Sunday November 17th

Washington Redskins (3-6) @ Philadelphia Eagles (5-5)
     The NFC East division is just an all out bad defensive division.  All four teams rank in the bottom of the league in all major defensive categories.  These two are no different.  The Redskins give up the second most points in the NFL.  Washington's offense can move the ball with their playmakers, but are always left trying to make up for the defense's mistakes.  They also allow a poor 97.7 passer rating against Eagles QB.  Nick Foles has a passer rating of over 127.0 and has thrown 16 TDs and zero interceptions  He is playing great football and the Eagles have been winning behind his play.  The Philly defense has its own set of problems, just like the Skins.  They are dead last in passing yards allowed.

     Sunday, look for this game to be a high scoring affair.  Both teams can and will put up points.  The Eagles have won two in a row and are hot right now.  they go into this game tied for first in the NFC East.  Washington lost in week one when Chip Kelly unveiled his offense on the NFL.  It could give the Skins an advantage in the film room, but they are also playing against an entirely different QB, so I don't think it will help much.  The Eagles should stay hot at home and take care of Washington.  R. Gill has thrown for twice as many ints this year as he did last season.  While Foles has thrown none.  This will give the Eagles more opportunities and that will equal more points.

My final:  PHI-31 WAS-26

Arizona Cardinals (5-4) @ Jacksonville Jaguars (1-8)

     Arizona pulled out a tough victory against the Texans who still have a lot of fight.  They did it by limiting their mistakes and feeding the ball to rookie RB Andre Ellington.  Carson Palmer continued his trend of throwing an interception in nine straight games now.  It's something they are going to have to live with for this season.  WR Larry Fitzgerald has been missing on offense.  The Cards defense is stout against the run and has two very good CBs in Patrick Peterson and T. Mathieu.  If Palmer can avoid throwing picks and find Fitzgerald, the Cards could make a strong run for the wild card spot.  Being in the leagues toughest division doesn't help though.

     The Jags got their first win of the year against the Titans last week.  A 29-27 victory that really wasn't even that close.  They did it by playing good defense and limiting their mistakes. MJD was able to find the end zone for the third time this year.  But he will continue to have problems against the Cardinals.  I just don't think the Jaguars match up well against Arizona. If the Jags csn minimize their mistakes and make some plays on the defense, they will have a chance to be in this one.  But without playmakers like J. Blackmon, it will be a difficult task to move the ball.

     I think the Cardinals are going to be well prepared for this game and as long as Palmer doesn't have one of his 3+ int. games, they should win easily.  Chad Henne has a poor QB rating of 75.3, while Arizona posts a strong 79.8 against.  The cardinals will take care of the Jags.

My final:  ARZ-27  JAX-13

Cleveland Browns (4-5) @ Cincinnati Bengals (6-4)

     The Browns are coming out of their bye week ready to play a meaningful game in their division.  They've already beaten the Ravens and the Bengals once.  With a win this week they can get the tie  breaker and pull within a half game of first place.  One misconception about the Browns is that they are a bad team.  That is far from the truth.  Yes, they have had 20 different QBs start for them since 1999.  But they have a solid  veteran leading them now and their defense is  becoming one of the leagues best.  Their running game is poor.  Any positive yards rushing is just an added bonus for the offense.  Jason Campbell has done well in two games moving the ball.  He has a 106.6 QB rating against the Chiefs and Ravens.  The Browns also have a couple big time playmakers on offense too.  Gordan, after missing the first two games has 35 rec, 626 yds, and 3 tds.  TE Jordan Cameron also has the ability to be a game changer.  Look for him to be worked into action this Sunday.  The Browns should have some plays drawn up to maximize his talents.

     The Bengals come in to this game reeling after losing two overtime games in a row.  Last Sunday they were completely out played and out performed by the Ravens.  Now, for the second week, the Bengals will have to play a division rival coming off their bye week.  Andy Dalton had one of the worst games of his career last Sunday. It's a day he hopes to forget.  It's obvious that this is a team that can't wait to get to their bye week so they can lick their wounds.  They are hurting without Atkins and Leon Hall on defense.  Sunday look for the Browns to pull out all the stops.  They will be pumped and they will be prepared.  They are a hungry team and as long as Campbell can protect the ball like he's been doing, the Browns should win this game.  Look for big plays to come from return man Travis Benjamin as well as the defense who has a plus 5 turnover margin.  The Bengals will be considered the favorite in this game.  All they have to do is put the ball in the hands of their two biggest playmakers, A.J. Green and Gio Bernard.  If the Browns can't stop those two and Andy Dalton can keep from throwing INTS then they should win.  I expect this game to go down to the wire.  I like a rested Browns team to win over an exhausted Bengals Squad.

My final:  CLE-27  CIN-24

New York Jets (5-4) @ Buffalo Bills (3-7)

     The Jets won the first game of this rivalry in week 3, 27-20.  A lot has changed since then, for both teams.  The Jets have strayed away from Bill Powell and have succeeded with ex-Saint Chris Ivory.  Ivory torched his former team last week for 139 yards on 18 carries.  Rex Ryan and company will go back to him a lot this Sunday.  Gino Smith's inconsistencies have sometimes hurt his team, but for the most part it is what's expected with a rookie QB.  The good news is that he's had a bye week to rest, reflect and practice.

     The Bills have been inconsistent themselves.  They beat the Panthers in  a week 2 turn around, lose to the Jets the next week, intercept Joe Flacco four times, beat the Ravens ten, lose two more to the Browns and Bengals.  They have had injury problems at QB, which is a big reason for their problems.  Rookie E.J. Manuel returned last week against the Steelers as the Bills lost.  I expect Manuel to continue to play better as he gets more comfortable with his recovery.

     This Sunday, I think the Jets should get the better of the Bills.  Buffalo has lost three straight and have been affected by injuries all year.  While their defense has improved, the offense lacks big time playmakers.  The Jets are rested and they will come prepared and ready to win.

My final:  NYJ - 23  BUF - 17

Detroit Lions (6-3) @ Pittsburgh Steelers (3-6)

     The Lions stand alone at the top of the NFC North after beating the Bears last Sunday in Chicago.  Detroit has played great and and deserve to be where they are.  The addition of RB Reggie Bush took this team from a mediocre to good.l  He creates all kinds of options for Matt Stafford and the offense.  Before Stafford had just one target in WR Calvin Johnson and while he is a superstar, their offense lacked the running game as well as a number two option in the passing attack.  Bush provides not only that, but his big time playmaking ability has made this team a contender once again.  Bush leads the league in total yards  for all RBs and it's no coincidence that Matt Stafford is having one of his best statisticsal seasons thus far.  But this Lions team is not just an offensive powerhouse.  It is starting to show development on the defensive side of the ball.  They hold opposing QBs to a solid 85.0 QB rating against.  As a team, they have also done a great job of cutting down their penalties.  Last year they were one of the most penalized teams in the league.  The cutdown this year shows how they have matured.


     The Steelers have shown signs of getting their act together.  They were completely blown out by the Patriots two weeks ago but were strong against the Bills in a 26-20 victory at home.  Ruthlisberger denied rumors after the game that he wanted to be traded to a different team.  He has been good this season leading this team to three wins when it seemed to look terrible at the beginning of the season.  Take away his nine interceptions and his starts are good.  He lacks playmakers on offense and many times he is left to do it all himself.  His one consistency is WR Antionio Brown who has been his go to man this year.  It is obvious that they need more weapons.  RB Leveon Bell is blossoming into a nice RB for them.  All they need is to add to these three pieces in Rothlisberger, Brown and Bell.  On the defensive side, they are good against the pass but not so good against the run.  This is a defense that is showing its age and by the end of the year they might be a lot worse.

     The run defense for the Steelers is my biggest concern for them in this game.  Detroit should give them a heavy dose of Reggie Bush and if Pit can't stop him, this game could be a blow out.  I like the first place Lions on the road.

My final:  DET - 27  PIT - 20

Baltimore Ravens (4-5) @ Chicago Bears (5-4)

     The Ravens kept their playoff hopes alive after upsetting the struggling Bengals last week.  Joe Flacco has been pretty bad this season, throwing for ten interceptions and posting a QB rating of 79.3.  He started to show signs of improvement last week but made a horrible decision in the fourth quarter that led to a pick and gave the Bengals the chance to tie the game and force over time.  The defense isn't bad, but it is over worked because of the offenses inability to move the ball and score points.  Nine of Flaccos ten interceptions are on the road.

     The Bears will most likely be without QB Jay Cutler who reinjured himself last week.  But back up Josh McCown should do fine while Cutler is sidelined.  The Bears have no problems scoring with playmakers all over the field on offense.  Their defense may be giving up more yards this year, but they are still a good group.  Matt Forte has done a good job of staying healthy.  He is an asset that this team needs to be a contender.  The Bears won't lose two in a row at Soldier Field.  It will be a complete effort but they will beat the Ravens on Sunday.

My final:  BAL-17  CHI-26