Eagles @ Seahawks - Both teams have injury concerns, as the Eagles will again be without QB Michael Vick and WR Jeremy Maclin, and RB LeSean McCoy will be a game-time decision. The Seahawks placed WR Sidney Rice on injured reserve after leaving their game against the Redskins with a concussion. Vince Young threw for over 400 yards last week, but it came in a lopsided loss to the Patriots. The Seahawks have got to be disappointed in themselves after dropping a home game against the Redskins. The match-up I'll be watching will be how the young and inexperienced Seahawks offensive line against the pass rush of the Eagles' front four. Seattle's quarterbacks have been sacked 36 times this season (second-worst in the league), while the Eagles are tied for seventh in the league with 30 sacks.
Prediction: Eagles 24, Seahawks 20.
Titans @ Bills - The Titans come off a 23-17 home win over the Buccanneers that kept their playoff hopes alive. Chris Johnson ran for 190 yards, and will next face a Bills team that's ranked 21st against the run. The Bills battled against the Jets for the entire four quarters, but surrendered the lead with 1:01 left in the game, and a late drive came up just short. One bright spot for the Bills was Ryan Fitzpatrick, who was 26-39 passing for 264 yards and three touchdowns, finally registering a solid game since signing his new six-year deal.
The match-up to watch in this one will be the Bills WR Stevie Johnson (who beat Darrelle Revis for 8 catches, 75 yards and a touchdown) against Titans CB Cortland Finnegan. The Bills need Johnson to make plays now that they don't have Fred Jackson for the rest of the year, and Finnegan is a physical corner who uses that physicality to try and get in the opponents head.
Prediction: Bills 27, Titans 23.
Chiefs @ Bears - The Chiefs have lost four in a row following their 13-9 loss to the Steelers. Tyler Palko is still scheduled to get the starting nod this week against the Bears, but if he struggles at all, expect recent acquisition Kyle Orton to take the reigns of the offense. The Bears also have a young quarterback filling in for their established starter. Caleb Hanie got his first start of the season against the Raiders, and threw three interceptions in the loss.
The running game will be key in this game, as whichever team does a better job taking the pressure off their quarterback will likely win the game.
Prediction: Bears 24, Chiefs 14.
Falcons @ Texans - Matt Ryan has been lighting it up through the air the past four games, averaging 301 yards passing, and throwing nine touchdowns to only two interceptions. The Falcons are 3-1 in those games. Meanwhile, the Texans will have T.J. Yates making his first start under center, with the team holding a two game lead on second place Tennessee.
Watch the battle between the Texans' offensive line against the Falcons front seven. The Texans are third in the NFL in rushing (151.7 yards/game), while the Falcons are the second best at defending against the run (83.5 yards/game).
Prediction: Falcons 20, Texans 17.
Raiders @ Dolphins - The Raiders continue to hold a one-game lead in the AFC West race, but the Broncos are nipping at their heels. The potential return of Darren McFadden can only help their chances, but his availability this week will likely be a game-time decision. The 'Fins gave Dallas all they could handle before losing on a last second Dan Bailey field goal. Matt Moore continues his solid play, and has an 87.8 quarterback rating, with 8 TD and 5 INT on the year. Whichever front seven does a better job in run support will have the upper hand in this game.
Prediction: Dolphins 24, Raiders 19.
Broncos @ Vikings - The Broncos just find a way to keep winning. Despite Tim Tebow getting a lot of attention, its the play of the defense that's potentially been more integral to the teams' recent success. Rookie LB Von Miller has 10.5 sacks, and has a shot at breaking the rookie record of 14.5 by former Titan Jevon Kearse. The Vikings are going through growing pains with rookie quarterback Christian Ponder, and Adrian Peterson's status is up in the air for this game.
Watch the Broncos' pass rushers Von Miller and Elvis Dumervil against Vikings' tackles Phil Loadholt and Charlie Johnson. Loadholt in particular struggles with speed rushers, and Miller and Dumervil are two of the best in the league. The Vikings have allowed 33 sacks on the year, and if they fall behind, it could be a long day for Christian Ponder.
Prediction: Broncos 17, Vikings 13.
Colts @ Patriots - There's not a lot of Colts fans out there that have hope their team can turn it around this season, and even fewer that believe the Colts will turn it around in this game. The Patriots defense may give up a lot of yards, but they also force turnovers, and Tom Brady has far too many receiving weapons for the Colts to match up with. The only way the Colts stay close is be able to run the ball effectively and hurry Brady into turning the ball over.
Prediction: Patriots 41, Colts 17.
Bengals @ Steelers - Major playoff implications in this game, as the Bengals are one game back of both the Steelers and Ravens in the AFC North. It will likely be a somewhat typically low-scoring divisonal game, with rushing yards hard to come by, as both the Bengals (5th) and Steelers (6th) are stout up front.
Watch the pairing of Bengals WR A.J. Green (who left their previous game early from injury) against Steelers cornerback Ike Taylor. Green has proven to be as advertised, and has a lot of Larry Fitzgerald in his game. Taylor will have his hands full in this one.
UPSET OF THE WEEK!!!!! Prediction: Bengals 23, Steelers 21.
Panthers @ Buccanneers - DeAngelo Williams had his first two-touchdown game of the season, and the Panthers held off the Colts to notch their third win of the year. Better balance on offense will go a long way, as Cam Newton has been productive, but has taken a beating between his carries as a runner and the hits he's absorbed as a passer. The Bucs nearly beat Tennessee in Nashville, but fell 23-17. Mike Williams has been productive two weeks in a row, which is encouraging for an offense that's struggled, as well as Josh Freeman.
Both the Panthers (28th) and Buccanneers (30th) are bad against the run, and both teams have capable running games. Ultimately, this comes down to which young quarterback can take better care of the football, as both have struggled with turnovers.
Prediction: Buccanneers 31, Panthers 27.
Jets @ Redskins - The Jets narrowly escaped with a 28-24 home win over the Bills. Mark Sanchez was inconsistent (only 15-31 passing), but did throw four touchdowns, including the game-winner to Santonio Holmes with 1:01 to play. The Redskins are a different defense than the Bills, as outside linebackers Brian Orakpo (6.0 sacks, 2 forced fumbles) and Ryan Kerrigan (6.5 sacks, 4 forced fumbles) are solid edge rushers with non-stop motors. The key to this game will be Rex Grossman against the secondary of the Jets. If Grossman can play smart football (something he doesn't always do), the 'Skins will have a shot.
Prediction: Jets 20, Redskins 16.
Ravens @ Browns - The Ravens should be well-rested after their Thanksgiving Day game against the 49ers. Ray Rice had a tough outing against the #1 run defense in the league, but should find it easier against a Browns defense vulnerable against the run. The Browns nearly pulled out a big win against Cincinnati, but blew a 10 point halftime lead, and allowed nearly 400 yards of offense to the Bengals.
The pairing I'm going to watch is Ravens WR Torrey Smith against Browns CB Joe Haden. Smith is one of the better deep threats in the league, and Joe Haden is among the best press corners in the league.
Prediction: Ravens 30, Browns 13.
Cowboys @ Cardinals - Dallas has been playing good football as of late, and have found another weapon in WR Laurent Robinson, who has caught seven touchdowns in the past five games. Even when Miles Austin returns from injury, its not likely Robinson will see a big dip in playing time, as he's proven to be a big-play threat for QB Tony Romo. Arizona won 23-20 in St. Louis this past week, thanks in large part to CB Patrick Peterson, who returned his NFL record-tying fourth punt for a touchdown this year.
When healthy, Beanie Wells is one of the more punishing running backs in the league, and ran all over the Rams to the tune of 228 yards. Dallas is solid against the run, allowing just more than 100 yards per game on the ground, but will likely try and force whoever is playing QB for the Cardinals beat them (Kevin Kolb is questionable), which means frequent double-teams of Larry Fitzgerald.
Prediction: Cowboys 28, Cardinals 17.
Packers @ Giants - The Packers are unquestionably the best team in the league, and the Giants are likely their toughest remaining game on their docket. Jordy Nelson doesn't have the name recognition of some of the other great receivers in the NFL, but belongs in the discussion. At 6'3, 217 pounds, Nelson has great size for a receiver and exhibits great body control. He's also fast, as he ran a sub-4.4 second 40 yard dash at the combine. On the season, he has 44 catches for 782 yards and 9 touchdowns, and has given Rodgers a reliable second receiver, as he's taken over that role from Donald Driver.
The Giants struggle to run the football, which will put even more pressure on Eli Manning to win the game. The Giants also have an emerging playmaker in WR Victor Cruz, who leads the Giants in catches (55), yards (957) and touchdowns (7). While not quite the physical specimen that Nelson is, Cruz runs good routes, and can make big plays (3 touchdowns of 68+ yards). Like Nelson, he's prone to occasional lapses in concentration, which can lead to drops. With time, both of these players will likely reach Pro Bowls in the next few years.
As for the game, I'd be surprised to see anything less than a shootout, as both quarterbacks have the weapons to throw the ball effectively.
Prediction: Packers 34, Giants 24.
Rams @ 49ers - The Rams just can't seem to stop the run, as evidenced by Beanie Wells 228 yards on the ground at the Edward Jones Dome last week. The offense also can't seem to do much of anything, as they are near the bottom of the league in just about every offensive category. The best chance for the Rams to win the game will be to stack the box against the run, and hope that Chris Long (10 sacks) can get after Alex Smith and force turnovers (something Smith has been very good at avoiding).
Prediction: 49ers 27, Rams 10.
Lions @ Saints - The Lions haven't been the same ball club since "HandshakeGate" and their loss to the 49ers. They'll now also be without the services of DT Ndamukong Suh, who was rightfully suspended two games for slamming a Packers offensive linemans' head into the the ground, then stomping on his arm. Suh plays with tremendous passion and intensity, but has clearly crossed into the "dirty" category.
The Saints and Drew Brees picked apart the Giants on last week, throttling them 49-24. The Lions secondary has been very good this year, but have given up far too much on the ground. Look for a more balanced attack
Prediction: Saints 30, Lions 20.
Chargers @ Jaguars - The Chargers playoff hopes are hardly more than a dream right now, as they trail the Raiders by three games with five to play, and have not won a game since October 9th. Philip Rivers has thrown a league-worst 17 interceptions on the year, but didn't commit a turnover against the Broncos this past week.
In a span of 24 hours, the Jaguars announced the sale of their team, and the firing of head coach Jack Del Rio. At 3-8, the Jaguars have not played well enough for Del Rio to retain his job, and new ownership was likely going to let him go at season's end anyways. The Jags defense has been solid, but the offense has shown no tangible progress this season.
Look for Vincent Jackson and Antonio Gates to have big days, and the Chargers to show one last glimpse of life.
Prediction: Chargers 24, Jaguars 16.
Last Week: 12-4 (.750)
Season: 119-57 (.676)
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