Cleveland: Well, Braylon Edwards found a new way to get shipped. But he went to a much better team. The Browns almost pulled off an upset last week against Cincy, and they can beat the woeful Bills. All QB Derek Anderson must do is eliminate turnovers. He found his WR in Mohamed Massaquoi, and expect Massaquoi to be even more of a factor with the departure of Edwards. RB Jerome Harrison achieved a career high in rushing against the Bengals, and the Bills defense isn't as good as people think (27th overall). On the other side of the ball. the Browns are the worst defense in the league. Where Cleveland catches a break is that Buffalo isn’t particularly adept offensively.
Buffalo: The T.O. watch continues. When will he blowup? It’s not too far away especially since he seems to not even be an option. The main concern should be getting protection for QB Trent Edwards. If that can be fixed, maybe Owens becomes a viable option. The Bills might be regretting letting former offensive coordinator Turk Schoenart go. The offense has been out of sync since the preseason, and it’s not getting any better. Also, the Bills are feeling the pain for trading T Jason Peters to the Eagles, for starters. The rushing attack is there (ranked 14th), but the passing game needs to pick it up. The Bills are also defensively challenged. This game could be a real stinker.
Dallas: Will the real Tony Romo please stand up? Wait, we are seeing the real Tony Romo, one week spectacular and the next week, spectacularly inconsistent. Many feel the blame goes to offensive coordinator Jason Garrett, but at what point will Romo get all the blame? Look, Garrett’s play calling has been suspect to say the least, but it’s up to Romo and the guys to execute the plays that are called (I’ve heard something like that somewhere). Or at least find a decent audible, if he’s allowed to do that. The rush is fine. It’s Romo and the passing game that needs work. The defense hasn’t helped much this year. One of the league’s most feared pass rushes from ‘08 has virtually disappeared. This week is prime pickings for the Cowboys as they face a seriously inept offense.
Kansas City: So much for the offensive genius of head coach Todd Haley. Granted, he has far less to work with in KC than he did in Arizona. This is a work in progress, and the Chiefs showed a little something offensively last week against the Giants. Gotta start somewhere. The defense has actually been more of a disappointment. They drafted DE Tyson Jackson in the first round this year and DE Glenn Dorsey in the first round last year. They have combined for no sacks and 13 total tackles. As a unit, the Chiefs have 5 sacks…in four games. Since there’s no pressure on the QB, opponents have passed for almost twice as many yards as the Chiefs offense. Work in progress, I know.
Minnesota: Now that the circus from the Green Bay game is behind the Vikes, they can concentrate on the Rams. That’s a serious statement as this week is a trap game. You have the emotional Packers game, short week, and the Ravens visiting Minnesota next week, and this contest has trap written all over it. The offense should be okay with Favre, Peterson, & Co. The defense (yes, the defense) must set the tone. Packers QB Aaron Rodgers passed for 384 yards last week. Minnesota ranks 9th against the run, so you have to get to them through the air.
St. Louis: The Rams offense is just that, offensive. They rank last in scoring, and 30th in both total yards and passing yards. Their strength is the rush where they rank 13th. Too bad their opponent is so strong against the rush. But that could actually be a good sign for a struggling passing offense. The main question for the Rams will be who starts at QB. Marc Bulger has been limited in practice and Kyle Boller played against the 49ers last week. The defense isn’t much better, but at least they can somewhat defend the pass (19th ranked). If the Rams defense have any concerns, it will be stopping Adrian Peterson. Then again, all teams worry about that.
Oakland: From a statistical standpoint, the Raiders possess the worst offense in the NFL: 31st in scoring, 32nd in total yards, 32nd in passing yards, 28th in rushing yards. Now RB Darren McFadden lost for about a month, and the one thing that was viewed as a strength of this offense, is in major doubt. Well, disarray is a much better description. That actually describes the Raiders organization as a whole. I won’t even get into the whole Tom Cable situation. The more that I hear, the more bizarre it becomes. And that first round draft pick, Darrius Hayward-Bey, has two catches. The defense’s passing stats are the only thing on this team that are worth anything, but that’s not saying a whole lot.
Giants: There’s a question if Eli Manning will play this week. He will. If he can’t go, you know his backup, David Carr, has to be licking his chops to get a go, especially with the Raiders visiting. Even if Manning doesn’t go, the Raiders can’t stop the run and the Giants have the 6th best rushing attack in the NFL. This couldn’t appear to be a more lopsided matchup. But the Giants better not get ahead of themselves. They got a showdown with the Saints in New Orleans next week.
Tampa Bay: Almost. Two missed field goals by now former kicker Mike Nugent could be viewed as the reason Tampa Bay did not win last week against Washington. Nugent’s gone, and this week doesn’t look as promising as the Bucs go to Philly. The Eagles get Donovan McNabb and Brian Westbrook back and that creates more headaches for the league’s second worst defense. The big weakness is defending the run. They give up almost 172 yards a game (30th), but they are decent defending the pass (17th). The offense is also dreadful ranking 27th overall and averaging only 13.5 points a game. And Philly is coming off a bye week. At least Tampa Bay gets Carolina at home next week. That’s more promising.
Philadelphia: McNabb and Westbrook are practicing and should be ready to go. LB Jeremiah Trotter rejoins the Eagles and should help a depleted LB group. The secondary is still banged up, too. But all the defensive players that were injured participated in practice on Thursday. Add McNabb and Westbrook having an extra week to heal and the Eagles are a scary opponent. The schedule couldn’t be any sweeter as the Bucs come to town. Usually, McNabb struggles against Tampa Bay, but that was the Tampa defense under Monte Kiffin.
Pittsburgh: Things got a bit tight last Sunday night against the Chargers. One minute, it’s 35-14. The next minute, it’s 35-28. Last year, that would not have happened against the Steelers defense. You can look at S Troy Polamalu’s absence as a reason, but that’s not the whole reason. While they’re 5th in total defense, they are only 12th in scoring defense (19.5 points a game). It’s the pass defense that’s letting teams back into games. Only one sack through the first four games. Only one pick. And don’t forget those turnovers. The Steelers are a –4 in turnover ratio. The offense may have found its rushing attack last week, but let’s see if they can carry it over to this week. RB Rashard Mendenhall was an absolute beast last week. One last thing, the Lions gave up 48 points to the Bears last week. Ford Field never looked so good.
Detroit: The Lions stayed with the Bears for the first half, but then there was that little thing called a second half kickoff. Then it was 28-21, Bears. And it was all Chicago after that. The Lions give up more points than any other team (they were last in that category in ‘08, too). New head coach Jim Schwartz has the personnel to improve the defense with the acquisitions of LBs Julian Peterson and Larry Foote. It’s just trying to convince these guys they’re not as bad as the rest of us think they are. Things are looking up on the offensive side of the ball, but QB Matthew Stafford must stay away from the picks. RB Kevin Smith must find a way to get his share of yards against a stingy rushing defense. That will relieve pressure from Stafford’s shoulders and open up plays for WR Calvin Johnson. Offensive coordinator Scott Linehan will find even more ways to involve Johnson as he knows that Johnson is his best player.
Washington: The Redskins should feel fortunate to be 2-2. They could easily be winless. And don’t think that their front office hasn’t taken notice. Now, here’s where it gets a bit strange. We know of the offensive deficiencies. So, now the Redskins go to the bingo hall and bring in Sherman Lewis as a “consultant” for the offense. And it gets weirder. Defensive coordinator Greg Blache stated just today that he will no longer be speaking to the media. Secondary coach Jerry Gray will assume those duties. Here’s the proof on Blache from csnwashington.com. The Redskins have now become almost as big a soap opera as the Cowboys were last year. Next thing you know, they’re going to trade for T.O. If the ‘Skins pull this one off, I’d be really shocked.
Carolina: Everything points to a Panthers win especially since the Redskins appear to be in a bit of turmoil from a coaching perspective. You usually don’t like your bye week this early in the season, but I think it gives Carolina a chance to regroup, mainly QB Jake Delhomme. The offense has to start with Jake making good decisions. The running game will develop with Jonathan Stewart and DeAngelo Williams, but their efforts must improve to give Delhomme a chance to run the offense. It doesn’t help that the once feared defense has lagged so far. The last time the Panthers were on the field, the Dallas Cowboys rushed for over 200 yards. The Redskins most likely won’t duplicate that, but the belt needs to be tightened to slow the bleeding.
Cincinnati: I’ll not remind the Bengal faithful that they should be undefeated. To have back-to-back division games on the road is brutal, but three divisional games in a row? The program that writes schedules needs a bit of tweaking. The guys in stripes got by the Steelers on a last second TD, but barely passed last week test against the Browns. The Ravens will provide an even sterner test. How can Cincinnati win this game? QB Carson Palmer will be the key. He has not looked particularly sharp the last two weeks. WR Chad Ochocinco may get his breakout game this week. I’m not sure if the Ravens corners can handle him. The defense has shown up when its needed to, but the unit must be alert for an air assault this week.
Baltimore: Despite losing to the Pats last week, there’s nothing but good things for Baltimore. We won’t mention the penalties that Tom Brady begged for or the dropped pass…oops. Sorry. The Ravens could have won, but this week’s game is bigger in the grand scheme of things as it is for first place in the division. QB Joe Flacco has turned into an aerial artist. He’s 5th in passing yards, 3rd in passing attempts, 4th in completions, and 3rd in TDs. You have to appreciate what he’s done because he has no bona fide #1 receiver. Having RB Willis McGahee and Ray Rice with a potent rushing attack has given the Ravens an even greater offensive boon. Not used to it from a team known for its smash mouth defense. But the Ravens D can be had through the air…because you certainly can’t run on them. They only allow 59.5 yards a game. You can ask Darren Sproles how good their rush defense is.
All stats used in this post are from nfl.com
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