Week 8 Review/Week 9 Preview

 

For the Week/Season:

v. W/L:                      (8-6)/ (67-51)

v. Spread                    (5-9)/ (46-72)
v. Aggregate:             (10-4)/(73-45)

 

 

Bye Weeks: New England, NY Jets, San Francisco, St. Louis

In Week 9, we salute some of the NFL's greatest wide receivers. There are too many to count, but you'll know their names just by looking at the photographs...these guys (and many others) transformed the game from "three yards and a cloud of dust" into the vertical passing game that is now the standard.

It was another down week last week for those of us who forecast the outcomes of NFL games. Based on how we end up this year, it may be the final season we do this. 2012 has been the most difficult season to predict since we've taken on this labor of love. Week 9 started off on the right foot (for a change) as the Chargers routed Kansas City at home on Thursday night. Cassel was totally inept at quarterback, missing his receivers badly.

In an act of desperation, Coach Belichick traded for the wayward Aqib Talib from the Bucs at the trade deadline. While he is a talented corner, there are about five trainloads of baggage that come with this kid. Basically, he's behaved like a POS since he's arrived in the NFL and is probably on a zero-tolerance policy with New England. The Pats traded for Haynesworth and Chad Johnson last year and both of those acquisitions failed (for different reasons). The Pats paid a high price for Talib (a fourth-rounder in '13) so it speaks volumes about how Belichick views the state of his secondary at the midway point of the season.

This has got to be the toughest week on the football calendar for New Englanders, as the Patriots will have a bye while they recover from the London trip. But it’s only one week and most folks will find something to fill Sunday afternoon constructively. The Pats can’t complain about a Week 9 bye as it comes smack in the middle of the season and there are some banged-up players that get an extra week to recover.

Denver

-3.5

At Cincinnati

47.5

The Peyton Manning Show gets better with each passing week, as he torched the Saints last Sunday night. And that Broncos’ defense isn’t half-bad, either. The Bungles were off last week, and that was a good thing as they’re trying to bounce back from a couple of disappointing defeats.

Projected Final Score: Denver 27, Cincinnati 20

At Green Bay

-10

Arizona

44

The Cardinals’ putrid offensive line was on display for all the world to see in Monday night’s loss to the 49’ers. Though the Packers do not have the defense that the ‘Niners possess, they still have a few lads that can get after the football. Last week, the Jaguars gave the Pack a much tougher test than originally predicted. If the Pack still consider themselves to be contenders, now’s the time to start behaving like it.

Projected Final Score: Green Bay 35, Arizona 14

Miami

-2.5

At Indianapolis

43

The Dolphins put forth a tremendous effort against the Jets, literally neutralizing them on both sides of the ball. Ryan Tannehill suffered a deep knee/thigh bruise early in last week’s contest but Matt Moore stepped in and proved more than capable. Indy is looking to extend its winning streak following their dramatic win over Tennessee in overtime last week. This is a big test for both teams as both are looking to play a consistent 60 minutes of football.

 Projected Final Score: Miami 24, Indianapolis 20

Ravens

-3.5

At Cleveland

42.5

The Old Browns travel to meet the New Browns by the Lake, as the New Browns are looking to repeat their defensive efforts that led to a 7-6 win over San Diego last week. Even though Trent Richardson has banged-up ribs, he was still the standout on offense, earning praise from the Great Jim Brown. The Ravens are coming off of a bye and should be well rested, despite the losses of Ladarius Webb and Ray Lewis. Suggs has returned to the lineup, defying the odds that a player six months removed from Achilles surgery can’t make it all the way back in such a short period of time. The Ravens ought not take the Browns lightly as Cleveland will be sky high for this one, looking to knock off their hated rivals.

Projected Final Score: Ravens 24, Cleveland 17

At Houston

-10

Buffalo

47.5

 

Both of these teams are coming off byes so look for both to be performing at a high level. You have to feel sort of bad for the Bills, as the schedule makers were most unkind pitting them against the iron of the League week after week. Mario Williams returns to his old stomping grounds and will be highly motivated to prove that the Texans made a big mistake letting him walk away in free agency. Nobody feels bad for the Texans, as they’ve been dominant on both sides of the ball. Perhaps Son of Bum saw flaws in Williams’ game that made it easy for the Texans to walk away. Even with the loss of Brian Cushing, the defense is a formidable bunch.

Projected Final Score: Houston 31, Buffalo 17

At Washington

-3

Carolina

46.5

This is a matchup that features last year’s phenom against this year’s. RGIII was taken to school in Pittsburgh last week, as he played every bit like a rookie quarterback. The Redskins were clearly intimidated by traveling to Big, Bad Pittsburgh and it showed.  Cam Newton had a bounce-back afternoon as the Panthers lost in Chicago on a last-second field goal. Newton played like a seasoned pro. This is a showcase as to who’s the most promising newcomer on the block. Since RGIII has played well (for the most part) while Newton has stumbled, it almost feels like Newton is yesterday’s news. He is well aware of this fact and will try to out-do RGIII at every turn on Sunday.

Projected Final Score: Washington 24, Carolina 20

Detroit

-4.5

At Jacksonville

44

The Lions needed some last-minute heroics from Stafford to beat the Seahawks by a nose last week. This is the week in which we’ll discover if they have a legitimate shot at the playoffs. Despite being 1-6, the Jags return home, feeling pretty good after having acquitted themselves well in a loss to the Packers. They were supposed to get blown off the field yet they hung in there in a 24-15 loss. Sure, there are shortcomings on offense with Blaine Gabbert at the controls but the defense (long the Jags’ calling card) remains a tough nut to crack.

Projected Final Score: San Diego 27, Kansas City 13

Chicago

-3.5

At Tennessee

43.5

The 3-5 Titans ought to be in a downright foul state after losing to Indy in overtime last week. Indy passed them into second place in the AFC South and that has to feel awful, getting leapfrogged by a younger and less experienced team. The Bears won on a last-second field goal last week, and know that they have to play much better this week if they hope to stay atop the NFC North. The O-Line needs to do a better job of protecting Cutler, as he was banged around last week by the Panthers’ front seven.

Projected Final Score: Chicago 24, Tennessee 23

At Seattle

-4.5

Minnesota

39.5

Both of these teams are looking to rebound this week. The Vikes were disgustingly bad in their Thursday night home loss to Tampa Bay. Christian Ponder looked completely out of sorts (especially on the rollouts) all night long and the Vikes’ defense was pushed around as the Bucs basically steamrolled them. For a team that harbors playoff hopes, that defeat was a real slap in the face. Seattle played well enough to win in Detroit last week but fell short at the end. This week they return home with the 12^th Man at their backs and the near-deafening crowd noise with which to deal. It’s almost unfair to put an inexperienced quarterback in the middle of such confusion, not to mention having to face an aggressive and opportunistic defense. The ‘Hawks need to rely on Russell Wilson’s ability to make key plays on offense and to move the football like he’s done in the past few weeks.

Projected Final Score: Seattle 24, Minnesota 17

 

At Oakland

-1.5

Tampa Bay

45.5

This week, the Raiders return home to face an actual football team, not the band of scruffs they defeated last week. The Bucs are coming off Thursday night’s impressive victory over Minnesota. Josh Freeman had a big night along with the offense as they bullied a team that came out flat and stayed that way. This week, they travel to the notorious Black Hole where they look to keep the ball rolling in the positive with consistent two-way play. The Raiders face the same dilemma: can they play consistently well two weeks in a row? As we’ve known for some time, the Raiders aren’t exactly a model of consistency.

Projected Final Score: Oakland 23, Tampa Bay 20

At NY Giants

-3

Pittsburgh

47.5

Right now, the G-Men are playing the best brand of ball in the League. Last week, they traveled to Dallas and came out on the winning end of a 29-24 score. But the defense harassed Romo all day and the pressure applied by the front seven was amazing. This week, the Steelers come to the New Meadowlands looking to continue a winning streak. At home, Pittsburgh is the Master of their Domain, but on the road, they play like an old and slow team.

Projected Final Score: NY Giants 27, Pittsburgh 20

At Atlanta

-4

Dallas

47.5

Sunday Night takes the NFL to the Georgia Dome, where the unbeaten Falcons look to continue their winning ways against a struggling Cowboys’ team. Last week, Matt Ryan and the Falcons shut the mouths of a lot of nay-sayers with a complete 30-17 victory over Philly. Coach Reid’s teams had been 13-0 coming off of a bye but the Falcons clearly out-played them on both sides of the ball. After that big opening night victory over the Giants, Tony Romo and the Cowboys have struggled since, going 2-4 and have played a lot of ugly football in the process. They now have the misfortune of playing against an undefeated team that’s looking to strut their stuff before a national audience. Dallas will come prepared but there’s a talent deficiency that they have to overcome if they look to end the Falcons’ unbeaten streak.

Projected Final Score: Atlanta 31, Dallas 24

Week 9 Monday Night Preview

At New Orleans

-3

Philadelphia

52.5

Monday Night features two teams that have a glimmer of hope for a playoff shot after eight weeks. For the winner, there’s a fighting chance moving forward. For the loser, it’s “wait ‘til next year.” The Saints’ defense is an abomination, as Peyton Manning and the Broncos carved them up better than Halloween pumpkin last week. With Drew Brees, the offense remains formidable, but they have to be on the field to score points (something they’ve had trouble with all year long). If the Eagles lose here, you’d have to figure that this season is Andy Reid’s swan song as head coach. Michael Vick is on the verge of getting canned as starting quarterback as he’s really played poorly all season long. He may put up decent numbers against a truly horrific defense but moving forward, this week’s performance may be an outlier. The larger question is how Brees and the offense can compete against a tough defense. We shall see…

Projected Final Score: Philadelphia 30, New Orleans 28