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Buffalo at New England
Patriots 35 – Bills 20 Key Player- Wes Welker
The Patriots couldn’t swat a fly in their secondary and Talib doesn’t start playing until next week. 15 points is the minimum that the Pats should win by if they get out to a slow start as usual.
San Diego at Tampa Bay
Buccaneers 31 – Chargers 28 Key Player- Josh Freeman
Freeman and his offense have been putting up ridiculous numbers lately and the addition of Doug Martin makes them an elite offense for the near future. Defense is another story for both sides, I’d be surprised if there was not a total of 60+ points scored.
Denver at Carolina
Broncos 28 – Panthers 17 Key Player- Eric Decker
All it took for the Broncos to be a top 5 team was a top 5 quarterback and a couple B+ receivers under his supervision. The defense in Denver has also stepped up quite a bit and the Panthers have had struggle after struggle after struggle on Sundays on both sides of the ball.
Oakland at Baltimore
Ravens 35 -Raiders 13 Key Player- Joe Flacco
I still think Flacco is barely a top 15 QB. He can beat up on these ugly defenses all day then have a game against Houston or even Green Bay and show his true colors. Oakland on the other hand is “improving” on offense, but they still are far far away from being in any playoff picture in the near future.
Tennessee at Miami
Dolphins 24 – Titans 17 Key Player- Brian Hartline
The Dolphins are one of the best stories in the league through the first 9 weeks of the season. Tannehill is holding onto a shot at AFC east and what looks like a pretty good shot at a wild card if the can beat the Pats once. The Titans are also playing some ok football, but Locker and Hasselbeck can’t compete with the great defenses of the league.
Atlanta at New Orleans
Falcons 28 -Saints 27 Key Player- Julio Jones
The Falcons are going to have to complete a near miracle of a season if they want to finish 16-0. They still play the Saints and Bucs twice and the Giants and Cardinals defenses. I don’t see them losing to a terrible Saints defense, but everyone knows Brees will keep this game close.
NY Giants at Cincinnati
Bengals 21 – Giants 17 Key Player- Andy Dalton
Both teams have defined struggling lately. Cincy hasn’t won in 4 weeks and Eli couldn’t BS his way to another win last week against Pittsburgh. Both teams have a defense that can stop both QB’s and thats what it should come down to, is a 4th quarter stop.
Detroit at Minnesota
Lions 17 – Vikings 14 Key Player- Mikel Leshoure
The Lions, although struggling to throw the ball, found a run game in Leshoure and Joique Bell last week against Jacksonville. Word has it that Percy Harvin is sitting with an ankle injury. Therefore the majority of the offense will be going through Peterson and it will be interesting to see if he can keep them in the game on his own.
NY Jets at Seattle
Seahawks 21 – Jets 20 Key Player- Sidney Rice
Do I even need to say that the Jets are a terrible football team anymore? I almost wish the Jets were relevant so the AFC playoff picture would be more interesting. Anyway, the Jets can keep it close with a run game, but the 12th man will prevail yet again and put the Seahawks right in the middle of NFC wildcard talks.
St. Louis at San Francisco
49ers 35 -Rams 17 Key Player- Vernon Davis
Not first on my list of games to watch considering the fact that the Rams are terrible and couldn’t even expose the Pats defense. 17 points is a gift for the Rams. This game will not be even remotely close.
Dallas at Philadelphia
Cowboys 28 – Eagles 20 Key Player- Tony Romo
The Cowboys are still the second best team in the division, which isn’t saying much. Id put them in the “in the hunt” portion of the playoff picture because they still have a bunch of winnable division games. The Eagles are on the way out, they havent won since week 4 and there aren’t may more definite wins in their schedule. Like every other Cowboys game, this will come down to how well Romo plays.
Houston at Chicago
Texans 24 – Bears 21 Key Player- Arian Foster
100% chance of rain which means run game against run game. I think the Texans have a slight advantage because Foster is slightly better than Forte. If either defense can stop the run, their team will win. I’d love to see this game in a dome….in the Superbowl.
Kansas City at Pittsburgh
Steelers 31 – Chiefs 10 Key Player- Isaac Redman
Blowout central, the Chiefs are the worst team I’ve seen since the Lions a few years back. No more run game and a non existent passing attack. The Steelers need this one bad if they want to contend for the division crown.
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