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October 18th, 2008

NFL Preview - Week 7

By Eric Patten | NFL

Vikings (3-3) at Bears (3-3) — Sunday, 10:00 a.m. PST, FOX: A win here will help snap a three-way tie atop the NFC North, and could lead to sole possession of first place. The Bears gave up a staggering 224 yards to Adrian Peterson last season at Soldier Field, but that defense played with a banged up Tommie Harris, who collected one tackle before being sidelined. This week, Peterson and Bears running back Matt Forte will be the keys to winning a brutally physical game.

Line: CHI (-3), Weather: Soldier Field, Chicago IL. Partly cloudy, 16 mph wind, 64-degrees.

Steelers (4-1) at Bengals (0-6) — Sunday, 10:00 a.m. PST, CBS: Believe it or not, the win-less Bengals have the 4th best pass defense in the NFL. Their problem is at QB, where Ryan Fitzpatrick will start for Carson Palmer. The former Heisman Trophy winner visited the Mets team doctor during the week to examine his injured right elbow. Pittsburgh will be without Pro Bowler Willie Parker for the third straight game. Mewelde Moore will line-up behind QB Ben Roethlisberger, which means “Big Ben” may be forced to make more plays with his arm. That strategy could play into the Bengals hands.

Line: PIT (-9.5), Weather: Paul Brown Stadium, Cincinnati OH. Sunny, 65-degrees.

Titans (5-0) at Chiefs (1-4) — Sunday, 10:00 a.m. PST, CBS: Tennessee will test their unbeaten streak against Larry Johnson-less Kansas City. The fantasy stud has become a waste of roster space for the pitiful Chiefs, who “deactivated” Johnson for Sunday’s game for what the team calls “a pattern of behavior.” Weird. The Hunt family should consider “deactivating” coach Herman Edwards for a pattern of losing. As for the Titans, the Tennessean says that concerns about the running game should begin mounting if it doesn’t improve this week versus one of poorest run defenses in the AFC.

Line: TEN (-8), Weather: Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City MO. Partly cloudy, 17 mph wind, 60-degrees.

Cowboys (4-2) at Rams (1-4) — Sunday, 10:00 a.m. PST, FOX:Roy E. Williams probably won’t factor much in Dallas’ game plan in St. Louis. The recently acquired receiver is assimilating himself to the Jerry Jones-led circus, which at least is an improvement over the Matt Millen aftermath Williams left behind in Detroit. The biggest question mark is obviously quarterback Tony Romo, who is wavering between “I’m a stud” or “Brad Johnson can take the heat from T.O.” with a broken right pinkie. If Jim Haslett’s Rams win, it will be on Steven Jackson. He’s due for a 100-yard outburst, he’s only crossed the century mark once this year (110 yards versus Buffalo in week four).

Line: OFF, Weather: The Edward Jones Dome, St. Louis MO. Indoors

Ravens (2-3) at Dolphins (2-3) — Sunday, 10:00 a.m. PST, CBS: This game is about redemption and recovery. The Ravens defense was humiliated 31-3 by the Colts and the Dolphins lost on a Matt Schaub run with three seconds to go. The “Wildcat” formation continues to evolve for the Dolphins as last week Chad Pennington completed a touchdown on a double-reverse pass. Ray Lewis versus Ronnie Brown is one of the best individual match-ups of the weekend.

Line: MIA (-3), Weather: Dolphins Stadium, Miami FL. Mostly cloudy, 14 mph wind, 80-degrees.

49ers (2-4) at Giants (4-1) — Sunday, 10:00 a.m. PST, FOX: The defending champs return home after Cleveland snapped their 11-game road winning streak. And suddenly, they look vulnerable. The Niners hope Frank Gore can duplicate Jamal Lewis’ performance from last Monday. You know, run the ball, control the clock and generally keep Eli Manning on the sideline licking the stuffing out of Oreos, or whatever he does. If their plans fail, the Niners will face the most balanced offense in the NFC. New York, behind Manning, Brandon Jacobs and the ever-late Plaxico Burress is averaging 419.4 yards per game, tops in the league.

Line: NYG (-10.5), Weather: Giants Stadium, East Rutherford NJ. Sunny, 14 mph wind, 53-degrees.

Saints (3-3) at Panthers (4-2) — Sunday, 10:00 a.m. PST, FOX: New Orleans, who was a fringe Super Bowl pick in the preseason, is .500 and in LAST place in the ruthless NFC South. The division has become as competitive as the East with more defense and less drama. This game is arguably the weekends finest as Carolina’s 3rd ranked defense will be tested versus the Saints top-rated passing offense.

Line: CAR (-3), Weather: Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte NC. Sunny, 58-degrees.

Lions (0-5) at Texans (1-4) — Sunday, 1:05 p.m. PST, CBS: With the exception of players and coaches and family members and the limited number of fans for each team, watching this game is worse than an extended viewing party for the premier of “Celeb Rehab with Dr. Drew”. Granted the Lions have Calvin Johnson and the Texans line-up Andre Johnson, but you have to throw ‘em the ball. And Dan Orlovsky, who may think he’s in the CFL after this play, is not the answer at QB for Detroit.

Line: HOU (-9), Weather: Reliant Stadium, Houston TX. Sunny, 76-degrees.

Colts (3-2) at Packers (3-3) — Sunday, 1:15 p.m. PST, CBS: It seemed like everything was back on track for the Colts. Marvin Harrison was more involved with the offense (two TD catches) and they finally won a game at the enormous oil drum in downtown Indy. Now, they head to Green Bay without Joseph Addai to face a Packers team desperately trying to keep up with the Vikings and/or Bears. Pressuring Peyton Manning will be key for the Pack. Did you know? Green Bay defensive end Aaron Kampman has 33.5 sacks since 2006, more than any other NFC player.

Line: IND (-2), Weather:Lambeau Field, Green Bay WI. Mostly cloudy, 20 mph wind, 59-degrees.

Browns (2-3) at Redskins (4-2) — Sunday, 1:15 p.m. PST, CBS: After last Monday’s dominating performance against the Giants, the Browns suddenly got real interesting. Tight end Kellen Winslow is doubtful with an undisclosed illness, although he has been released from a Cleveland-area hospital and practiced on Friday. Clinton Portis, the NFL’s top rusher, has had three straight 100-yard games and is likely to go nuts against a Browns defense that allows 137 rushing yards per game (25th in the league). That is if he plays. As of Saturday night, Portis was questionable with a hip flexor.

Line: CLE (-7), Weather: FedEx Field, Washington D.C. Sunny, 12 mph wind, 58-degrees.

Seahawks (1-4) at Buccaneers (4-2) — Sunday, 5:15 p.m. PST, NBC: This game is so lousy that John Madden decided it was worth breaking his 476 consecutive games streak to avoid a third cross-country trip in as many weeks. Bad news first: by tuning in you will be treated to Seneca Wallace, Koren Robinson, Billy McMullen and John Carlson running a Seattle offense best suited for the New Orleans VooDoo. Yes, you are correct, they are no longer an AFL franchise. Good news: Red Sox at Rays, Game 7 at 5:07 p.m. on TBS (unless Steve Harvey has anything to say about it).

Line: TB (-10.5), Weather: Raymond James Stadium, Tampa FL. Clear, 12 mph wind, 74-degrees.

Broncos (4-2) at Patriots (3-2) — Monday, 5:30 p.m. PST, ESPN: Mike Shanahan versus Bill Belichick. A chappy offensive genius versus a defensive schemer with a chip on his shoulder. It doesn’t hurt that Jay Cutler can toss it up and down the field as well as anyone and the Pats are coming in hell-bent on proving they’re better than that 30-10 beat-down they took in San Diego. Should be fun.

Line: NE (-3), Weather: Gillette Stadium, Foxboro MA. Clear, 45-degrees.

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