Hi and welcome to my blog. Though it is late in the 2009 season this will be my first blog of the year. This blog will focus on point spreads, survivor games and fantasy impact. I will look and analyze the game and give you my opinions. So onto this weeks matchups. Thank you for taking the time to read my blog and have a nice week.
Bears at 49ers Thursday Night:
In the first Thursday night game of the year it faces two Jekyll and Hyde teams. Both teams have shown flashes of being contenders and have had games where college teams could have beaten them.
Many in the NFL thought with the addition of Jay Cutler the Bears offense would run smoothly and open up an even more effective running game for Matt Forte. Forte seems to be having a Sophomore though with 90 yards and a touchdown last week he maybe coming out of it. With the addition te Greg Olson was supposed to be a force but has not stood out. Though Devin Hester has become a force to be reckoned with. When he gets the ball in his hands he can take it to the house in a heartbeat. Cutler has had issues with throwing picks and Forte has had some fumbling issues which has hurt the offense.
The 49ers started off well and with Mike Singletary calling the shots many people expected to see a smash mouth tough defense much like the ’86 Bears. In the first week against the defending NFC champion the Cardinals the 49ers looked like they have arrived. Then after a blow out loss to the Falcons the 49ers have been up and down. Shaun Hill started the year as the qb but after an ineffective 1st half against the Texans Alex Smith came in and has lead the 9ers offense. With Smith and the return of Frank Gore the 9ers offense has been rolling. Vernon Davis has matured with Singletary and since Smith took over he has become his go to guy. Add in Michael Crabtree as threat on the outside and teams are taking notice.
These two teams are a good matchup. It will make for good football watching. I see the 49ers winning a close game. I see it as a 24-20 victory. I see Cutler with a costly turnover. Both Frank Gore and Vernon Davis will have good fantasy statistics along with Hester and Forte.
Lions at Viking:
With the addition of the number 1 overall pick Matthew Stafford the Lions offense has been more effective. Unfortunately you can’t say that about the Lions defense. The Lions are a young team learning how to play as a team and in the NFL. If Jim Schwartz can continue with the growth the Lions will be a formidable team in the near future. Unfortunately for Schwartz and the Lions the future isn’t now. When healthy Calvin Johnson is a matchup problem and always has great stats. With a healthy Johnson Brian Johnson and Brandon Pettigrew have been effective. The Lions running game still struggles and once they have one the offense could be unstoppable.
The Vikings have proven with the addition of Brett Favre and their great defense that this is a Super Bowl contending team. Coming off a bye week this team will be ready for this game. Favre has been asked not to win games but rather manage them. He has excelled at this. Adrian Peterson comes as advertised. Though the last few weeks he has not put up the numbers people expect Peterson is still having a great year. The addition of Favre could be affecting Peterson’s numbers as well. Favre himself has made the receivers around him better. Vishante Shiancoe has proven again he is a big red zone target as well as a third down tight end. Favre loves throwing to his tight end and Shiancoe fits the mold of the tight ends Favre likes. Percy Harvin has shown he has matured and is a gameplan nightmare for defensive coordinators. Sidney Rice has benefitted from Favre and has shown what he is capable of doing. Bernard Berrian shines as a deep ball threat and a reliable receiver for Favre.
The Vikings are a good team with the potential to be great. The Lions are rebuilding again but finally seem on the right path. At this point the Vikings win big 34-10.
Bengals at Steelers:
This is a matchup for years where the Steelers have owned the Bengals. The Bengals seem to be for real and trying to prove that they can compete for an AFC North title. Carson Palmer seems to be 100% recovered from his knee surgery a few years back and is enjoying the weapons he has. Chad Ochocinco has been Palmer’s favorite target and has been a real difference maker. Lavernaus Coles has been a great addition to the team and Andre Caldwell seems to make a big catch when the game is on the line. Chase Coffman and JC Foschi have helped in the passing game from the tight end position. As great as the passing game has been for the Bengals it is the running game that has turned this team’s fortune around. Cedric Benson has found a home in Cincinnati and is living up to his top 5 selection. With the emergence of Benson the league leader in rushing the Cincy offense has been helped. The Cincy defense has come around as well. With the addition of Rey Maulaga and Leon Hall coming into his own the Bengals have really come into their own. This is the second tough matchup in two weeks after playing the Ravens last week.
What can you say about the Steelers. One of the best run organizations in all of sports. To have had only 3 coaches in 30 years if that isn’t consistency then I don’t know what is. All three have won Super Bowls and the Steelers are usually a Super Bowl contender. Coming off their second Super Bowl victory in five years the Steelers have built off of that championship. The training wheels are off of Ben Rothlisberger and he has been playing great. When you hear Steelers you think of defense and running the ball. The running game has not been great this year but is decent. Rashad Mendenhall seems to have gotten over the fumbling issues and is running well. Willie Parker has been slowed by injury and has lost his starting job to Mendenhall. The Steelers defense has been great as usually. When Troy Palumalau got injured in the first game the Steelers defense missed him but eventually recovered and now Palamalua is back and the defense is even better.
As usual the Steelers win close ugly games and that is the way I see this going down. Though the breaks have gone the Bengals way this year I don’t see it here. A close one but the Steelers 27-20.
Jaguars at Jets
This is another game of two teams that have had up and down years. The Jaguars giving the full time running back duties to Maurice Jones-Drew. MJD has shown he can do the job. David Garrard has had a good year but has been hurt with interceptions. Mike Sims-Walker has broken out this year and has become a difference maker for the Jaguars. More teams are focusing on him and rolling safety help his way so he has had some not as great games the last few weeks. The Jaguars defense has not helped this team and has put them in holes. From a fantasy purpose you have to start MJD and Sims-Walker though I see it as a tough day for this team.
The Jets are a team where they are a win now team but have a rookie qb and coach. Mark Sanchez has had his games where he looks like the real deal and his games where he looks like a rookie. From a rookie qb this is expected. Depending on which Sanchez shows will tell you how the Jets go. The Jets miss Leon Washington who is a difference maker in the offense. Thomas Jones is again having another great year. Shonne Green has shown flashes but hurt the team with a fumble returned for a td last week. The addition of Braylon Edwards has given the Jets a big receiver. Jerrico Cotchery was having a great year for the Gang Green until he was slowed by a hamstring injury, and Dustin Keller and Sanchez seem to be just off but the Dolphins game might of switched that. Keller is a real weapon as a tight end. The Jets defense loss their big man in the middle. Last week without him his replacements played real well. With Rex Ryan’s defensive scheme the Jets defense has shown flashes.
The loser of this game can more or less kiss the playoffs goodbye. Unless the special teams gives up tds I expect the Jets to come off their bye and have a good all around game against the Jaguars. Jets win 24-10.
Saints at Rams
There is not much to say about this game. The Saints are a well oiled machine on offense. With the three headed running attack of Reggie Bush, Mike Bell and Pierre Thomas you don’t know what to expect from them. Are they going to run up the middle, stretch the run out, block, or go out for a pass. All three bring something different to the game and it is tough to game plan for. Not only do the Saints rbs bring that so do the receivers. They have guys that run deep, across the middle, and can do whatever. From Colston, to Meachum, to Henderson, to Shockey to Moore they all are mismatches and cause trouble for defenses and we haven’t even mentioned Drew Brees quite possible the most accurate passer in the game (debatable with Peyton). Then you get Greg Williams attacking defense who is all over the place and really bringing it forms for one great team who is a real Super Bowl contender.
Then you have the Rams coming off a bye week and getting their first win. The Rams are a team in transition. Besides Steven Jackson this team has not done much. They are trying hard but are just over matched. I believe if given time Steve Spagnola can build a winner. When he does it I hope he builds the lines first.
I expect the Saints to just run all over the Rams. I see a blowout. A Saints victory by 35. 45-10.
Bills at Titans
This is a game of head scratchers. Many people felt that the Bills and Titans would be contenders this game. I felt the banwagon for the Bills was a bad idea. Many felt that Trent Edwards would blossom into the qb of the future in Buffalo. Adding TO they believed that they had a bonafide receiver for their young qb. Their defense was a young and up and coming unit. Hopes were high in Buffalo. Things people were blinded by: 1. Dick Jauron as a head coach. Good defensive mind not a great head coach. 2. The decline of TO. TO is a future hall of famer the skills that got him there are diminishing. TO is also a future hall of famer for trash talking. As he has gotten older his trash talking ways have gotten better to make up for his poor performance. 3. You add in Marshawn Lynch’s off field issues. 4. You fire your offensive coordinator the week before the start of the season and you cut starting offensive linemen and you could of seen the trouble brewing from the beginning.
Now onto the Titans. 13-3 last year and mostly everyone returning. Everyone predicted another great year for the Titans. A few bad bounces of the ball and they are a 1-7 team. It has gotten so bad in Tennessee that owner Bud Adams has mandated that Vince Young start at qb. I think Jeff Fischer was going to make the move anyway. Rumors are around that Fischer maybe at the end of the line with the Titans. If that was the case many teams would be at Fischer’s front door with contracts to be signed to be their head coach. That being said Chris Johnson benefits from having Vince Young at qb. No one else though.
I see the Titans playing well the rest of the year because of pride and beating the Bills in this one. 24-14.
Buccaneers at Dolphins
Who would of saw this after beginning 9-3 last year. The Bucs have fallen and fallen fast. They went from the oldest team in the league to the youngest team in the league. They are on their third qb of the year and are looking for their first win of the year. This team is in a major rebuilding year and questions arise if first year coach Raheem Morris is over his head.
The Dolphins are coming off a year where they won the AFC East by shocking the NFL with the Wildcat. Most people have found a way to tame it now. The Dolphins running game is still strong but with 2nd year qb Chad Henne the passing offense has suffered. The defense is still a strong unit.
Look for the Dolphins to run all over the Bucs and win big. I see a 31-7 victory for the Fish.
Falcons at Panthers
This is a tough division battle. You have an up and coming Falcons team lead by one of the best young qbs in the game Matt Ryan. Since Ryan took over last year the Falcons offense has been getting better and better. Ryan has helped with the development of Roddy White into one of the better wrs in the league. The addition of Tony Gonzalez has helped with Ryan’s development and the Falcons in the red zone. You add in the running of Michael Turner and this team is building into a yearly playoff contender. The Falcons defense has been solid and is building a good defensive unit.
On paper the Panthers are a real good team. On the field is a different story. The Panthers are as inconsistent as they come. They live and die with Jake Delhomme and they have died often this year because he can not protect the ball. He has one of the best receivers in the NFL with Steve Smith who has been absent this year. The running game of the Panthers the strength last year has been inconsistent. Because of that the team relies too much on Delhomme which results in losses for this team. Besides the offensive troubles the defense has not been consistent and has hurt the team as well.
This being a division game I see this as a tough matchup. Division games in the NFL are usually closely played and the better team seems to pull it out. That being said I do not see the better team winning this one. In a minor upset I pick the Panthers to win 31-24.
Broncos at Redskins
Two teams going in two different directions. The Broncos are the surprise of the NFL. At 7-1 no one predicted this team to be here. They should of lost week 1 against Cincinnati but due to a hail mary they were able to pull it off. You add in a rookie head coach who came in and rubbed his star players the wrong way many felt the Broncos could be in for a long year. Josh McDaniels trades a qb of the future and now in Jay Cutler and people thought he was crazy. Now look who is laughing. He got Kyle Orton in the deal and all Orton has done is win games and not turn the ball over. The running game of the Broncos has helped the offense as well. Though 2nd year wr Eddie Royal has not done much Brandon Marshall has shown how much of a difference maker is and how he can effect the game. The rushing attack of Moreno and Buckholter has been very effective and Moreno shows he is a game breaker with the ball in his hands which has led to defenses letting Orton beat them which he has. The defense run by Mike Nolan has played excellent. Elvis Dummerville leads the league with sacks and Brian Dawkins has brought leadership to this team. The Broncos have brought into McDaniels system and has resulted in a great year for them.
The Redskins what can you say. Jim Zorn is overmatched as a head coach. The Redskins have not brought much this year. The team is defeated and are not playing for Zorn. Jason Campbell is overmatched as well. Not much to say about this team.
I see the Broncos having a tougher second half schedule and not doing as well. I don’t see it in this game however. Broncos 31-10.
Chiefs at Raiders
One of the many toilet bowl games of the year. I find the Chiefs to be an interesting team. I think the hire of Haley and Pioli and bringing in Cassel was the right move for this team. Pioli and Haley have their hands full with rebuilding. They have to find ways to rebuild the offensive and defensive lines. They have to get weapons around Cassel and they have to get rid of Larry Johnson. I believe these two men can do this but the Hunt’s and other Chiefs fans will have to wait for it.
The Raiders what do I say? A team in disarray. From Al Davis calling the shots. Al you once was a great football mind time to step aside and find someone else to make those decisions. Tom Cable all this off the field issues. How this guy has not been suspended by the NFL or whatever is beyond me. Then you go to what the product is on the field. Boy Jamarcuss Russell could be the worse NFL qb ever. Why did you trade a 1st round pick for Richard Seymour when you are going nowhere. There is too much to say how inept this team is.
As for who wins this game I believe the Chiefs are better than the Raiders and how the Raiders beat them the first time is beyond me. That being said I’ll go with the Chiefs 24-14.
Cowboys at Packers
I do not know what to say about the Cowboys. On paper they are a good team. Then they play and it’s boom or bust with this team. Tony Romo is scrutinized each week. TO leaves and Roy Williams complains like him. Wade Phillips who knows what he is doing. Another coach over matched but because of talent finds ways to win. Miles Austin has exploded onto the scene. The running game when healthy is effective and Jason Witten is one of the best tes in the league. The Cowboys defense has been coming around the last few weeks. Overall a good defensive unit that underachieved in the beginning of the year.
What do you say about the Packers? They should be much better than this. They have a good young qb a decent running game and good receivers. They forgot to address the offensive line. Boy oh boy. The offensive line has killed this team. Hopefully it can learn to protect the qb because if not they will be home in January. The defense has played well under Dom Capers and has been an effective unit.
I see the Cowboys have difficulty on the road in this game. I see a Packers 34-24 victory.
Seahawks at Cardinals
The Seahawks have good players but injuries and bad bounces have hurt this team. I also think the front office and Jim Mora thought they had better talent then they did. The offensive line for a 2nd year is riddled with injuries. Matt Hasselback has stayed healthy and has had some nice game with Houshmazada and Carlson. The running game has really hurt this team. The defense has be hurt with injuries as well. When Lofa Tatupa got injured the defense went with him.
The Cardinals are the defending NFC champion. They have had some great games and some head scratchers. This is still a good team and have a great high powered passing game. This team however has a nonexistent running game. The defense has had flashes of greatness this year.
I see the Seahawks having more trouble than usual with this team. I see the Cardinals getting a big division win 31-10.
Eagles at Chargers
The Eagles have withstood a McNabb and a Westbrook injury. What else is new with them? The Eagles with Andy Reid and McNabb are always playoff contenders. The Eagles have a nice running game but have difference makers at the wr position. Anytime those guys get their hand on ball they can take it to the house. You add in a pass catching te and the Eagles have an offense to be reckoned with. The defense is solid as usual. Everyone thought the loss of Dawkins would hurt but they seem to be ok without him.
The Chargers another Jekyll and Hyde team. They have a great young qb in Rivers and a great receiver in Jackson. Injuries have slowed both Gates and LT. With those two not at 100% it hurts the Chargers. The Chargers defense has not been as good as they once were. Overall a frustrating team. I look at Norv Turner and believe he is in over his head as well. Great offensive mind and coordinator but not a great head coach. Probably one of the few coaches on the hot seat.
Patriots at Colts
Whenever these two teams meet you know you are always going to get a great game. The Patriots have lost some of their defensive prowess. They are still a good defense lead by two young players who will be good in Brandon Merriweather and Jarred Mayo. As for the offense it just gets better. Mr. Clutch Tom Brady is behind center and seems recovered from his knee surgery. His receiving corp is great and the screens this team runs is like their running game. A great inventive offense that keeps them in games if not wins it for them.
The Colts will always be a Super Bowl contender with Peyton Manning. No Marvin Harrison that is fine. Pierre Garcon and Austin Collie will take his place. You add in Reggie Wayne and Dallas Clark and Manning has not missed a beat. This offense is rolling. Much like the Patriots the running game is not the greatest but between screens and other plays the offense keeps rolling. The defense lost Bob Sanders and Marlin Jackson two weeks ago. The secondary will suffer with these two losses but with Manning this team will be fine.
This will be a barn burner. I see the offenses having a field day. Probably comes down to who has the ball last. I see the Patriots taking advantage of the Colts missing Jackson and Sanders. I look for Manning to be Manning. I see a 34-31 Colts victory. Could be the best game of the year. These two teams always seem to have classic games.
Ravens at Browns
Two teams going in different ways. You have the Ravens who are re-establishing themselves as a playoff contender though doing it in a different way. The defense is still good but the Ravens offense has really been the difference for this team. Joe Flacco has come into his own and Ray Rice and Derek Mason have been playing amazing for this team. I expect to see this team continue to mature and be a force in the playoffs.
As for the Browns. I don’t know who is in a worse situation. The Browns or the Raiders. I think the Raiders are because I think Randy Lerner sees his mistakes. I don’t see Eric Mangini there next year and Lerner hiring someone else. This team is in disarray. Along the offense they don’t have a qb who can complete a pass and the defense at best is swiss cheese. Lot of rebuilding for this organization.
I see a Ravens roll. 31-3.
(I apologize for grammatical errors I am in the process of finding an editor.)
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