Just when we hit the midway point and think that the season’s settling down, that the bad teams are bad and the good teams are good, we get Tebow, we get Miami, we get Baltimore, but most of all, we get Jackson. St. Louis didn’t just upset the Saints to earn its first win of the season, it absolutely demolished the Saints, thanks in most part to Stephen Jackson, who had close to a career day. Tim Tebow was finally, consistently bad, which means more inconsistency at Denver’s QB position within the next few weeks. The Dolphins can’t decide whether they want Andrew Luck or whether they don’t want their second 1-15 season in the last four years (take the latter, Miami. Seriously, take the latter), and the Ravens are busy personifying just how wacky the AFC Wild Card race could get this year. Halfway through the season, the AFC has no clear-cut division leaders – in fact, every division has less than a half-game difference between first and second – and 12 of the 16 teams are solidly in contention for the playoffs. This week should help clear up that mess just a bit. Let’s get to Week 9:
Last Week: 8-4 (I forgot about the Houston-Jacksonville game. It’s a bit depressing.)
Overall: 56-27
Cincinnati Bengals (5-2) at Tennessee Titans (4-3):
How ugly does that Week 2 loss to the Broncos look for Cincinnati now? It’s a smear on an otherwise remarkable season for the Bengals, who are putting away games with incredible defense and great fourth quarters … which is about the opposite of what the Titans have been doing lately. Tennessee’s defense has plummeted, defenses seem to have figured out Matt Hasselbeck, and if Chris Johnson doesn’t get benched soon, Tennessee may be throwing away its playoff hopes simply to get its money’s worth out of him. If Andy Dalton can keep from making big mistakes on the road, Cincinnati should keep its win streak, and its surprising first-place position in the AFC North, alive.
Cincinnati Bengals: 21-13
New York Jets (4-3) at Buffalo Bills (5-2):
It’s been a loooong time since the Bills were the frontrunners in the AFC East race. Granted, I don’t think they’ll follow through this year, they’re still off to what has to be the turnaround of the season. Mark Sanchez is just the kind of quarterback that the Bills’ D thrives on: nearly incapable of big plays and horribly mistake prone. The Jets defense is playing as well as ever, and Darrelle Revis is still the NFL’s premier shutdown corner, but Buffalo’s offense, led by Fred Jackson, is close to unstoppable right now. The Jets should be right where they wanna be going into the second half of the season: .500.
Buffalo Bills: 27-16
Seattle Seahawks (2-5) at Dallas Cowboys (3-4):
Well, it’s official, Seattle’s offense can only move with Tarvaris Jackson under center. Unfortunately, it still can’t score. Marshawn Lynch is back and, presumably, fully healthy again, but don’t expect him to imitate LeSean McCoy this week. Dallas is coming off a Philadelphia flop, getting embarrassed in just about every possible on primetime. This is a team that could (and probably should) be a legit 6-1 right now, and Seattle simply will not have the manpower to stop what’s likely to be the best-looking offensive performance of the season for Dallas.
Dallas Cowboys: 31-21
Atlanta Falcons (4-3) at Indianapolis Colts (0-8):
I’m running out of reasons to write paragraphs about the Colts games. This team hasn’t been competitive since its collapse in Week 4 against Kansas City. On the bright side, they’re giving Peyton Manning a legitimate shot at being the first player in history to win the MVP for a season without taking a snap.
Atlanta Falcons: 27-20
Miami Dolphins (0-7) at Kansas City Chiefs (4-3):
Oh oh, I know what’s gonna happen here! Miami’s gonna race out to a three-score lead, then redefine epic collapse for the third week in a row. KC is gonna keep rolling into sole ownership of first place in the AFC West, and all will be right with the world … Just kidding. Dolphins have to win one eventually. It’s scary how competitive this team has been in recent weeks, and if Daniel Thomas can come back healthy this week, a run-based Miami offense should present some serious challenges for the Chiefs’ D, which couldn’t seem to get off the field last week without help from Philip Rivers. Miami will try to throw this, but someone will accidentally pick off a Matt Cassel pass in the red zone late in the fourth.
Miami Dolphins: 24-20
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-3) at New Orleans Saints (5-3):
All I have for you, Tampa Bay is one word: Ouch. Everything fits for the Bucs right now. Bye week, healthy LeGarette Blount, a Josh Freeman that finally seems to be back to 2010 form. Problem is, the Saints didn’t just lose to the Rams. They were embarrassed, outplayed from start to finish, with absolutely no answer on either side of the ball. Now they’re back home, and coach Sean Payton should be back to playcalling (who knew that would be a big deal against St. Louis?) this week. Plus, Drew Brees isn’t the type to give away two division games in a season to the same team.
New Orleans Saints: 31-27
San Francisco 49ers (6-1) at Washington Redskins (3-4):
San Francisco is rolling. The Niners are easily the hottest team in the NFL, and their D may be the only answer to Aaron Rodgers in the NFC right now. But that’s for later. For right now, we worry about the confidence of going from division bottom-feeder to a five-game win streak and four game division lead. (Did I mention they’ve only played 7 games? That’s really sad.) Washington has yet to win with Josh Beck under center, which begs the question: Why has Shanahan not yanked him yet? My guess: It’s because Beck has shown flashes of ability; he just hasn’t put together a full game. The Skins defense is still one of the stingier teams in the league when it comes to points allowed, and that’s going to play to their advantage against a team that doesn’t turn the ball over. If Washington can stop Frank Gore and force the game onto Alex Smith’s shoulders, it can stop San Fran. But I don’t think that will happen.
Washington Redskins: 16-13
Cleveland Browns (3-4) at Houston Texans (5-3):
Aside from a near-blowout loss to Tennessee in Week 4, Cleveland has, at the least, been competitive in every one of its games, its defense making up for Colt McCoy’s lack of fireworks on the offense. Peyton Hillis has been plagued by injuries this year, and the Browns still have no receiving threat. Houston’s pass defense is already good enough without assistance from the other side. Now Arian Foster is in full stride and Matt Schaub is playing as well as he’s played all year. Have fun keeping up, Cleveland.
Houston Texans: 34-17
Denver Broncos (2-5) at Oakland Raiders (4-3):
Oakland couldn’t have timed this bye week any better. Carson Palmer has had two weeks to get used to the offense after that disaster against Kansas City, and now he gets to ease himself back into the league against one of the league’s worst pass defenses. Also, Tebow should have fun playing against one of the stingiest secondaries in the league.
Oakland Raiders: 34-17
New York Giants (5-2) at New England Patriots (5-2):
OK, I was wrong about saying that Belichick doesn’t lose after bye weeks. He clearly did. And the league seems to have figured out the conundrum that was Tom Brady-to-Wes Welker. Eli Manning has the Giants offense rolling, as shown by the double-digit comeback he managed to pull off against Miami last week. However, Ahmad Bradshaw is, at the very least, hobbled for the game, and Brandon Jacobs isn’t the same Jacobs we saw dominate the league two years. Plus, the Giants defense isn’t the Steelers defense, and it doesn’t have the advantage of a home turf. New York needs a perfect game out of Eli to pull off the upset, but even that may not be enough if Brady manages to find his groove again.
New England Patriots: 38-28
St. Louis Rams (1-6) at Arizona Cardinals (1-6):
This was shaping up to be the pillow fight of the season before St. Louis beat the Saints and Kevin Kolb was knocked out of the matchup. Now the only question is, can home-field advantage and Beanie Wells be enough to stop St. Louis and the (questionable) return of Sam Bradford? Probably. That’s the beauty of parody. Even with a fully healthy offense, St. Louis is not playoff caliber, and these teams are both bad enough that this could go either way, and Arizona needs this win a lot worse than St. Louis right now.
Arizona Cardinals: 24-17
Green Bay Packers (7-0) at San Diego Chargers (4-3):
It’s hard to explain just how much the Chargers needed the win that Rivers fumbled away Monday night. The collapse in New York, followed by that game, have turned what was once a comfortable lead in a good division into a three-way tie. Granted, the Chargers are historically great in December, they first have to survive a tough November schedule that starts with the league’s best quarterback coming off a bye. Ryan Matthews is probably out for the game as well, and San Diego’s bend-don’t-break attitude on defense won’t be much use against a quarterback who simply doesn’t mess up.
Green Bay Packers: 34-23
Baltimore Ravens (6-2) at Pittsburgh Steelers (6-2):
That’s two weeks in a row that Monday Night Football is worth watching. About time ESPN shaped up on the scheduling. Think the Steelers are walking with a little more confidence this week? The Patriots’ score was much closer than the game was. Pittsburgh simply dominated that game in every facet, right down to the final, heads-up (blatantly illegal) play by Troy Polamalu. The Steelers are incredibly good at home this season, especially on the defensive side of the ball, and Joe Flacco won’t make things any easier with his struggles. If Baltimore falls into a deep hole for the third straight week, this Steelers’ D won’t be the kind to relent.
Pittsburgh Steelers: 17-16
Chicago Bears (4-3) at Philadelphia Eagles (3-4):
That’s two weeks in a row that Monday Night Football is worth watching. About time ESPN shaped up on the scheduling. As for Chicago, it is not a good time to be a Philadelphia visitor right now. The Eagles are clearly frustrated with their results and, as Dallas found out, are now looking for teams to take those frustrations out on. Philly came out of the bye week clicking on all cylinders, offensively and defensively, and the Bears simply don’t have the defensive ability to match every Philadelphia weapon – then again, not many teams do right now. If the Eagles D stays as relentless as it was last week and consistently gets to Jay Cutler, it won’t matter how much Matt Forte does to carry the team; it won’t be enough.
Philadelphia Eagles: 31-20
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