Arizona Cardinals (4-5) @ Atlanta Falcons (8-1)
The Cardinals face a difficult task to end their five game losing streak, heading to Atlanta to face a fired up Falcons, who are coming off their first defeat of the season. Atlanta will be liked a wounded animal after losing their unbeaten record and the fact it was to divisional rivals, the New Orleans Saints, will have hurt them even more. The Falcons have a few key players listed on the injury report and their availability could be key to the outcome of this game. Julio Jones, Tony Gonzalez and Michael Turner are listed and would all be key players for this Falcons offense. Arizona will have John Skelton at quarterback as Kevin Kolb has been ruled out. In my opinion, Kolb is by far the better quarterback in Arizona and his absence will be a big blow. The Falcons defense isn't great and is giving up 366 yards per game but the Cardinals average 295 yards of offense, so they don't look best placed to get into a shootout with Atlanta. The Cardinals strength is their pass defense and they rank 2nd in the league. Passing is Atlanta's strength and they rank 4th in the league, so it should make for a good battle.
Prediction - The Falcons will get back to winning ways with a win.
Cleveland Browns (2-7) @ Dallas Cowboys (4-5)
I think if any of the teams with losing records, at the minute, are to turn their season around, it will be the Dallas Cowboys. They are a good side and on their day have the tools to beat any team in the NFL. Dallas has a roster full of inconsistent players and it shows in their results. They are capable of wins like the one over the Giants in week one but they also have it in them to lose at home to the 2-7, Browns. A lot of people are underrating the Cowboys and writing them off but one look at their schedule and suddenly 4-5 is very respectable. Seven of their nine games have been against teams with winning records. The Cowboys have a softer schedule from this point on and they could definitely make it to the playoffs. The Browns are a work in progress and if they have a strong draft, they should take a few more steps in the right direction. The Browns still have a few games left that they could win but I'd expect to see them pick in the top eight, regardless. Brandon Weeden and Trent Richardson have shown flashes of being good players and in a year or two they should be good assets for the Browns.
Prediction - The match ups suggest a Cowboys win and I'm not going to argue with that.
Green Bay Packers (6-3) @ Detroit Lions (4-5)
Green Bay have turned things around after starting 2-3. Four wins in a row has them back at 6-3 and right in the middle of the playoff race. The Texans win was a great result but the performances against St Louis, Jacksonville and Arizona weren't quite so impressive. They got the job done but they were pushed all the way. The Packers were struggling with injuries but the majority of their players are back in action now and it should help them. The Lions are now at the must win stage and they will be relying heavily on Matt Stafford and Calvin Johnson to get after the Packers defense. Johnson leads the league in receiving yards with 974 yards but he hasn't been getting into the end zone enough. He has just two touchdowns for the season and the Lions will need him to start scoring more often, if they are to make a playoff run. The Lions lead the league in passing and the Packers are 20th in pass defense so the passing game will be the Lions best chance of victory. The Packers rank 12th in passing and the Lions are 7th in pass defense so this could be a tough task for Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers.
Prediction - I am going to go with the Lions to spring a surprise this week and think Calvin Johnson will have a big day.
Cincinnati Bengals (4-5) @ Kansas City Chiefs (1-8)
Both of these teams will be disappointed with their seasons so far. The Bengals were 3-1 at one stage and then had a bad losing run, which they ended last week with a great win over the New York Giants. The Bengals rely heavily on their passing game and in particular star receiver, AJ Green. The Chiefs haven't done a lot right this year but they have done well in defending the pass. Another strength of the Chiefs is their running game. They are 4th in the league in rushing and the Bengals are 20th in run defense so the match ups are favourable for the Chiefs. The Chiefs biggest issue is turnovers and they have gave the ball away thirty times in their nine games. The Chiefs did do well last week against the Steelers and got through four quarters without any turnovers and only lost in the end when they turned it over in overtime. These things change eventually and I think this is the week they get it right.
Prediction - The Chiefs get back to 2-8.
New York Jets (3-6) @ St Louis Rams (3-5-1)
Another week of Mark Sanchez and I have absolutely no idea why. He has been horrible all year and the Jets have a quarterback who led a team to a playoff victory last year, sitting on the bench. Tebow Time was about four weeks ago but Rex Ryan appears to have lost the plot and continues to stand by the least accurate quarterback in the NFL. The Jets will continue to go backwards as long as Sanchez is starting and for me it's time to cut their losses and the only reason it hasn't happened already is Rex Ryan has an arrogance and a pride that is stopping him admitting he was wrong to trade up for Sanchez. The Rams were unlucky last week and should have beaten the 49ers. However, when you get a delay of game penalty on a field goal, you don't deserve to win. The match ups are fairly tight in this one but the one difference I see is the Rams running game. They rank 12th in rushing and the Jets are 30th against the run.
Prediction - The Rams should get the win here.
Philadelphia Eagles (3-6) @ Washington Redskins (3-6)
I am feeling a whole lot better about this game now that Nick Foles will be starting at quarterback for the Eagles. He has come in with a big reputation and I liked what he done last week. He is a lot more accurate than Vick and as he's a pocket passer, he gets rid of the ball quicker, which doesn't put the same pressure on our banged up offensive line. Another interesting statistic is the Redskins record against rookie quarterbacks. Since 2006, the Redskins are 0-8 against rookie quarterbacks. That suggests that they struggle if they don't have a lot of film on players and they will have very little footage of Nick Foles. I have to be honest and say I do worry about how our defense will deal with RG3. I watch the Eagles every week and the amount of times I see the defense close down a quarterback and it looks like a sack is imminent, only for the quarterback to scramble loose and find a running back with a short pass and then he runs for a big gain. The difference here is when the quarterback scrambles loose, it will be the quarterback running down the field with our defense spread all over the place. I think Griffin could have a huge day on the ground, as his game is everything we struggle with.
Prediction - I have been going against the Eagles every week and getting it right, so let's stop the slide tonight and get behind Foles on the way to an Eagles win.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (5-4) @ Carolina Panthers (2-7)
The Bucs have won their last three games and have averaged 37 points per game in the process. Josh Freeman has found his form and Doug Martin has had some great days on the ground. The Bucs have a realistic chance of a playoff place and with a tough schedule still to come, they will need to be winning games like this one. The Panthers are 2-7 and if I'm honest, I expected more from them. Having said that, their schedule has been quite tough and of their nine games, the only team they have played who are out of the playoff race, is the Washington Redskins. They have a few games coming up against teams with losing records and a win here would give them a good start toward reaching five or six wins. The match ups are quite tight in this one. The Panthers defense are 16th in both, defending the pass and the run. The Bucs offense are 15th in passing and 11th in rushing. The Bucs have the most unbalanced defense in the league and rank 32nd against the pass but are 1st against the run. The Panthers are 17th in passing and 15th in rushing. This game will come down to Steve Smith's availibility. Smith is listed as probable and if he starts he will cause a lot of problems for the Bucs defense.
Prediction - Smith will play and lead the Panthers to a win.
Jacksonville Jaguars (1-8) @ Houston Texans (8-1)
Surely, there's only one outcome here. Arguably the best team in the NFL, plays arguably the worst team and the best team are at home. Surely the Texans win this one easily. Football doesn't always work out like that though. Shocks happen every week but a Jags win in this one would be on a whole different level. The latest reports suggest that Maurice Jones-Drew will miss this game and with that news, the Jags only chance has gone. The Jags offense are bad and average just 264 yards per game. The Texans are giving away just 282 yards per game, so if the Jags can even score in this game, it will be a notable achievement. On the other side of the ball, the Jags defense are giving up 389 yards per game and with guys like Arian Foster and Andre Johnson on the field, the Texans should be able to run up a big score.
Prediction - An easy Houston win.
New Orleans Saints (4-5) @ Oakland Raiders (3-6)
The Raiders come into this game with a long inury list and without a lot of key players. They will have to rely on their passing game to beat the Saints as they are again without Darren McFadden. The Raiders passing game has been good this year and ranks, 5th in the league. The Saints are 31st in pass defense, so the Raiders should get points on the board. The Saints strength is also passing and they are 2nd in the NFL. The Raiders pass defense is 24th. It looks as though this game will come down to Drew Brees v Carson Palmer. I do like Palmer but think Brees is at the next level and has better options available to him. This game should turn into a shootout and in those circumstances, I'm in Drew Brees' corner.
Prediction - Saints win.
San Diego Chargers (4-5) @ Denver Broncos (6-3)
Philip Rivers and Peyton Manning meet again and Rivers will be fired up for this one, after Manning led the Broncos to an amazing comeback victory in week 6. The Broncos haven't lost since and have moved clear at the top of the AFC West. If the Broncos win today, they will be three games clear of the Chargers, with the tie breaker and just six games left to play. The Chargers have had a soft schedule and have only played three teams with winning records. The Chargers are 0-3 in those games and they will face a huge task to win at Mile High. The Broncos are 3rd in passing and will be against a Chargers pass defense who are 23rd against the pass. The Broncos have a strong defense and should make Philip Rivers job, a difficult one.
Prediction - The Broncos to all but seal the division with a win.
Indianapolis Colts (6-3) @ New England Patriots (6-3)
For a brief second, I looked at this game and thought, Manning v Brady. I forgot myself briefly and it seems weird that the Colts are heading to New England without Manning. It was always one of the best games of the season and although Manning is no longer a part of it, the Colts recent form suggests that Luck v Brady is going to be every bit as exciting. On first glance at the match up, I have a feeling that Andrew Luck will come out of this one with the better numbers. The Colts are 7th in passing and the Pats are 6th. The Colts pass defense should be able to offer some resistance to Brady. They rank 15th in the NFL. The Pats pass defense is still the teams biggest weakness, ranking 29th. However, Brady will get more support from his rushers and the Pats rank, 5th in rushing. I don't remember the Pats having too many good running-backs but Stevan Ridley has been excellent for them. The Colts are 22nd against the run, so Ridley should have another good day. The Colts are 14th in rushing but the Pats have a good run defense and rank 8th.
Prediction - The Pats have more options and will win the game.
Baltimore Ravens (7-2) @ Pittsburgh Steelers (6-3)
This time last week, I'd have been all over the Steelers to win this one. However, an injury to Ben Roethlisberger has forced a rethink. Big Ben was having a good year until the injury and this game suddenly becomes a lot more difficult for the Steelers. The Steelers have relied a lot on their passing game this season and I just can't see Byron Leftwich leading them to a win. The Steelers have had some good running performances from Isaac Redman and Jonathan Dwyer. The Ravens are 26th in run defense and the Steelers only chance of a win is to get a big day on the ground from one of those two. The Steelers are very good defensively and will stop the Ravens for a while but the biggest problem will be if the Steelers aren't getting many drives going, the defense will tire and the Ravens will take advantage of that.
Prediction - The Ravens will get the win.
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