Wins for the Chiefs, Falcons and Bills
Sunday 23 November 2014 12:55, UK
Sky Sports News' Richard Graves previews the weekend's NFL action and gives his predictions for the next round of games.
Bye teams: Carolina Panthers, Pittsburgh Steelers
Sunday 23 November
Cleveland Browns @ Atlanta Falcons
The Browns lasted just one week at the top of the AFC North, now they're dead last... but only half a game outside of the Bengals.
Sunday's defeat to the Houston Texans certainly took the wind out of their sails but now they've got the man who was, without question, their best offensive weapon in 2013 coming back. WR Josh Gordon has served his suspension and will surely see some game time against a leaky Atlanta Falcons secondary.
One man who won't be present is running back Ben Tate - he was released by the Browns on Tuesday, meaning Terrance West and Isaiah Crowell will share carries in the backfield.
The Falcons have vaulted back into playoff contention after beating NFC South rivals Carolina Panthers and are now on a two-game winning streak. Before anyone gets too excited though, those two wins have come over the Buccaneers and the Panthers who have a combined 5-15-1 record. Atlanta themselves are top of the division with just four wins from 10 games!
That being said, Atlanta are at home and this Browns offensive line is suffering without Pro Bowl centre Alex Mack to lead them. In addition, QB Brian Hoyer threw for 330 yards last Sunday but completed just 20 of 50 attempts.
Pick: Atlanta Falcons
New York Jets @ Buffalo Bills
The race for a wild card spot in the playoffs is very congested and the Bills can scarcely afford anymore slip-ups after disappointing in Miami last week.
At 5-5 they sit third in the AFC East, three games behind leaders New England but just one behind the Dolphins. They badly need RB Fred Jackson to return and boost their ailing running game, while HC Doug Marrone insists Kyle Orton will remain Buffalo's starting QB despite only going 3-3 in his six starts (EJ Manuel had a 2-2 record when he was benched after week four).
The Jets won't be making the playoffs this year but a win over the Bills would move them to within two games of their divisional rivals.
On their last outing they beat the Steelers, largely on the back of their defensive performance, but offensively they are in the bottom 10 when it comes to scoring and total yards gained per game. They'll still harbour hopes of climbing out of last place before the end of the season. To do that, they have to defy the bookies and win in Detroit on Monday in a game rearranged and relocated in the wake of that huge snowstorm in Buffalo.
Pick: Buffalo Bills
Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ Chicago Bears
The Bears have finally won a home game and they did it despite another performance from QB Jay Cutler which saw him give away multiple turnovers! The worry for Chicago is that it was still a struggle to overcome a Vikings team which is relatively young and inexperienced and alarm bells would have been ringing when they spotted a 10-point lead at Soldier Field.
To their credit the Bears rallied with WRs Brandon Marshall and Alshon Jeffery coming up with big TD catches. It's a win which just about keeps their fading playoff hopes alive.
The Buccaneers also came up with a big win on Sunday - on the back of a big day for WR Mike Evans. The rookie scored two TDs and had 209 receiving yards as the Bucs swept aside the Washington Redskins to record only their second win of the season. Amazingly, with a 2-8 record Tampa Bay are only two games outside of first place in a mediocre NFC South division!
The key here is that the Bucs do have the weapons to take advantage of any mistakes by the Bears. That being said, this is a ‘must win’ game for both teams and with Matt Forte in the backfield, Chicago should be able to handle Tampa Bay, but Cutler's inconsistency is sure to make it a nail biting ride!
Pick: Chicago Bears
Cincinnati Bengals @ Houston Texans
From the first snap in Cleveland it became apparent that with Ryan Mallett under centre, the Houston Texans have a vertical threat up the field. Veteran WR Andre Johnson looked more active and Alfred Blue answered the bell at running back - rushing for 156 yards in Arian Foster's absence. It all added up to an impressive victory on the road and improved the Texans record to 5-5.
Like Houston, the Bengals enjoyed an impressive road win, beating the Saints in New Orleans. They were also missing their starting running back but rookie Jeremy Hill didn't miss a beat as he finished with 152 yards from 27 carries.
A week on from a miserable outing against Cleveland, QB Andy Dalton completed 72 per cent of his passes and had three TDs as Cincinnati improved to a 6-3-1 record, reclaiming top spot in the AFC North. With WR AJ Green fit and scoring touchdowns again they may just have enough to win in Houston.
Pick: Cincinnati Bengals
Jacksonville Jaguars @ Indianapolis Colts
The running back position is a cause for concern for the AFC South leading Colts. Unknown RB Jonas Gray ran all over them on Sunday night for the New England Patriots as Indianapolis gave up a total of 244 yards on the ground! That was compounded by the loss of the Colts’ best RB Ahmad Bradshaw with a broken leg.
It'll come as some relief then that their next two games on the schedule are at home to the 1-9 Jaguars, followed by the 3-7 Redskins - two games they have to win with the Houston Texans now just a game behind them in the division.
The Jaguars are certainly a better side defensively than on offense. Even so, on their last outing in London, Dallas Cowboys WR Dez Bryant wracked up 158 receiving yards and two TDs in the second quarter alone! Also a cause for concern will have been how little pressure they were able to get on a less than 100% healthy Tony Romo - sacking him just once all game.
The loss of Bradshaw is without question a blow to the Colts’ offense but they should still have far too much for the Jaguars.
Pick: Indianapolis Colts
Green Bay Packers @ Minnesota Vikings
The Green Bay Packers might just be the best team in football right now (no offence Arizona). Since coming out of their bye week they've scored over 50 points in both games and conceded a combined total of just 34!
Quite honestly, both the Chicago Bears and the Philadelphia Eagles have been beaten in those games by the end of the first quarter. Aaron Rodgers has got this offense rolling and opponents are not able to stop it! Defensively, the Packers have come up big as well, recording seven takeaways and seven sacks in those two games.
The Minnesota Vikings coaching team must be scratching their heads, trying to come up with a game plan for this matchup. They struggled to move the ball on offense against the Bears and although their defence kept them in the contest with some timely turnovers, the Vikings just couldn't put points on the board.
Throw in the news that Adrian Peterson will not be available this season (pending appeal) and perhaps the only thing they've got in their favour is that this match isn't taking place at Lambeau Field.
Pick: Green Bay Packers
Detroit Lions @ New England Patriots - live on Sky Sports 2 at 5.30pm
The concerns on offense are now a reality for the Detroit Lions and just look at who they have to face next on the schedule - a Patriots team which is scoring an average of 32 points per game. That's the second best record in the NFL!
The Lions top-ranked defence did its job in Arizona - limiting the Cardinals to just 14 points on Sunday but they couldn't get anything going offensively! Detroit are scoring an average of less than 19 points per game this season - there are only six teams in the league who score less! Whatever the problem is needs to be fixed - and quickly!
New England have shown that they can beat teams on Tom Brady's arm through the air and last Sunday, on the ground. A month ago Jonas Gray was promoted from their practice squad and in Indianapolis he ran in four TDs as he rushed for 199 yards - and he was physical doing it - on 38 carries.
If that wasn't daunting enough for the Lions, this game is on the road for them, at Foxboro - a venue where the Patriots rarely lose.
Pick: New England Patriots
Tennessee Titans @ Philadelphia Eagles
On paper the records say Philadelphia are the better team - they sit at 7-3 while the Titans are 2-8 but both suffered demoralising defeats last weekend.
The Eagles were blown away by Green Bay's offensive juggernaut and Mark Sanchez looked more like the QB the New York Jets decided to part ways with last off-season, completing 59% of his passes and committing four turnovers in a 53-20 loss.
The Titans blew a 10-point fourth quarter lead as Le'Veon Bell ran for 204 yards and scored a TD for the Pittsburgh Steelers.
This game takes place in Philadelphia though and therein lies a big advantage for the Eagles. They're unbeaten at home this season - in fact you have to go all the way back to October 27, 2013 to find their last home defeat in the regular season - that's nine straight wins! The Tennessee Titans aren't the same offensive force that the Packers are......that home record should extend to 10.
Pick: Philadelphia Eagles
St Louis Rams @ San Diego Chargers
Hands up if you predicted the St Louis Rams would hold Peyton Manning to just one TD and beat the Denver Broncos last weekend. Me neither! It was a hugely impressive defensive effort by the Rams and worth noting that of their four wins, three now have come against sides who played in the Conference championship games last year - Seattle, San Francisco and Denver.
There's certainly cause for optimism in St Louis and now they head to San Diego to face a team who won last week but weren't exactly impressive in defeating Oakland.
The Chargers could only score 13 points against the winless Raiders and looked disjointed at times on offense. QB Phillip Rivers has apparently been playing with a rib injury but was also hampered by a knock to his knee against Oakland.
St Louis are an improving team, playing with confidence and may turn a few more heads in this one.
Pick: St Louis Rams
Arizona Cardinals @ Seattle Seahawks
This was always going to be a big game. After last weekend's results, it's a huge NFC West clash!
The Arizona Cardinals have the best record in the NFL standing at 9-1 - three games clear of the Seahawks. With every passing week their defensive unit looks more impressive and, in Patrick Peterson, they have arguably the best CB in the NFL! Offensively some questions remain. Drew Stanton isn't afraid to take his shots down the field but a couple of ill-advised throws led to interceptions which allowed the Lions to hang around last Sunday. However, they head to Seattle knowing they can matchup with the Seahawks after winning there last season.
Seattle have to win this game. Defeat would see them slip to 6-5 and that would put them in real danger of not even making a wildcard place. Expect them to once again heap the load on the back of their workhorse RB Marshawn Lynch - 20 of his 26 100+ yard games have come in November and December. It's an intriguing prospect as Lynch takes on the third best defence at stopping the run - the Cardinals are only giving up 80 yards per game on the ground and allowing an average of 3.5 yards per carry.
It'll be loud up in Seattle. It's the game of the week and one the Super Bowl champions simply have to win. Equally, a Cardinals win would put them on the verge of the sealing a playoff spot.
Pick: Seattle Seahawks
Miami Dolphins @ Denver Broncos - live on Sky Sports 2 at 9pm
Is there a problem in Denver? We could be about to find out. WR Emmanuel Sanders is dealing with concussion, RB Montee Ball has aggravated a groin injury and TE Julius Thomas has an ankle issue (although he is expected to play this week). Even the great Peyton Manning struggles when all of his weapons are taken away and that certainly was the case in St Louis last weekend.
True, WR Demaryius Thomas was still on the field, as was Wes Welker - receiving threats many teams in the NFL would like to have - but the Broncos couldn't break the Rams and this now becomes a big game against the Miami Dolphins.
The Dolphins have had a few extra days to prepare for their trip to Mile High after beating the Bills on Thursday night. They have the league's number two ranked defence and only allow 18 points per game. However, don't think Manning will be intimidated by this. He's had time to adjust to his losses and back on home turf, it would take a brave man to back against him and Denver's number three ranked offense which scores 29 points per game. But then St Louis limited them to just seven last weekend!
Pick: Denver Broncos
Washington Redskins @ San Francisco 49ers
The 49ers must have been relieved to leave New York with the win on Sunday. They dominated the time of possession (34:59 to 26:01) but didn't play well as they won by just six points. Few teams in the NFL would have lost given the chances the New York Giants were presented with. One of those teams just might be the Washington Redskins and they're next on the schedule!
Following their loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, HC Jay Gruden didn't pull any punches when analysing QB Robert Griffin III's performance, saying: "It's not even close to good enough to what we expect from the quarterback position." He went on to highlight everything he thought the player did wrong in the game.
Patience with RGIII seems to be running thin at the Redskins - an organisation that once saw him as their future now appears to be evaluating the quarterback position. It's hard enough to travel from coast to coast and win against a good team when your organisation is united, it’s near impossible when there are cracks as big as the Grand Canyon.
Pick: San Francisco 49ers
Dallas Cowboys @ New York Giants
The Cowboys had a bye last week but were one of the biggest winners in week 11. All three of their divisional rivals lost, as did three NFC contenders - the Saints, the Lions and the Seahawks. It means Dallas head to New York tied for first place in the NFC East with the Eagles at 7-3.
The New York Giants were poor. QB Eli Manning was simply dreadful in the defeat to the San Francisco 49ers! His day was epitomised late in the game when he threw an interception at the two yard line on fourth and goal as the Giants trailed 16-10. In all Manning threw five picks, the first time a QB has done that since... Eli Manning did it last year against the Seahawks.
To their credit the Giants defence kept them in the game despite spending nearly 10 more minutes on the field than the offense and limited San Francisco to just one touchdown. If that time of possession is repeated against Dallas however, this game could turn into a blowout.
Having had a week to rest expect the Cowboys to give the ball to RB DeMarco Murray early and often and then look to use WRs Dez Bryant and Terrance Williams to attack an injury-depleted secondary.
Pick: Dallas Cowboys
Monday 24 November
Baltimore Ravens @ New Orleans Saints
The Ravens are coming off a bye week, the Saints are close to falling apart. The only thing keeping their season afloat right now is that their 4-6 record has them tied for the lead in the NFC South!
The Saints had put together 10 straight wins at home but the 49ers ended that record and now they've lost two in a row at the Superdome following Sunday's defeat to the Bengals. Now the Baltimore Ravens return for the first time since winning the Super Bowl at this venue early last year.
New Orleans’ much vaunted offense just couldn't get anything going against the Bengals. Drew Brees was limited to just 255 yards through the air and one TD while Mark Ingram had 23 carries for just 67 yards on the ground. Meanwhile, Rob Ryan's defence continues to give up big plays and cannot get off the field when they need to make a stop.
The Ravens have impressed on occasions this season but they've had poor games as well - most notably on the road at Indianapolis. They do have the ability to attack the Saints’ secondary through WRs Steve and Torrey Smith while RB Justin Forsett is averaging 5.4 yards per carry. Their defence has also steadily improved, giving up just 18 points per game - the fifth best record in the NFL.
Given how good the Saints have been at home, it's difficult to pick against them - they dealt with the Green Bay Packers here just a month ago - but the slide they're currently on might just be irreversible.
Pick: Baltimore Ravens
