head coach Sean Peyton knows this, and he will take every opportunity to exploit a bad matchup. The health of WR Lance Moore will be a concern, but he will play. The fact that New Orleans is 5th against the rush is misleading. They score so many points that opponents must abandon the rush and throw the ball to try to make up the deficit. It’s the pass defense that may get scrutiny. They’re 22nd, but that is also misleading. The Saints have only allowed 3 passing TD and have 7 INT. Also, they average 40 points a game and give up only 18.7.

Buffalo (1-2) @ Miami (0-3)

Buffalo: This could be the week we see WR Terrell Owens achieve a good week. RB Marshawn Lynch returns from his three game suspension and the Bills 9th ranked rushing attack receives an added boost. What has been hurting Buffalo is they haven’t possessed the ball enough to do anything with it. They rank 31st in time of possession and the Bills do not have an explosive offense to make good with what time they do have it. They will win this game by throwing as the Dolphins defense is 26th against the pass. But that also is a weakness of the Bills D as they are 28th versus the pass. Whichever team has the more effective passing attack gets the W.

Miami: QB Chad Henne makes the start after Chad Pennington injured his shoulder last week and is lost for the season. The Dolphins have the opposite problem of the Bills, the have the ball but can’t put it in the endzone. That’s how they lost to the Colts a couple of weeks ago. The Dolphins have a potent rushing attack (3rd) but struggle passing (30th). Henne and company must construct a passing attack that will take advantage of the Bills porous pass defense. We know the Wildcat will be utilized, but Henne and his receivers will be the difference.

St. Louis (0-3) @ San Francisco (2-1)

St. Louis: Some have the Rams as the worst team in the NFL. They are averaging a disastrous 8 points a game, worst in the league. How about a 28th ranked offense and a 29th ranked defense? Can’t win many games with those numbers, and it makes a legitimate argument for those stating the Rams are that bad. You can’t blame that on RB Steven Jackson. He’s 5th in the NFL in rushing. At least St. Louis has that going for them.

San Francisco: You know head coach Mike Singletary never wants to see Brett Favre again…well, unless it’s in the playoffs. The Niners are a legit team and they proved that despite last week’s loss. Losing RB Frank Gore so early in the game spelled doom, but QB Shaun Hill showed his moxie by leading the Niners on the near win. Gore won’t be playing this week so the bulk of the carries will go to rookie RB Glen Coffee. With the Rams as the opponent, this could be the perfect game to get the offense into gear. If San Fran can be had, it’s through the air, but with Rams QB Marc Bulger suffering with an ailing shoulder, things look good the 49ers.

Dallas (2-1) @ Denver (3-0)

Dallas: RB Marion Barber has been upgraded to probable, but teammate Felix Jones will be sitting this one. Look for Tashard Choice to get a lot of snaps for the league’s top rushing attack. It will be the Cowboys third ranked offense against the Broncos top ranked defense. They must run to relieve the pressure from QB Tony Romo. But don’t just look on the offensive side. The Cowboys must play good defense against an underrated Broncos offense. The opposing QB has a 90.1 rating and Broncos QB Kyle Orton does just enough to lead his team. The whole defense is the key to another Dallas win.

Denver: I’m not yet a believer in this Broncos team. Many talk about that fluke tipped pass in week 1 to beat the Bengals, and the Broncos have their other two wins against the Raiders and the Browns. Not impressive. This will be the first true test Denver has faced and even if they win, people will say they won at home. So, are they in a no-win situation? Not really. If they win this game, I’ll believe a little more especially if QB Kyle Orton keeps having consistent performances. He’s 10th in QB rating. 3 TD and 0 INT. Orton does not lose the game, but he helps you win it. DE Elvis Dumervil will be the driving force on the NFL’s top rated defense. If he can get to QB Tony Romo, the Broncos will silence their critics…including me.

San Diego (2-1) @ Pittsburgh (1-2) – Sunday night

San Diego: Has anyone noticed that this is Philip Rivers’ team? If you haven’t noticed that, you better. The Bolts are 2nd in passing offense…but 31st in rushing. The running game may get a boost with RB LaDainian Tomlinson listed as probable with an ankle injury that he suffered in week 1. They will need that as the Steelers don’t let you run. Heck, the don’t really let you pass. That’s why Rivers is the key on offense. Being without C Nick Hardwick won’t make things easier, but Rivers has a swagger that hardly any NFL QB can duplicate. The Bolts weakness on defense just happens to be the Steelers offensive weakness. San Diego can’t really stop the run and the Steelers have been inept rushing.

Pittsburgh: This is a must win game for the Steelers. They will know going in how the Ravens and the Bengals fared in earlier games. To win this week, they must run the ball. But with RB Willie Parker listed as doubtful, the outlook is a little grim. That makes RB Mewelde Moore the X-factor for the Steelers offense, and not Big Ben. Roethlisberger will get his yards, but the rushing game must show up to play. Once again, S Troy Polamalu will be sitting due to a knee injury. He’s one guy, and with people saying his absence is why the Steelers aren’t stopping people is ridiculous. You still have the best LB corps in the league. But 5 sacks and only 1 INT? And Polamalu has the INT. Stop someone.

Green Bay (2-1) @ Minnesota (3-0) – Monday night

Green Bay: A lot of people thought the Packers QB Aaron Rodgers was going to explode this season. Hasn’t happened yet. But one stat that should stand out is that Rodgers has yet to throw a pick. And RB Ryan Grant has only 206 yards rushing although he did 99 yards last week…against the Rams. The Vikes don’t give up the run that easy, so the pressure falls to Rodgers. The biggest concern for Green Bay? It’s not Brett Favre, it’s RB Adrian Peterson. The Pack is only 23rd against the run. If they can stop Peterson and put the game in Favre's hands, their odds are a tad better. Then again, it is Brett Favre on the other side.

Minnesota: RB Adrian Peterson is licking his chops. After having back-to-back games of less than 100 yards, here comes the Packers and their 23rd rated rushing defense. We’ve seen the replay of Favre’s last second pass last week too many times to count. DO we all know who caught the pass? WR Greg Lewis made an incredible catch, yet he’s lost in all the Favre hype. Did Vikings fan forget that it was Lewis that came to Minnesota and sent popular WR Bobby Wade packing? While this game is being hyped, the Vikings have this right where they want it. The game at Lambeau will be the one to see.