Week 9 Review/Week 10 Preview

For the Week/Season:

v. W/L:                      (8-5)/ (75-56)

v. Spread                    (8-5)/ (54-77)
v. Aggregate:             (9-4)/(82-49)

Bye Weeks: Arizona, Cleveland, Green Bay, Washington

Hoo-rah! The Patriots are back after their bye week and all is well in the football world again. We had another good round in Week 9, and hope to keep the ball rolling in the positive. With each week the line of demarcation between the haves and have-nots becomes clear.

Last week we celebrated the great wide receivers. This week, we pay tribute to the great tight ends.

At New England

-11.5

Buffalo

51

The Patriots return home after the London trip and a bye last week to face a Bills group that is backsliding into the AFC basement. Last week, they struggled to put up 9 points against a ferocious Texans’ defense but Fitzpatrick and the offense should have an easier time of things moving the ball against New England’s atrocious pass D. The last time these teams hooked up, New England played its best half of the season, scoring 45 points in the final stanza. New England can’t continue to win games by offense alone. Sooner or later the defense needs to step up if they hope to be taken seriously as conference contenders. Until such time as the secondary proves that they’re competent, double-digit spreads are off limits.

Projected Final Score: New England 28, Buffalo 24

NY Giants

-4

At Cincinnati

48.5

Suddenly, the Giants’ offense is stumbling instead of rolling. They had the Steelers on the ropes last week and allowed Pittsburgh to score a touchdown late and steal a victory at the Meadowlands. Everyone in the region was pulling hard for the G-Men to win as it would’ve brought a small measure of happiness to an area that was hard hit by Sandy. But Manning (despite his protestations) was missing his targets all day and the offense sputtered. They need to turn it around against a Bungles squad that was victimized by Peyton Manning all day. Cincinnati played about 10 minutes worth of competitive football before Peyton roasted them.

Projected Final Score: NY Giants 24, Cincinnati 17

At Tampa Bay

-3

San Diego

47.5

The Chiefs obliterated Cassel and the Chiefs 31-14 on Thursday night and now travel to Mabry Blvd. and a date with the suddenly surging Buckaroos. Freeman and the offense bombarded Oakland 42-32 in a shootout typical of the old AFL West days. This week, the Bucs face a better defense but their offense is finally beginning to get Coach Schiano’s schemes into their heads. For San Diego, you just never know what you’re going to get. Against the dregs of the League they can play like world-beaters but against a young up and coming team like Tampa Bay, Rivers and the offense may just stumble again.

Projected Final Score: Tampa Bay, 24, San Diego 20

Denver

-4

At Carolina

48

It’s back-to-back road games for Peyton Manning and the offense. And despite the possible mismatch, two straight weeks on the road is tough for any NFL team. The 2-6 Panthers are coming off of a nice upset 21-13 win in Washington last week in which Cam Newton rose up to get the better of RGIII. Every week Manning’s neck is feeling better and he is getting more comfortable running the same offense he ran in Indy for Coach Fox.  Last week, Manning blew away the Bungles 31-23, despite a couple of interceptions. The Panthers’ defense is nothing to write home about, so Manning should have some measure of success moving the chains.

Projected Final Score: Denver 28, Carolina 21

At Miami

-6

Tennessee

44.5

Fresh off a tough loss in Indy, the 4-4 Dolphins return home to face a woeful Titans’ squad that was simply flattened 51-20 at home against Chicago last week. A defeat like that at home is psychologically devastating to a young team. Indy has all the mojo coming into this game, because they still maintain some hopes for a playoff run. Tennessee is 3-6 and they’re not going anywhere but home at the end of this year. 

Projected Final Score: Miami 24, Tennessee 17

At Ravens

-7.5

Oakland

46

Despite their injuries on defense, the Ravens continue to find a way to win games. Last week, Flacco and the offense did the dirty work en route to a 25-15 victory over Cleveland. This week, the awful Raiders go to M&T, after having been flattened 42-32 at home by Tampa Bay. This is a very tough spot for Oakland, travelling cross-country with numerous holes especially on defense. Let’s face facts: the Raiders are 3-5 and have no shot at a division or wild card shot. The Ravens are one game ahead of Pittsburgh in the AFC North race and have every reason to come out and dominate an inferior opponent.

Projected Final Score: Ravens 28, Oakland 13

Atlanta

-2.5

At New Orleans

53.5

Just like the Ravens, the Falcons always seem to find a way to win, despite not playing the most exciting brand of football. They’re 8-0 after a 19-13 snoozefest over Dallas. This may be the week that it turns bad for Atlanta as they head to the color and the noise of the Superdome to face a Saints team that overwhelmed Philly on Monday night. The only way that the Saints hope to prevail in this one is if it turns into a shootout because their defense can stand up to Ryan, White and Jones.

Projected Final Score: Atlanta 34, New Orleans 31

Detroit

-2

At Minnesota

47

There’s nothing like an NFC North rivalry gain to get the juices flowing in November. It’s simply too bad that both of these teams now play indoors because they used to have some real slobberknockers back in the day. Despite these teams holding the bottoms spots in the division, there’s a lot more than pride at stake. If Detroit wins, they can climb over the Vikes and have a genuine shot at a wild card. If the Vikes win, the Lions will find themselves in a nearly intractable hole. Minnesota started out the year like a house afire but have cooled off considerably in recent weeks.

Projected Final Score: Detroit 23, Minnesota 20

At Seattle

-6.5

NY Jets

38.5

The Seahawks are a game-and-a-half back of the 49’ers and are definitely in the conversation regarding a playoff shot. They had a relatively easy time of things manhandling the Vikes 30-20 last week. This week, the 12^th Man greets Coach Rex and the 3-5 Jets. As New England fans can attest, facing the Seahawks on their turf is a risky undertaking. The Seahawks are now a budding powerhouse, especially on defense where their two giant cornerbacks are beating the opposition silly. The Jets were off last week, which enabled them to refocus on the offensive side of the ball, where they have been anemic in recent weeks. If the Jets lose here, it’s “wait ‘til next year” time for Gang Green.

Projected Final Score: Seattle 24, NY Jets 17

At Philadelphia

-2.5

Dallas

45.5

This is a game that both teams absolutely, positively have to win if they hope to have even a prayer at a playoff shot. Tony Romo and the Cowboys offense were insipid and boring in their loss to Atlanta on Sunday night. The only highlight was that kid from North Carolina (Bruce Carter) who replaced Sean Lee. That kid was literally all over the field on defense and is going to be a special player. Again, it’s tough to win in consecutive games on the road. On Monday night, Philly’s O-Line repeatedly broke down and had Mike Vick scrambling for his life. They lost another starter on the O-Line last week and things don’t bode well for Vick going up against DeMarcus Ware, Carter & Co.

Projected Final Score: Dallas 24, Philadelphia 21

At San Francisco

-11.5

St. Louis

38.5

The 6-2 ‘Niners were off last week, which was a good time to rest and recover en route to a division title. The Rams have the unenviable task of first, flying to London for a game and then travelling to San Francisco two weeks later. That’s 5.371 miles in 14 days. What were the schedule makers thinking anyhow? Even the week off in between is no cure for that amount of jet lag.

Projected Final Score: San Francisco 24, St. Louis 13

At Chicago

-1.5

Houston

42.5

A possible Super Bowl matchup is in the offing here. Sunday night shapes up to be the marquee matchup as both of these teams have lost only one game each. The Bears have been doing it with their defense while the Texans may just be the NFL's most balanced team. The Bears at home have been almost as intimidating as the '85 group that only lost once en route to a Super Bowl victory. If the Texans prevail in Chicago, they have to be considered prohibitive favorities for the AFC Championship. But the Bears' defense has other plans for Matt Schaub and the Texans.

Projected Final Score: Chicago 17, Houston 14

At Pittsburgh

-12.5

Kansas City

43

The Kansas City Chiefs: What A Disastuh! Right now, the Chiefs rival Jacksonville as the NFL's worst. This week, they have to travel to Pittsburgh, where Big Ben & Co. are licking their chops at the thought of dominating KC. There isn't a lot to say about this one as the Steelers will pound the rock all evening against the Chiefs' pedestrian defense. Cassel will probably start again for the Chiefs and he has been dreadful all season long. This will be a long evening for the visitors as Pittsburgh will most likely steamroll them.

Projected Final Score: Pittsburgh 27, Kansas City 13