By: Daymon Johnson

Games on Sunday, November 1, 2009:

 

Seattle Seahawks @ Dallas Cowboys

Breakdown:

Seattle is coming in off of a bye, and that’s always scary to me, because it gives your opponent 2 Weeks to rest, heal and gameplan against you.  Usually that swings the advantage to the rested team, but I’m not sure I believe that this week.

In Seattle’s Week 6 game, they got manhandled by the Arizona Cordinals, 27-3.  The thing that’s so disturbing about that is the fact that Arizona, at the time of that game, was ranked dead last against the pass.  That’s right, 32nd, and Matt Hasselbeck was beaten, bruised and abused in that game by Arizona’s D-Line and could get nothing going.  This week, the Seahawks face a Cowboys team that’s ranked 22nd against the pass and 16th against the run, so one can reasonably assume that teh challenge becomes tougher for them this week.

Conversely, Dallas looked great last week, and the emergence of Austin Miles as a legitimate deep threat will do a LOT for thsi offense.  It’ll open up Witten, it’ll open up the running game and may even allow Roy williams to become something more than a bench warmer on your fantasy team.  Maybe that’s a stretch…..

In the end, I thought the way Seattle responded in that game made it resoundingly clear, that they’re missing a running game….bad.  And, this week I don’t think they’ll be able to conjure one up.

 VERDICT:  The Dallas Cowboys feast on Seattle’s offensive and defensive shortcomings and wins at the “House Jerry Built”

 

Houston Texans @ Buffalo Bills

Breakdown:

There’s not much to say here, other than Buffalo is a team on the ropes, even after they beat the Jets last week.  They’re just not very good. 

On the other side of that, the Texans are a steadily improving team and they seem to be making changes every week that allow them to have the opportunity to be successful.  I like Kubiak to scheme up his offense and lead the Texans to a W in Buffalo.

 VERDICT:  Buffalo is really bad, and Houston is a team on the rise with a good QB, RB and WR and can score in bunches.  They beat Buffalo soundly.

 

St. Louis Rams @ Detroit Lions

Breakdown:

Last week, I said I thought that Steven Jackson would find the end-zone against the Colts and their beatable run Defense.  That didn’t happpen, but what did happen, was Steven Jackson finally had a breakout game and made his presence known.  He ran for 134 yards on 23 attempts, averaging a whopping 5.82 yards per carry.

This week, he and the Rams are facing the Detroit Lions who don’t pose much of a threat defensively, and he should be able to do some damage this week again.  the lions rank below the Colts in both Rush (20th) and Pass(30th) Defense.  The Rams will feed the Lions a steady dose of Jackson this week, as Spagnuolo now knows that Steven Jackson is his best offensive player. 

The Lions are on the right path, however, it sounds like Megatron, Calvin Johnson, will miss this game, and that doesn’t help them much.

VERDICT:  St. Louis gets into the W column this week, against an average to bad Detroit team.

 

Denver Broncos @ Baltimore Ravens

Breakdown:

Bronco fans should be thanking me about now.  I;ve picked the broncos to lose for several weeks now, and they just keep winning.  Will it happen again this week??? 

The Broncos are living the good life right now coming into this game with a 6-0 record, and feeling pretty confident after handling the Cowboys and Patriots in successive weeks.  The Ravens are most likely coming into this one knowing that they left one on the table in Minny, and might be looking for a little redemption.

I talk about the power of the bye a lot, and in this game, both teams will have the same advantage as they’re both coming off a bye.  The fact that both teams have been scheming for 2 weeks and getting ready for this one, makes me believe this game is going to be a good one. 

Both the Broncos and Ravens have Offenses that can score, both also have Defenses that can hold.  In the end though, I think that  this game will come down to the passing game.  Baltimore can be thrown on, as proven by Philip Rivers and virtually everyone else that’s played them.  Running on them is tougher.  So, Moreno and Buckhalter figure to be of little relevance.

Conversely, the Broncos are currently ranked 3rd against the run, and I don’t think McGahee or Rice will have a ton of success there either, but they’ll have enough.  The Broncos do also sport a #10 pass D as well, so that’ll make Joe Flacco’s day a little tougher having to thrown against Champ.

All that said, I think the Ravens have a chance in this game.  They’re at home, it’s an early game on the East coast, and traditionally, Denver doesn’t go East well.  Not to mention, they have a RB in Ray Rice that proved he can run against anyone, ask Minny (who’s a Top 10 run D).  I like Baltimore a lot in this one.

VERDICT:  Baltimore gets  a win at home in what will prove to be the best game of the weekend!

 

New York Giants @ Philadelphia Eagles

Breakdown:

The Giants have had questions fired at them like missles this week asking about what happened, and if they’re really as good as the early signs showed they were.  Philly is coming off a physical game against the Skins on Monday night, and that measn a short week.

The Giants loss to the Cardinals was a bit of a surprise to me.  Arizona is a team that’s been struggling to find any sort of rhythm, and perform against the pass.  However, they made Eli’s night tough picking him multiple times.  Philly is a much better D than Arizona is, especially against the pass.  So, the job doesn’t get any easier for Eli this week.

Philly has proven it can score quick and in bunches, especially through the air.  The Giants rank #2 against the pass, and are just outside the #1 spot.  With Brian Westbrook banged up (what’s new) the Eagles may have to throw the ball a lot to get this one done, and I don’t like that matchup for them.

VERDICT:  The Giants get a win in a hostile environment this week and beat the Eagles.

 

Miami Dolphins @ New York Jets

Breakdown:

Earlier this month, I picked the Dolphins when the Jets were the “Flavor of The Week”, and I was ridiculed worse than a 400 pounder on his 8th trip back to the food bar at a buffet.  Turns out, I was right, in what was one of the best games I’ve seen in a long time.

Guess what??  That doesn’t change this week.  Miami is the #1 rushing team in the league, and Miami has proven that they can play a little Defense too, and I like that pairing.  The Jets will surely be looking for revenge in this one, however, I don’t know that they’ll find it this week.  the Dolphins will try to take their ability to score away by staying on the field.

Miami will run the ball, and run it some more with Ricky “Sticky Icky” Williams and Ronnie Brown, and I don’t know that the Jets will have the answer this time any moreso than they did last time.

VERDICT:  It’ll be a close game, but I think Miami pulls it out in the end.

 

Cleveland Browns @ Chicago Bears

Breakdown:

Let me just start by saying this; I LOVE the Cleverland Browns.  I don’t love them to win, but I do love them.

Cleveland is outmatched in every facet of this game.  Chicago is coming off a drubbing at the hands of the Bengals and Matt Forte is going to want to make sure that people remember his name as everyone in Chicago is now wondering what happened with, and even clamoring for Cedric Benson.

The Browns will be destroyed in this one by Jay Cutler and Matt Forte

VERDICT:  The Bears win an easy game at home against the worst team in the NFL.

 

San Francisco 49ers @ Indianapolis Colts

Breakdown:

I don’t know that there is a hotter offensive team in the NFL right now than the Indianapolis Colts.  They’re operating at a level that I haven’t seen in some time.  Peyton is seemingly always on the mark, Joe Addai has looked good the last couple of weeks and the D is slowly getting better and better.

The 49ers also look to be getting better and better ever week.  Vernon Davis has finally sprouted into the player that everyone thought he’d be coming out of Maryland, Frank Gore is back and healthy, Michael Crabtree is a decent player and Alex Smith actually has matured and is looking to step in.

The Colts gave up 134 yards last week to Steve Jackson, and he doesn’t have near the line or the help that Frank Gore does.  And, that could very well be the deciding factor in this one.  The 49ers are looking to get into the Win column again, and this might be the week as Gore has a HUGE day.  That said, it’s hard to pick against Peyton Manning and the Colts.

VERDICT:  Indianapolis gets the win….but, I’m torn in this one as San Fran could do some damage.

 

Jacksonville Jaguars @ Tennessee Titanms

Breakdown:

Tennessee’s D is horrid, Jeff Fisher is trying to get fired and Vince Young is going to start……  Those are ALL bad things.

VERDICT:  The Titans lose to the Jags as Garrard and MJD have big days against the putrid Titan D.

 

Oakland Raiders @ San Diego Chargers

Breakdown:

In Week 1, these two teams squared off and played in a great game.  San Diego was nowhere near the team in week 1 as they are now.

Philip Rivers has proven that he is among the elite signal callers in the game, while his counterpart this week, Jamarcus Russell; has only proven that he’s the worst starting QB in the NFL right now…..aside from VY of course.

The Raiders played inspired football a couple of weeks ago against Philly, however, this week….inspired or not, they’re NOT getting a win in S.D.

VERDICT:  It’ll be a good game, but I like San Diego at home

 

Minnesota Vikings @ Green Bay Packers

Breakdown:

I’m sure this is going to be a game for the ages.  Brett Favre goes back into Lambeau wearing the uniform of the hated Vikings.  That’s like John Elway going into Denver wearing and playing for the Raiders.  The fan reaction is going to be harsh, but the game will be great!

I’m a little torn here.  Minny looked pretty bad last week, while G.B. had the good fortune of playing the Cleveland Browns.  The Packer D is a good unit and makes big plays at big times.  That said, Minny’s D is also a good unti that makes good plays at big times and last game Jared Allen was an absolute beast!

It’s going to come down to what these teams do on the ground.  We know both can throw well, and we know that both can play D.  The variable here is the rushing game.  Ryan Grant is hot and cold and Adrian Peterson, for as good as he is, has been pretty inconsistent this season too.

Ultimately, I like Adrian Peterson to have a HUGE bearing on this game, and for the Vikings to run the clock after getting up early on.

VERDICT:  Brett is ok in this game, but the real star will be Adrian Peterson as the Vikes geta win on the Frozen Tundra.

 

Carolina Panthers @ Aruzona Cardinals

Breakdown:

The Cardinals bread and butter is their passing game.  With guys like Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin, how could you blame them.  However, the sledding this week is going to be tough especially since they’re facing the Panthers #1 ranked Pass Defense.  Carolina has been solid against the pass all year.

On the other side, Carolina has been running the ball well this season, and Jonathan Stewart and deAngelo Williams have both been the keys to that phase of the Panther offensive attack.  Arizona currently ranks #1 against the Run, which makes the challenge tougher for them moving forward.

So, these teams are going to have to rely on options that they aren’t used to relying on.  Arizona is going to have to run the ball and Carolina is going to have pass the ball.  It should make for some interesting scheming and gameplans.  If carolina can get Steve Smith going and Arizona can get Beanie Wells going, this could be a fun game to watch.  The problem is that Jake Delhomme is terrible and I, as well as many others have little confidence he can do that….

VERDICT:  The Arizona cardinals give Beanie the ball 20+ times, and he leads them to victory at home.

 

 Monday Night Football – November 2, 2009

 

Atlanta Falcons @ New Orleans Saints

Breakdown:

This should prove to be a good game.  Both teams have good D’s and both have good O’s.  IN the end though, I find it hard to say that anyone will best Drew Brees and the New Orleans offensive attack.  It’s just hard to say that.

The thing is, the Saints play D now too, and have the #2 D in the league.  I expect a good game, but ultimately New Orleans is too tough.

VERDICT:  The Saints get a big win in the Superdome!

 

So there it is for this week!  Hope you have a good Fantasy weekend, and we’ll see