New Orleans vs. Minnesota http://www.inspin.com/nfl/new-orleans-vs-minn... Saints -3 vs. Vikings
Its a tale of two decent teams looking to get a leg up in their respective divisions when the Minnesota Vikings visit the Louisiana Superdome on Monday night.
Both squads are coming off pretty decent games, with Drew Brees passing for 363 yards and two scores, even without Marques Colston and Jeremy Shockey in the lineup, in a 31-17 win over the San Francisco 49ers.
By contrast, Minnesota moved the ball well, but three turnovers did them in in a 30-17 loss to the Tennessee Titans. Gus Frerotte threw the ball 43 times, connecting on 25 of them, for 266 yards, but accounted for two turnovers. Frerotte will start on Monday.
While the New Orleans Saints are listed as three-point favorites, Ill go out on a limb and say Minnesota can get the upset. The Saints defense is banged up, especially in the interior, with first round pick Sedrick Ellis out for this game with a knee injury, and linebacker Troy Evans listed as probable. Even if those two were in, Adrian Peterson could have a field day. With Peterson pounding away at the Saints defense, Frerotte may not have to chuck it 43 times this game. Brees might have to, though, as the Viking defense is one of the tops in the NFL at shutting down the run game, allowing only 71.8 yards on the ground per game. With the Saints offense geared mostly toward passing, this may allow the line to pin their ears back and let the dogs out on a Minnesota line that has allowed 10 sacks in four games this year.
Even though the crowd noise at the Dome can be much, I feel that Minnesota may pull out the win here. Itll be narrow, but if the Viking line is as adept at harassing Brees as they are at gobbling up enemy runners, itll be a long day in the Dome for the Saints.
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San Francisco vs. New England http://www.inspin.com/nfl/san-francisco-vs-ne... Patriots -3 vs. 49ers
Frank Gore is the man in San Francisco! After years of mediocre seasons in San Fran, the 49ers finally have some playoffs hopes due to their superstar running back having another terrific season.
The Niners arent a great football team, at least not yet, but they have shown some signs of promise in there first four games of the season. The Patriots on the other hand are not looking even close to the dominant team that almost went undefeated last year.
When Tom Brady went down in the first game for the Pats, the team just seemed to implode on both offense and defense. They arent a bad team, but they are not the huge threat they were before Brady started watching from the sidelines.
Although Randy Moss may not be having 100+ yards a game and multiple touchdown receptions, the Pats offense can still be very dangerous. With the Buffalo Bills being undefeated thus far, the Pats have to keep winning as this could be the first time, in a long time that New England will not win the AFC East.
After the Dolphins destroyed the defending AFC champs in week three 38-13, New Englands offense and defense was been exposed. Every opponent from here on out will try to take advantage of the Pats without Brady taking the snaps.
The Pats are still too talented and rested after the bye week that they should beat up on the Niners on Sunday, but if New England hasnt corrected their problems the 49ers might have a chance of getting another win.
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Denver vs. Tampa Bay http://www.inspin.com/nfl/denver-vs-tampa-bay... Broncos -4 vs. Bucs
A couple of weeks ago this game would have been no contest and an easy victory for a Broncos team that seemed destined to make a Super Bowl run. Denver could still be on its way to Tampa Bay, but after being kept relatively in check offensively against Kansas City last week, they could be in trouble.
Jay Culter could arguably be the best quarterback in the NFL right now. With Tom Brady out for the season and Peyton Manning not playing like Peyton Manning, Culter has the edge in my book. The guy just seems to make the right decision at the right time and is one of the most accurate quarterbacks ever to play the game. The problem is that his defense doesnt back up the points the young quarterback puts on the board.
The Bucs on the other hand are winning pretty much under the radar. They are not all that great on offense (a lot of turnovers) and their defense isnt all that special either, but they continue to beat good teams. First it was Chicago and then it was the Packers that fell victim to the Bucs. For some reason ex-Broncos quarterback Brian Griese has this team at 3-1 (3-0 since he took the starting job).
The Achilles heel for the Denver Broncos is their defense. They just cant stop anyone right now despite having one of the best defensive players in the game in Champ Bailey. If Griese can keep the turnovers to a minimum and keep throwing touchdown passes like he has, the Bucs have a shot at pulling off the upset.
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New York vs. Seattle http://www.inspin.com/nfl/new-york-vs-seattle... Giants -6 1/2 vs. Seahawks
Why is it that NFL wide receivers have to be the sporting worlds version of a diva?
Prior to the season, we had to deal with Chad Johnson changing his name to a spanish numeral only until the NFL told him he would have to buy all the jerseys left in the merchandise closet before he could change his nameplate. This past week Terrell Owens, who we know way too well, stated that he was not receiving the ball enough even though his quarterback threw his way 17 times Sunday.
Now the Giants (3-0) are coping without their superstar, Super Bowl hero Plaxico Burress who was suspended for going M.I.A. early in New Yorks bye week. The Giants are hoping that they can weather the storm of Burress absence by taking on an inconsistent Seahawks (1-2) team who are embarking on their second cross-country trek of the early season.
Meanwhile Seattle has had receiver issues of their own this season, but not because of misconduct. Deion Branch and Bobby Engram are set to make their season debut and bolster a struggling Matt Hasselbeck.
Without Burress, Eli Manning can bank on their stellar running attack. Brandon Jacobs and Derrick Ward have been a lethal combination this season. Jacobs has rushed for 244 yards, while Ward has 177 in spot and relief duty.
The Giants usually steady defense allowed 347 yards to the Bengals, but was able to take down Carson Palmer six times. Palmer was so battled by the Giants he was unable to start last week and looks unable to go this week as well. The Giants have 13 sacks amazingly even without Pro Bowl defensive end Osi Umenyiora.
Hasslebeck hopes to avoid hitting the turf on Sunday. This way his now plentiful receivers core will be able to work their magic. Engram, Branch and Koren Robinson should all be back and able to spread the Giants secondary to the max. Of course not getting sacked may be tough for Hasslebeck against a Giants team on pace to break the Chicago Bears single season sack record.
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Green Bay vs. Atlanta http://www.inspin.com/nfl/green-bay-vs-atlant... Packers - 5 1/2 vs. Falcons
All was well in Cheeseland for the first two games. Dominating performances against division rivals Minnesota and Detroit, albeit a little scare in Week 2 against the Lions, the Packers looked like the class of the division and maybe one of the contenders in the NFC. Two tough losses later and the 2-2 Packers are looking like a team in some hot water. Their bitter rivals, the Bears have played better as of late and the health of their quarterback is now in doubt. Those are words Packer fans are not used to hearing.
Aaron Rodgers expects to play through his shoulder injury in order to get the Packers back on track. Green Bay looks to avoid a third straight loss for the first time since the 2006 campaign.
Green Bay coach Mike McCarthy said Rodgers intends to play this weekend despite suffering a shoulder injury in Green Bays 30-21 loss at Tampa Bay last Sunday. Rodgers hurt his throwing shoulder in the third quarter when he reached the ball out trying to get a first down and was tackled hard. He initially thought he separated the shoulder, but the Packers (2-2) are calling it a sprain.
A more pressing concern for the Packers is the decline of rushing production. The teams net rushing yard total has declined in each of their four games. Ryan Grant had only 20 yards on 15 carries last Sunday as he too plays through an injury, this time a hamstring injury.
With all the bad news the Packers have faced this week, they do have some good news: The Falcons are coming to town.
Atlanta (2-2) is not a good road team to say the least. The Falcons have lost both of their road games in 2008, five straight and nine of the last 10 on the road dating back to last season. The wicked road took them to Carolina last week and their souvenir was a throttling by their division rival. Matt Ryan was neither solid nor spectacular, but Michael Turner whom the Falcons have been relying on more and more this season stumbled to only 56 yards rushing.
Even with their road woes, the Falcons do have some positive history at Lambeau Field. Atlantas last visit to Green Bay was at the Falcons 27-7 playoff victory on Jan. 4, 2003.
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Texans vs. Colts http://www.inspin.com/nfl/texans-vs-colts-197... Colts -4 1/2 vs. Texans
No team is in more need to get back on track then the Indianapolis Colts. It is not that there season cant be rescued, but if they dont get their high powered offense back to dominant status, it definitely could be.
At 1-2, the Colts havent looked this bad to start the season since Peyton Manning was a rookie. It is not just that they look bad, but Manning is just not playing well thus far. Usually Manning is in command, controlling the offense and keeping the defense completely clueless, but he is really struggling coming back from being injured for the first time in his football career.
As for the Houston Texans, despite their 0-3 record, things are starting to come together. There first three games were against really tough opponents, (Pittsburgh, Tennessee, Jacksonville) especially on defense.
Last week against Jacksonville, the Texans finally were able to get their talented offense back on track. Even though they lost in overtime 27-30, Matt Schaub looked efficient for the first time this season tossing three touchdown passes.
With Peyton Manning taking the snaps for the Colts, Indianapolis always has a great chance of winning the game no matter who the opponent. Coming into the matchup against the Colts on Sunday, the Texans will give the Colts a run for their money, but Manning will get his team back to the .500 mark.
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Redskins vs. Eagles http://www.inspin.com/nfl/redskins-vs-eagles-... Eagles - 6 1/2 vs. Redskins
The NFC East has arguably become the most talented and most competitive division in the NFL this season. Every single team in the NFC East is playing great football right now. All four teams (Eagles, Cowboys, Redskins, and Giants) are legitimate Super Bowl contenders.
Over the first four weeks of the season we have been witness to some awesome performances from the four teams in this division. After seeing how all these teams have performed early on, it is almost a forgone conclusion that the team to represent the NFC will come out of the NFC East.
The Redskins are coming off an unlikely victory over the Dallas Cowboys which will have them riding high coming into this heated rivalry against Philadelphia. The Eagles on the other hand have played nothing but tough opponents to start the season with only one game against the winless St. Louis Rams being an easy win for Philly.
The Eagles are the stronger team of the two as theire very good on both sides of the football. Washington has a balanced ground attack with Clinton Portis and their air attack is coming along gradually with Jason Campbell, but the Eagles stronger on the defensive end which gives them the clear advantage in this matchup.
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Dallas vs. Cincinnati http://www.inspin.com/nfl/dallas-vs-cincinnat... Cowboys -17 vs. Bengals
The Cincinnati Bengals may be in the wrong place at the wrong time as they head to Irving, Texas to take on the Dallas Cowboys.
The Bengals (0-4) are still seeking their first victory of the season and will probably need an A+ effort from everyone in order to obtain it in Dallas. This may be exceedingly tough if quarterback Carson Palmer misses his second straight start. Palmer is questionable and Ryan Fitzpatrick is waiting in the wings to start again. Bengals fans may be sending Palmer a get well card, seeing as how Fitzpatrick threw for three interceptions and lost one fumble in Cincinnatis 20-12 loss to Cleveland in the semi-yearly Battle of Ohio. It did not help Fitzpatrick that Cincinnati has no running attack. Chris Perry is not cutting it, in the wake of Rudi Johnsons departure, so much so that the Bengals are negotiating with former Chicago Bear and first round bust Cedric Benson.
Meanwhile the Cowboys (3-1) are an angry bunch. With a home loss to their arch rival Washington Redskins still sticking firmly in their craw, the Cowboys are bent on revenge and the Bengals may just be the sacrificial lamb they are seeking. Terrell Owens opened his yammer minutes after Dallas 26-24 loss Sunday to say he was not getting the ball enough, even though Tony Romo threw his way 17 times versus Washington, connecting with the receiver on seven of those passes. Like him or not, Owens almost always backs up his belly aching and griping with a stellar game the next time out and he always rises to the occasion in matchups against other top receivers in the game, such as this weeks opponent, Chad Johnson (A.K.A. Ocho Cinco). Regardless of T.O. getting the ball or not, Romo and Jason Whitten continue to be a dynamic duo with 7 passes for 90 yards and a touchdown going to the Pro Bowl tight end.
The Bengals next take on the resurgent New York Jets in New Jersey while Dallas Cowboys will travel to the desert to take on the Arizona Cardinals.
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Pittsburgh vs. Jacksonville http://www.inspin.com/nfl/sunday-night-pittsb... Jaguars -4 vs. Steelers
One of the most overly used clichés in sports is to describe a banged up team as a MASH unit. Save the self-righteousness about sports clichés because if any situation called for that cliché, it is the current state of the Pittsburgh Steelers.
It will be quite amazing to see just how the Steelers (3-1) will field a team and who will be wearing the black and gold this Sunday night in Jacksonville. DT Casey Hampton, DE Brett Keisel are out and LB Donovan Woods is doubtful. In particular, running back will be awfully thin as Willie Parker is expected to miss his second straight game and rookie back Rashard Mendenhall out for the season. Mewelde Moore will be the Steelers featured back this week and the team is exploring possibly bringing Najeh Davenport back in after throwing him on the scrap heap after last season. Sadly for Pittsburgh, this game is on Sunday night instead of Monday night. They have now won 15 straight Monday night contests besting the prior streak of the Oakland Raiders who won 13 straight games in the 1970s. This past Monday, Jeff Reed drilled an overtime 46-yard field goal to lift the Steelers to victory over the Baltimore Ravens despite the numerous injuries.
The Jaguars (2-2) are not a much healthier bunch, but they seem to be righting their ship after their disastrous 0-2 start. Coming off an overtime victory of their own, 30-27 over the Houston Texans, Jacksonville will look to keep their momentum going. David Garrard, the wunderkind of the 2007 season, is steadily improving after a couple of disappointing early season performances. Garrard threw for 236 yards with one touchdown in the win against the Texans.
The Jaguars and the Steelers know each other while, having faced each other regularly while both teams claimed residence in the now defunct AFC Central from 1994-2001. As bad as the Jaguars were in many of those years, they always seemed to be able to beat Pittsburgh, holding a 6-4 lifetime mark against them. The Jags have won four straight in the series, including a contest held in the snow this past January.
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Tennessee vs. Baltimore http://www.inspin.com/nfl/sunday-tennessee-vs... Titans -3 vs. Ravens
Two surprising teams meet this Sunday at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore. The Tennessee Titans (4-0) have seemingly done everything right this season, even after everything appeared bleak when quarterback Vince Young went down in Week 1. The Titans have weathered the storm of Youngs injury, demotion and drama and have done nothing but win-and win impressively. In fact the Titans have never been 4-0 before this season. Veteran backup Kerry Collins continues to impress. He has been stellar yet unspectacular, but has ridden Lindale White and a solid defense to their impressive start. Tennessee comes off a big, and quite easy, victory over the Minnesota Vikings, 30-17.
The Baltimore Ravens (2-1) were predicted to be one of the doormats of the NFL, particularly the AFC North, however the team has hung tough in the standings and on the gridiron with the division-leading Pittsburgh Steelers. The team played very well this past Monday against Pittsburgh, responding to every punch the Steelers doled out. They were able to take Pittsburgh to overtime before a Jeff Reed 46-yard field goal sealed the Ravens fate. Joe Flacco continues to impress in his rookie campaign. He was 16 for 31 with 192 yards and a touchdown on Monday night. While not up to their Super Bowl winning heights, Baltimores defense has been solid, ranking 14th in the league.
The key matchup will be the Ravens front seven versus the Titans offensive line. The Titans are number one in the NFL in allowing the fewest sacks, while Baltimores defense ranks fifth in sacks. Tennessee has won four straight games against the Ravens and is hoping to win a tough road game in Baltimore before heading to a very winnable road game in Kansas City. Meanwhile Baltimore would love to hand the Titans their first loss before they head to Indianapolis to take on the Colts.
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Utah State vs. BYU http://www.inspin.com/ncaaf/utah-state-aggies... Cougars -29 1/2 vs. Aggies
The BYU Cougars are looking good! At 4-0, BYU is coming into their match up against Utah State with boat full of confidence and all the momentum they need to improve to 5-0. It may quite literally take a miracle for Utah State to even get the slightest chance of making this a competitive game.
It has been seven years since the Cougars have cracked the nations top ten list, but they finally got back sitting comfortably at #7. Not only have Cougars gotten back in the elusive top ten in the country, but they are also being involved in talks of a possible BCS championship run.
As unpredictable as college football can be there are almost never guaranteed victories no matter what the odds, the USC Trojans learned that the hard way in last weeks embarrassing loss to Oregon State. With that being said, Utah State will have their opportunity to get on top of the Cougars, but if they miss their window, BYUs offense will tear them apart.
Look for Cougars quarterback and Heisman hopeful Max Hall to have a huge game through the air as BYU cruises to an easy victory over the Aggies.
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Marshall vs. Cincinnati http://www.inspin.com/ncaaf/marshall-vs-cinci... Cincinnati U -3 1/2 vs. Marshall
In a somewhat an even match up between Cincinnati and Marshall, the Bearcats will have the slight advantage over the Thundering Herd when they go head to head on Friday night.
Although the Bearcats are favored to come out on top Friday, Marshall could easily make this a competitive football game as both teams are trying to establish an identity on offense. Cincinnati is 3-1, but they were barely able to get past Akron last week with a game winning field goal in a low scoring affair 17-15.
One could argue that Marshall has faced more a formidable opponent thus far, especially after last weeks loss to West Virginia, but the Herd was held to only three points. A big reason for the Herds lack of points on the board against West Virginia was the inconsistency of freshman quarterback Mark Cann who completed less than half of his pass attempts to reach a measly 119 yards.
With both of these teams struggling to get in the endzone it may very well be who has football in the end will be the won to win the football game. Edge goes to the Bearcats, but dont be surprised to see Marshall get the win.
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