Ravens at Falcons: You can throw out all your statistics for this game. I don’t think they’ll amount to a hill of beans, once the game begins, but they’re still useful for getting a perspective on the possibilities. I like the Falcons, but I like the Ravens just a little more. This might be the Super Bowl preview, or it could turn out to be better than the Super Bowl, except for the half-time show of course. Atlanta are winners of their last 13 home games when starting Matt Ryan, who is 17-1 all-time at the Georgia Dome. Roddy White has been seen with an electronic stimulator on his knee, after getting it banged up last week, and playing with a brace on it during the second half of the game. There is one statistic that is worth being aware of for both teams. The Ravens have held opponents to 17 points or less, in six of their eight games. The Falcons have only had one game where they were kept under 16 points,as detailed at ESPN.com
Ravens 24 Falcons 22
Lions at Bills: Buffalo has been trying their best in several tough games, as we saw against Baltimore, as well as Kansas City, and last week at the Rogers Centre with Chicago. They’re just not good enough. Conversely, the Lions are getting close to being a good team, if they can continue to draft well in the next few years. The Lions are without Mathew Stafford. The Bills will be missing linebacker Andra Davis, with 41 tackles on the year, who is now out for the season. Shawne Merriman is already hurting, after recently joining the Bills, as he left practice with a right leg injury. Shaun Hill will start in place of Stafford.
Detroit 27 Buffalo 24.
Vikings at Bears: This is also a tough game to predict, and anytime Brett Favre is playing, it is almost a certainty that all the team statistics become useless, because he defies conventionality, and doesn’t make plays that are expected, or are “safe”. Even with his ankle injury, and his elbow tendinitis, Favre can still defy the odds that are against him. Add to that, the explosive running of Adrian Peterson, who is third in the league with 107 rushing yards per game, and it might be a bit too much for the unpredictable and inconsistent Chicago Bears, even with Minnesota being 0-4 on the road so far. Jay Cutler has been sacked 27 times, and that number might climb, as the Vikings defensive front sacked Arizona’s Derek Anderson 6 times last week. Percy Harvin didn’t practice Wednesday, due to a migraine, a condition which has been problematic for him on an on-going basis. He is uncertain for Sunday, according to ESPN.com.
Vikings 31 Bears 30.
Jets at Browns: Cleveland has climbed off the matt and have made statement wins against New Orleans and New England. Adding to the drama, Eric Mangini recommended Rex Ryan to Jets general manager Mike Tannenbaum when he was dismissed, according to ESPN.com, and Ryan’s twin brother Rob, runs the defense for Cleveland. Having stopped Drew Brees and Tom Brady, he now has to try and limit Mark Sanchez. The Jets quarterback has thrown 5 interceptions in the last 3 games. New York’s running game is 4th in the league with 148 rushing yards per game, with LaDainian Tomlinson,and Shonn Greene.The Browns’ Peyton Hills ran for 184 yards against the Patriots. Colt McCoy has completed 67% of his passes in his first 3 NFL starts. The Jets are 4-0 on the road. The Browns are 2-2 at home.
Jets 26 Browns 23.
Bengals at Colts:
It is amazing that Indianapolis can still be competitive with all the injuries they have accumulated this season, and the loss of key personnel, like Bob Sanders and his replacement, Melvin Bullitt, as well as Clint Session, Gary Brackett, along with Dallas Clark, Joseph Addai (uncertain) Mike Hart ( uncertain), Anthony Gonzalez, and now Austin Collie, who was concussed last week. It underlines why Peyton Manning should win the MVP. The Colts are 3-0 at home, and the underachieving Bengals are 1-3 on the road. Indy hasn’t lost a November home game since 2007. Manning has thrown 17 touchdowns and 3 interceptions, with a 6-0 record against the Bengals. Cincinnati has lost 5 straight games by a combined margin of 27 points. The Bengals are 2-6 overall, while the Colts are 5-3 so far.
Indianapolis 37 Cincinnati 29.
Titans at Dolphins: Tennessee is the highest scoring team in the league, averaging 28 points, and are tied for top spot in the AFC South with the Colts. Jeff Fisher now has Randy Moss to help add to his offensive numbers if he can keep the mercurial receiver contented. Chris Johnson is no doubt hoping Moss can draw some defenders away from him. Miami has only allowed two runs of 20 yards or more, the third fewest in the league, according to ESPN.com. Conversely, Miami has given up 9 plays of 25 yards or more through the air in the past 4 weeks. Chad Pennington has been given the starting assignment at quarterback, his first since early last season, in place of Chad Henne. The Dolphins have only scored 11 touchdowns this season, which is tied for second worst in the NFL. Vince Young is expected to start in spite of some recent injury problems. He is the AFC’s highest rated passer at 103, and hasn’t turned the ball over in his last 5 games. In the event he can’t play, Kerry Collins connected 7 times with Randy Moss in Oakland, for touchdowns in 2005. Oddly enough, the 4-4 Dolphins are 0-3 at Sun Life Stadium, losing to the Patriots, Steelers, and Jets.
Titans 31 Dolphins 28.
Panthers at Buccaneers: No lengthy explanations here. Tampa Bay is 2-2 at home,while Carolina is 1-7 overall and 0-3 on the road.
Bucs 33 Panthers 19.
Texans at Jaguars: The Texans have the league’s-worst defense. Houston is also allowing 399 yards per game. The only consistent weapon that they have is Arian Foster, who has 864 yards this season and nine touchdowns. Both teams are 4-4, with the Jaguars 2-2 at home.
Jacksonville 27 Houston 24.
Chiefs at Broncos: There is no way I’m picking Denver, even though the much improved Chiefs, are only 1-3 away from home. The Broncos are only 1-3 at home. Kansas City’s running game is ranked 1st in the league with 179 yards per game. The Broncos are ranked 30th in rush defense. The 2-6 team is off to their worst start since 1999, and could lose 4 straight at home for the first time in 20 years. In their last game at home, the Broncos got blasted 59-14 by Oakland.
Kansas City 25 Denver 20.
Cowboys at Giants: When there is a coaching change in any sport, the players usually play a bit harder and more effectively for a few games. Even if that is the case for Dallas, 1-7, they are in over their heads against New York, who are 3-1 at home, and 6-2 on the season.
Giants 31 Cowboys 23.
Seahawks at Cardinals: Seattle are a hard team to figure out. You just never know which version of Pete Carroll’s team is going to show up. They have been beaten badly in their last two games, by 33-3 in Oakland, and then 41-7 hosting the Giants, with Hasselbeck at quarterback against the Raiders,and Whitehurst filling in for him last week against New York. Arizona has lost 3 successive games, and 4 of their last 5. The Cardinals play competitive games at home, where they are 2-1. Seattle is 1-3 on the road.
Arizona 34 Seattle 26
Rams at 49ers: San Francisco sometimes shoot themselves in the foot. They can also be a tough team to play against, as they are 2-2 at home, and have won two of their last three, although they are 2-6 overall. The Rams are gaining respect as they have become much tougher to play against with rookie Sam Bradford at quarterback, with 5 TD’s and 0 interceptions in the last 3 games. St.Louis has a 4-4 record, while still winless on the road. The Rams have lost 2 of 3 away games by a total of 5 points,and have lost 6 in a row, on the road. Troy Smith starts for the 49ers, filling in for injured Alex Smith. Frank Gore is 4th in the NFC in rushing yards, with 691. The Rams rank 10th in the NFL in total defense, only allowing more than 17 points twice.
49ers 23 Rams 21.
Patriots at Steelers: Another potentially great game. New England has some vulnerabilities on defense as we have seen in recent weeks. Both teams are 6-2, but Pittsburgh is a much tougher opponent to play against, especially at home, where they are 2-1. The Patriots are 2-2 on the road.
Steelers 34 Patriots 26.
Eagles at Redskins: Michael Vick is hard to stop, and the Redskins will see that again this Monday night, and assuming he doesn’t get hurt this time, he will be too much for Washington to handle. The Shanahan’s soap opera with Donovan McNabb can’t be a good thing for team morale. McNabb’s quarterback rating is at 76, the lowest it’s been since his rookie season in 1999. The Redskins are 2-2 at home, and the Eagles are 3-1 away from home. The Eagles sacked Peyton Manning 3 times last week, and Asante Samuel intercepted him twice. The Redskins rushed for 169 yards last month at Philadelphia, with Ryan Torain getting 70 of them.
Philadelphia 32 Washington 29