By Dan Shouse
Fan Fanatic Sports Staff
Week 12 is all about the Patriots and Saints. Are there really any other games this week? Here are the picks for this week.
Patriots 31 Saints 27
We all know what happened the last time the Patriots took on an undefeated team, so there is no reason to relive the past. The Patriots will make the Colts game feel like a distant memory, as they will get the job done in New Orleans. The Patriots will control the clock - look for Wes Welker to come up big once again - and hand the Saints their first loss of the year.
Ravens 20 Steelers 14
No Big Ben means no win for the Steelers. With Roethlisberger likely out, and back up Charlie Batch banged up with a broken wrist, the Steelers turn to Dennis Dixon at QB. Dennis Dixon? Good luck. Make it three loses in a row for for Pittsburgh. Of course things could change if Roethlisberger decides to give it a go, but that does not seem likely.
Vikings 28 Bears 10
It is Jay Cutler who is throwing a ton of interceptions, not Brett Favre. Cutler will continue to struggle, and add to his league leading 18 interceptions.
Cardinals 34 Titans 23
After staring 0-6, who would have thought that the Titans would still be alive for a playoff spot at this point? That will all come to an end this week. With Kurt Warner expected to play, the Cardinals will keep their perfect record on the road alive, and knock the Titans out of any chance at the post season.
49ers 23 Jaguars 13
The Jags have been playing better the past few weeks, but things will change this time out. The cross country trip will hurt the Jags - they were killed by Seattle last time they were out on the west coast - and the 49ers will take advantage, getting a potential season saving win.
Chargers 40 Chiefs 13
Make it six wins in a row for San Diego. Last week the Chiefs stunned the Steelers. The Chargers will be ready, and dominate from the opening gun.
Texans 34 Colts 30
The Colts have been dodging bullets the last few weeks, getting victories in the final minutes. Expect their luck to finally run out. There will be no more perfect teams in the NFL after week 12.
Eagles 24 Redskins 7
The Redskins just cannot score. The Eagle can score, as they have plenty of weapons. The Eagles remain alive for the NFC East crown with an easy win at home against the Redskins.
Panthers 21 Jets 13
The Panthers may be banged up on defense, but Mark Sanchez will make them look healthy. Sanchez is coming off one of his worst games, and things do not figure to get better this week. Will Rex Ryan cry after this one? He is talking much anymore is he?
Rams 13 Seahawks 6
In a battle of two teams going nowhere, it all comes down to home field advantage. The Seahawks have been horrible on the road, and the Rams have played well at times at home, almost beating the Saints a few games back, and playing the Cardinals tough last Sunday. The Rams pick up just their second win of the year.
Bengals 34 Browns 3
There will be no let down by the Bengals this time. The Bengals blew it against the Raiders, fumbling away what should have been an easy win. It will not happen again.
Dolphins 27 Bills 6
Even with Ronnie Brown out for the year, the Dolphins will not miss a beat, thanks to the play of Ricky Williams. The Dolphins defense will also come up big, but most defenses have looked great against the Bills anyway.
Falcons 31 Buccaneers 17
Matt Ryan and the Atlanta Falcons get just what the doctor order - a cupcake of a game. Ryan will finally look like the QB will all expected to see, as he keeps the Falcons alive in the wild card race in the NFC.
Saturday, November 28, 2009
Undefeated Saints are going down
By Chad Garner
Fan Fanatic Sports Staff
This is what we've all been waiting for.
This is a football fan's dream week -- high school and NFL Thanksgiving football, college football yesterday and today and Sunday's NFL football.
And then the motherload: Patriots vs. Saints on Monday Night Football.
Yes, I'm ready for some football. And I bet you are, too.
Something's got to give when these two elite teams meet at the Superdome in New Orleans.
The Saints are 10-0 and the fancy off the league with a high-powered offense and a ball-hawking defense. The Patriots (7-3), well, they are that typical Patriots team of a great offense that is hard to stop and an opportunistic defense that makes the big plays they need to.
So this game should be a dandy.
As far as I'm concerned, it should rank right up there with the Colts game two weeks ago.
Let's hope the Patriots win this game, though.
What's there not to like about the Saints' offense? Led by Drew Brees, this team has the ability to put up points every time they touch the ball on offense. Brees is just like Tom Brady -- they both are accurate, smart and love to air it out.
Brees makes this offense go, and he utilizes every offensive weapon he has. And Brees has plenty of talented targets to throw to -- wide receiver Marques Colston, Robert Meachem, Devery Henderson, tight end Jeremy Shockey and running backs Reggie Bush (he missed last week's game with a knee injury so his status is unknown) and Pierre Thomas.
The Saints hit defenses with so many formations that it's hard to exactly predict what they're going to do. But make no mistake, the Saints are a pass-first team but have the ability to hit big plays with the run with Bush, Thomas and power back Mike Bell.
Just like the Patriots, it's pick your poison.
New England's secondary -- Leigh Bodden, Terrence Wheatley, Shawn Springs, Darius Butler, Brandon Meriweather, James Sanders Pat Chung, Brandon McGowan (whoever sees the field basically) is going to be tested in this one, but they held up fairly well against the Colts' talented weapons until the final quarter.
New England coach Bill Belichick likes to take away the other team's biggest weapon, and I'm betting Colston will be targeted in this one. The Pats will have to play a lot of nickel and dime packages to protect against the pass, but still must get pressure on Brees. If they don't, Brees is going to sit in the pocket and pick apart the Pats.
Actually, that's exactly what the Saints' defense needs to do, too. They must put heat on Brady and when they do, they must also get good coverage on Brady's best checkdown target, Wes Welker.
But the Saints' secondary -- a unit hit hard by injuries -- led by safety Darren Sharper (7 INTs), will also be challenged to fend off Randy Moss, Welker and Co.
It's all about defense in this one. Which defense can make the most plays and get turnovers? Whoever does, that's who's going to win the game.
Chad's Take: We're going to see quite a few points in this one. In hostile territory -- the Superdome is perhaps the loudest place to play in the league -- the Pats should be able to move the ball with relative ease, but they must score TDs and not settle for field goals. Kicking field goals is the easiest way to lose a game vs. the Saints.
The Saints, having already showed signs of feeling the pressure of being undefeated, are primed to lose their first game of the year. New Orleans had problems with Tampa Bay last week in the first half but won going away, 38-7, and they couldn't stop Steven Jackson running the football vs. the Rams (28-23 win) two weeks ago.
While the Saints have the ability to score and score fast, they've also sputtered at times and Brees does tend to turn the pigskin over (he's got 9 INTs this year).
The fan in me wants to see a track meet with Brady and Brees marching up and down the field, but some sort of balance (pass and run) will be huge. What running game will find success? The Pats have shown to be a tad more patient with running the ball, so Laurence Maroney should find some lanes to operate. Plus, the Saints have struggled lately with stopping the run. If the Pats want to keep the Saints' offense off the field, they may elect to give the Saints' defense a heavy dose of Maroney, and then hit the end zone through the air.
The Saints know the Pats might be the only team left on their schedule that have a shot at the knocking them from the unbeaten, so you can bet they'll get a little tense if the Pats have a lead in the fourth quarter.
New England is the underdog and it likes it that way. Don't ever bet against Brady when the spotlight is on. He's going to put on a passing clinic, and Moss and Welker might each catch 10 balls and go over 125 yards.
This is going to be a great game, but the Superdome is going to be real quiet after this one.
Prediction: Patriots 38, Saints 34
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