Houston (2-3) @ Cincinnati (4-1)
Texans: Houston possesses one of the league's better offenses (#11 overall), but most of that yardage is coming via the air (#5). RB Steve Slaton is starting to show signs of the dreaded "Sophomore Slump" and that's not what the Texans envisioned for 2009. It won't be any easier going aginst the Bengals rush defense. No worries as QB Matt Schaub and WR Andre Johnson has stepped to the table for the O. Johnson is a linebacker in a wideout's body. We saw that last week. The defense has let the Texans down a bit this year. Houston has had to come back from large deficits at least twice this year. They pulled out a win against Tennessee but fell short against the Cardinals. The Bengals won't blow them away offensively, but Houston has to jump on them early.
Bengals: A local blackout was avoided due to a collective effort by WR Chad Ochocinco and Motorola. Just something else "Esteban" can do for the home crowd. But Chad won't be the main figure for the Cincy offense. That falls to the NFL's leading rusher, RB Cedric Benson. The Texans are soft aginst the run and Benson shold have a stellar day. But you know he will be Houston's focal point when the Bengals have the ball. QB Carson Palmer hasn't exactly lit up NFL defenses so far. The aerial game must return for the Bengals to win, and not just with 2:00 left in the game. The main concern for Mike Zimmer and Co. on defense has to be to get pressure on the QB. Take away the pass and dare the Texans to run. But also be able to handle that receiver Johnson guy.
Detroit (1-4) @ Green Bay (2-2)
Lions: QB Matthew Stafford and WR Charles Johnson are listed as questionable for the game, but don't be surprised if neither play. QB Daunte Culpepper will fill-in for Stafford. Despite their record, the offense has held up its end of the bargain. The offense faces an average defense so the plays will be there, it boilsdown to execution. The defense permits more points than any in the league and it can be expoited through the air. For Detroit to have any chance against Green Bay, they must test the Pack's offensive line. Most teams have shown success there as the Packers allow more sacks than anyone.
Packers: Good news. The Packers brought T Mark Tauscher back. Want even better news? T Chad Clifton may be back from his ankle injury. Got to protect QB Aaron Rodgers. Passing the ball may be the way to get this win as RB Ryan Grant has not really been himself so far. Will WR Greg Jennings show up? He's not played to his status as a #1 wide receiver either. He's been hit or miss. The Packers need a hit from him. Although going against the Lions defense may be just the remedy for the Pack's running game. Detroit yields more points than anyone. Defensive coordinator Dom Capers has Green Bay going in the right direction, but don't seel the Lions offense short.
St. Louis (0-5) @ Jacksonville (2-3)
Rams: Wonder why the Rams are winless? Try averaging an NFL low 6.8 points a game. St. Louis has a bona fide weapon in RB Steven Jackson, but nothing else on that side of the ball. Unless you want to count WR Donnie Avery's totally tasteless TD dance last week. You missed it? Here. Don't even get me going how unprofessional that was. I won't mention the score and the time remaining and the quarter. Go to the defense. Only the Detroit Lions allow more points. Need I say more?
Jags: Will the real Jaguars please stand up? The offense looked unstoppable against the Titans two weeks ago, but failed to show against the Seahawks. RB Maurice Jones-Drew had only 34 yards rushing on 12 carries. Maybe he'll get on track against the Rams #23 ranked rush defense. Having WR Mike Sims-Walker will help QB David Garrard. Sims-Walker was inactive last week for violating team rules. A decent offense against the Rams dreadful defense spells points. The only real threat to the Jags defense will be Steven Jackson. The Jags are decent against the rush and have not allowed a 100 yard rushing game this season. If the Jaguars can be had its through the passing game. The Rams can't throw so it looks good for Jacksonville.
Cleveland (1-4) @ Pittsburgh (3-2)
Browns: A win's a win, and that's what the Browns got last week. And they used two field goals from backup kicker Billy Cundiff. The sad part is he might not be in Cleveland for long as Phil Dawson may be ready for this week. There was actually a bright spot in last week's win: RB Jamal Lewis rushed for 117 yards (out of the 193 yards of total offense). There are still major concerns at QB. Derek Anderson completed just 2 passes on 17 attempts. And now All-Pro special teamer Joshua Cribbs is unhappy. All this and you got to go to Heinz Field with an inept offense (#31 ranked) and a porous defense (#29 ranked).
Steelers: Are the defending Super Bowl champs really only 3-2? It's true, but only because of 4th quarter heroics from the opponents (Bears: 17-14, Bengals: 23-20). And Pittsburgh looked a bit sluggish against the Lions last week, on defense anyways. Three sacks on the Lions last drive sealed the deal. But that D gets S Troy Polamalu back this week. Lions QB Daunte Culpepper toseed for 282 yards last week and Polamalu should severely decrease that number. Then again, they are playing the Browns. RB Willie Parker returns from a toe injury. Good thing as RB Rashard Mendenhall may not be able to go due to illness. Get the rush gong and the game is theirs. Don't get caught looking ahead to that game next week against the Vikings!
Carolina (1-3) @ Tampa Bay (0-5)
Panthers: QB Jake Delhomme's pick problems are well known, but what's happened to the Panthers two-headed rushing attack? Along come the Bucs and their 28th ranked rushing defense. Coudn't be a better spot for RB DeAngelo Williams and Jonathon Stewart. Carolina will need to run to help Delhomme and the Panthers passing. A comeback win may be just what was needed to get them pointed in the right direction. But the Panthers' woes can also be pointed to the defense. You can't pass (2nd ranked) on them but you sure can run against them (30th ranked). This unit has to keep Carolina in the game as the Panthers do not score a lot of points, and that presents a problem.
Buccaneers: What was the main downfall for the Bucs against the Eagles last week? QB Josh Johnson was the team's leading rusher. The weakness of the Panthers D is they're lousy defending the run. RB Earnest Graham, Cadillac Williams, and Derrick Ward should all be on board the ship this week, but they will be without FB B.J. Askew due to a back issue. While Johnsn did throw for 240 yards and 2 TD lst week, he also threw 3 INT. That didn't help amtters any either. I don't anticipate Tampa Bay trying to throw on the league's 2nd ranked pass defense. Pound the rock! But a 28th ranked defense has to hold up, especially against the run.
Kansas City (0-5) @ Washington (2-3)
Chiefs: They came soooooooo close last week. Losing an overtime thriller can be looked at as either a momentum builder or a momentum killer. Depends on if you're one of those "glass half full" or "glass half empty" kind of people. The positive: multi-million dollar QB Matt Cassel had 253 yards passing and 2 TD. The negative: The defense permitted the Cowboys almost 500 yards of total offense. It's not pretty on either side of the ball as the offense can't score (16.8 points/game) and the defense can't stop anybody (27.6 points/game). Seeing the Redskins this week could yield a victory, but only if everyone steps up their game.
Redskins: We've all seen the John Riggins video, right? You haven't? Another treat for you is here.
What more can you say? At least the Redskins won't allow Matt Cassel to light them up. They have the 3rd best passs defense.
Ravens: How much will back-to-back losses affect the Ravens? Although they do score the 5th most points, they were held to only 14 by the Bengals last week. The shining star last week was RB Ray Rice as he accumulated 143 yards of total offense and added a TD. He led the team in rushing yards and receptions, too. Wait a minute, he is the team's leader in those same categories for the season. But don't thin kit's because QB Joe Flacco isn't spreading the wealth because he is. Rice leads the Ravens with 23 catches. TE Todd Heap is second with 21. WR Derrick Mason has 19. Sense a pattern? Tought so. The key matchup is the Ravens O line against the Vikings D line. The Vikes lead the NFL in sacks with 18. Flacco must stay upright or the O is in trouble. Here's another question. When was the last time the Ravens were ranked 10th in total defense? That's the position they hold. And it's the pass that snares them. And look who's on the other side of the ball...Brett Favre.
Vikings: If RB Adrian Peterson is to make a difference (and he must) it will be at the hands of a potent and 4th ranked rush defense. Then again, Bengals RB Cedric Benson did top the century mark on that D last week. But the Vikes will severely test the Ravens even more while passing. There's that Favre guy and he's making significant progress with his receivers, too. Almost too scary. The real matchup is when the Vikes are on defense. This is not your ordinary Ravens offense. You also have to concern yourself with the pass. The Ravens will run the ball but getting pressure on the opposing QB is where this game will be won, or lost. There's that Metrodome crowd that could have an influenece, too.
Giants: The G-Men possess the most consistent offense in the league (2nd overall, 9th passing, 4th rushing) and that amkes them difficult to defend. Add that QB Eli Manning is completely comfortable with his receivers, and the task is even greater. Manning has the second best passer rating in the NFL at 111.7. The offensive line doesn't let anyone get to him as Eli's only been sacked twice. RB Brandon Jacobs must bust out of his funk and he's publicly stated this...in different words. RB Ahmad Bradshaw has been toting the rock very well in Jacobs' "state" and the Giants haven't missed a beat. The same is true for the D. THey're the league's best (#1 pass, #15 run). But as you see, you can run on them. There's where the Saints may have an out.
Saints: Since Eli is #2 in QB rating, I bet you think QB Drew Brees is #1, don't you? He's actually #3 at 108.4. Some guy with the Colts is #1. The most intriguing fact is that Brees has failed to throw a TD in the last two games. A good ground game will help as New Orleans has the second best running game. That offense gets more of a boost with RB Mike Bell being active for this weeks game. But more talk about the Saints has been on the defensive side of the ball. New defensive coordinator Gregg Williams has turned a weak unit into a top-10 unit (currently 6th overall). Here's a scary stat for Saints fans. New Orleans has lost their last 5 games when coming off of a bye. The Saints had a bye last week.
A lot points should be scored and this game has all the potential to be the best of the season.
Baltimore (3-2) @ Minnesota (5-0)
Ravens: How much will back-to-back losses affect the Ravens? Although they do score the 5th most points, they were held to only 14 by the Bengals last week. The shining star last week was RB Ray Rice as he accumulated 143 yards of total offense and added a TD. He led the team in rushing yards and receptions, too. Wait a minute, he is the team's leader in those same categories for the season. But don't thin kit's because QB Joe Flacco isn't spreading the wealth because he is. Rice leads the Ravens with 23 catches. TE Todd Heap is second with 21. WR Derrick Mason has 19. Sense a pattern? Tought so. The key matchup is the Ravens O line against the Vikings D line. The Vikes lead the NFL in sacks with 18. Flacco must stay upright or the O is in trouble. Here's another question. When was the last time the Ravens were ranked 10th in total defense? That's the position they hold. And it's the pass that snares them. And look who's on the other side of the ball...Brett Favre.
Vikings: If RB Adrian Peterson is to make a difference (and he must) it will be at the hands of a potent and 4th ranked rush defense. Then again, Bengals RB Cedric Benson did top the century mark on that D last week. But the Vikes will severely test the Ravens even more while passing. There's that Favre guy and he's making significant progress with his receivers, too. Almost too scary. The real matchup is when the Vikes are on defense. This is not your ordinary Ravens offense. You also have to concern yourself with the pass. The Ravens will run the ball but getting pressure on the opposing QB is where this game will be won, or lost. There's that Metrodome crowd that could have an influenece, too.
Game of the Week
New York Giants (5-0) @ New Orleans (4-0)
Giants: The G-Men possess the most consistent offense in the league (2nd overall, 9th passing, 4th rushing) and that amkes them difficult to defend. Add that QB Eli Manning is completely comfortable with his receivers, and the task is even greater. Manning has the second best passer rating in the NFL at 111.7. The offensive line doesn't let anyone get to him as Eli's only been sacked twice. RB Brandon Jacobs must bust out of his funk and he's publicly stated this...in different words. RB Ahmad Bradshaw has been toting the rock very well in Jacobs' "state" and the Giants haven't missed a beat. The same is true for the D. THey're the league's best (#1 pass, #15 run). But as you see, you can run on them. There's where the Saints may have an out.
Saints: Since Eli is #2 in QB rating, I bet you think QB Drew Brees is #1, don't you? He's actually #3 at 108.4. Some guy with the Colts is #1. The most intriguing fact is that Brees has failed to throw a TD in the last two games. A good ground game will help as New Orleans has the second best running game. That offense gets more of a boost with RB Mike Bell being active for this weeks game. But more talk about the Saints has been on the defensive side of the ball. New defensive coordinator Gregg Williams has turned a weak unit into a top-10 unit (currently 6th overall). Here's a scary stat for Saints fans. New Orleans has lost their last 5 games when coming off of a bye. The Saints had a bye last week.
A lot points should be scored and this game has all the potential to be the best of the season.
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