2009 Week Eight NFL Football Game Previews
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Sunday, November 1st, 2009
Denver Broncos (6-0) @ Baltimore Ravens (3-3)
Time: 1pm ET
Spread: Baltimore - 3
Over/Under: 41.5
Preview: The Denver Broncos will take their unbeaten mark to Baltimore and mix it up with the Ravens. Denver, 6-0, leads the AFC West, by three full games over the San Diego Chargers. Denver is winning games on the defensive end, allowing just 11 points per game. Offensively, Kyle Orton, who came over in the trade that sent Jay Cutler to Chicago has been effective. Orton has tossed for 1465 yards and 9 touchdowns so far. Baltimore comes into this affair, riding a three game losing streak. The Ravens were downed by New England, Cincinnati and Minnesota during that stretch. Baltimore’s once highly touted defense has struggled at times, most recently allowing 33 points in a loss to the Vikings. The Ravens trail both Cincinnati and Pittsburgh at the top of the AFC North. Running back Ray Rice has been extremely impressive as of late for Baltimore. On the season, Rice leads the team in rushing attempts (73), rushing yards (441), rushing touchdowns (3), and receptions (33).
Houston Texans (4-3) @ Buffalo Bills (3-4)
Time: 1pm ET
Spread: Houston - 3
Over/Under: 41.5
Preview: The Texans will look to continue their surge towards an AFC playoff position Sunday in Buffalo. Houston, winners of two straight games have used their high powered offense to vault over opponents. The Texans are coming off a 24-21 win over San Francisco in which Matt Schaub passed for 264 yards. In every game this season, Schaub has thrown for atleast 220 yards, except for week one. The Texans have used Steve Slaton as of late to carry the load offensively as well. Slaton has yet to pick up a 100 yard rushing game, but his prowess in the red zone, along with the ability to make big plays as a receiver has garnered him a great deal of attention. The Bills are another team looking to climb back up the ladder. Buffalo, after losing three straight, has won their last two games. Buffalo picked up a big inter divisional win over the Jets, followed by a 20-9 win over the Panthers. The Bills defense has allowed just 42 points in their three wins. Ryan Fitzpatrick has taken over the quarterback position for Buffalo, with Trent Edwards sidelined with a concussion. Terrell Owens, the big pick-up during the offseason has been a bust thus far, leading the team in receiving yards, just once on the year, and catching one touchdown pass.
Cleveland Browns (1-6) @ Chicago Bears (3-3)
Time: 1pm ET
Spread: Chicago -13.5
Over/Under: 40
Preview: The Chicago Bears hope the Cleveland Browns are exactly what the doctor ordered for them on Sunday afternoon. After losing two straight games, including a 45-10 pounding from Cincinnati, the Bears are now back to .500. Chicago had won three straight games coming into the week six affair with Atlanta. The Bears have been marred by turnovers (Jay Cutler has thrown nine interceptions) and poor performances (Matt Forte has rushed for just 318 yards and a touchdown. The Chicago defense has not been up to old standards. The Bears have allowed 67 points in their three losses combinbed this season. For Cleveland, they are still looking for an offense to arrive. The Browns, through seven games have scored just 72 points, which ranks them ahead of only Oakland and St. Louis. The Browns have lost two straight games, and have fallen to the bottom of the AFC North. The Browns lone win came against Buffalo; in a game they scored just six points. Cleveland’s starting quarterback Derek Anderson has tossed just two touchdown passes on the season.
Seattle Seahawks (2-4) @ Dallas Cowboys (4-2)
Time: 1pm ET
Spread: Dallas - 9.5
Over/Under: 46
Preview: Coming off a bye, the Seahawks hope they are prepared to stop the emerging threat of Tony Romo to Miles Austin. The combination has been lethal in the past two games, throwing for over 400 yards and 4 touchdowns. The Cowboys have crawled back to 4-2 on the season, and are just ½ game behind New York for the top spot in the NFC East. Romo on the season has tossed for over 1600 yards and 9 touchdowns, while Austin has caught 5 on the season. Dallas has outscored opponents 159-119 on the year. For Seattle, the Seahawks look to pick up their first road win of the season. The Seahawks have fallen in both road affairs; at San Francisco and at Indianapolis. Before the bye week, the Seahawks were blitzed by inter divisional rival Arizona; 27-3. The Seattle offense hopes to get Juluis Jones, their top running back on track. Jones has ran for a single touchdown on the season.
Miami Dolphins (2-4) @ New York Jets (4-3)
Time: 1pm ET
Spread: NY Jets - 3
Over/Under: 40.5
Preview: In a key AFC East matchup, the Miami Dolphins will head northeast and take on the New York Jets. The Dolphins, at 2-4, are in dire need of a road win to stay in the divisional hunt. Miami, led through much of their home game with New Orleans, was unable to stop the Saints offense, and lost 46-34. Chad Henne has taken over the quarterback position for the injured Chad Pennington. Henne has thrown for over 200 yards in his last two starts. The Dolphins, despite their 2-4 record have only been outscored on the season 152 – 146. The Jets were able to halt their three game losing streak on Sunday with a 38-0 blanking of the Raiders. The win for New York kept them a game behind the Patriots for the top spot in the AFC East. New York has been fighting consistency with rookie quarterback Mark Sanchez, who threw five interceptions in the week six loss, and turned around and had as solid performance at Oakland. The Jets have allowed just 104 points in 7 games this season.
San Francisco 49ers (3-3) @ Indianapolis Colts (6-0)
Time: 1pm ET
Spread: Indianapolis - 12
Over/Under: 44
Preview: The San Francisco 49ers get the privilege of seeking to end the unbeaten streak of the Indianapolis Colts. Even worse for San Francisco is their modest two game losing streak, plus the fact this game is played on the turf in Indianapolis. San Francisco is coming off their 24-21 loss to Houston, in which back-up quarterback Alex Smith led the way with three second half touchdown passes. Smith replaced an ineffective Shaun Hill at halftime. Frank Gore came back from injury for the game, but was very limited. Gore, is averaging 5.3 yards per game, and has gotten into the end zone three times in 2009. For Indianapolis, things could not have appeared any easier than they did on Sunday. The Colts absolutely blasted the St. Louis Rams, winning their sixth straight game. Indianapolis has scored 179 points on the season, which is the second most in the AFC. The Colts defense has been supreme to start the season as well. Indianapolis has allowed just 77 points through six games. Only the Denver Broncos have allowed less.
New York Giants (5-2) @ Philadelphia Eagles (4-2)
Time: 1pm EST
Spread: pick’em
Over/Under: 44
Preview: The NFC East division lead will be on the line in the city of Brotherly Love. The New York Giants will travel to Philadelphia to take on the Eagles. This game also features the two cities that will be playing in the upcoming World Series as well. This game did not need any extra incentives, or storylines to be a big one. These long time rivals have not met in 2009, and this one is sure to have all the makings of a big one. The Giants will come into the game losers of two straight games. After jumping out to a 5-0 start, New York has been downed by the Saints and Cardinals in consecutive weeks. New York has found ways to score through much of the season, putting up a NFC East high 195 points. That offense has been led by Eli Manning and his 12 touchdown passes; 4 each to Steve Smith and Mario Manningham. The Eagles will be flying high, coming off their divisional win on Monday Night Football over the Redskins. Philadelphia has used the speed of DeSean Jackson to jump out to the 4-2 start. Jackson has caught 21 passes for 423 yards and 3 touchdown receptions on the season. Philadelphia’s running back Brian Westbrook has been listed as questionable for this game. Westbrook is averaging just less than 5 yards per carry this season.
St. Louis Rams (0-7) @ Detroit Lions (1-5)
Time: 1pm EST
Spread: N/A
Over/Under: N/A
Preview: The St. Louis Rams will look to avoid the feat that the Detroit Lions pulled off in 2008: go winless an entire season. St. Louis has dropped 17 straight games, dating back to last season, and have been competitive just one time this season. That was an overtime loss at the hands of the Jacksonville Jaguars. The Rams have scored a NFL worst 60 points through their first 7 games. St. Louis has also given up a NFL worst 211 points, making first year head Coach Steve Spanulo scratch his head. The Lions are coming off a bye week, in which they hope to see improvements in the health of both quarterback Matthew Stafford and receiver Calvin Johnson. Stafford remains questionable for this game, while Johnson appears doubtful at this time. The rookie quarterback out of Georgia led the Lions to their lone win on the season, over Washington. On the year, Stafford has thrown just three touchdown passes. Detroit is at the bottom of the NFC North, trailing 3-3 Chicago, 4-2 Green Bay and 6-1 Minnesota.
Oakland Raiders (2-5) @ San Diego Chargers (3-3)
Time: 4:05pm ET
Spread: San Diego - 16.5
Over/Under: 41.5
Preview: The Oakland Raiders will head to San Diego on Sunday to take on the .500 Chargers. Oakland, is coming off the 38-0 thrashing at the hands of the New York Jets. Oakland has scored just 62 points through 7 games this season. JaMarcus Russell was benched at halftime for ineffective play. The Raiders lead Kansas City by a game at the bottom of the AFC West. For San Diego, their 37-7 blow-out win over Kansas City pushed them back to .500. The Chargers still trail the Denver Broncos by three games at the top of the division. San Diego has been aided by quarterback Phillip Rivers. Rivers has thrown for 1787 yards and 10 touchdowns on the year. One troublesome area for the San Diego offense has been running back LaDainian Tomlinson. Tomlinson on the season has rushed for just 211 yards and a single touchdown.
Jacksonville Jaguars (3-3) @ Tennessee Titans (0-6)
Time: 4:05pm ET
Spread: Tennessee - 3
Over/Under: 44.5
Preview: The Jacksonville Jaguars will look to move above .500 on Sunday when they host the winless Tennessee Titans. Jacksonville has won three of their last four games, including their 23-20 win over the Rams before the bye week. Jacksonville trails the Houston Texans by just ½ game for second place in the AFC South. The Jaguars are led by running back Maurice Jones Drew. Jones Drew has rushed for over 100 yards twice on the season. Wide Receiver Mike Sims-Walker has caught over 100 yards four times on the year. The Titans are also coming off the bye week, and are seeking their first win on the season. The Titans have been a train wreck that went off the tracks in week six. Tennessee was blasted by the New England Patriots 59-0. The Titans, on the season, have scored just 84 points and allowed 198.
Minnesota Vikings (6-1) @ Green Bay Packers (4-2)
Time: 4:15pm ET
Spread: Green Bay - 3
Over/Under: 47
Preview: In the NFL’s game of the week, the Minnesota Vikings will take on divisional rival Green Bay. The Vikings, led by quarterback Brett Favre, will play at his former home, Lambeau Field for the first time ever NOT in a Green Bay uniform. The Vikings lost their first game of the season on Sunday, at Pittsburgh. Favre fumbled the ball late in the game, and threw an interception on the final drive. The Vikings lead the NFC North, ahead of Green Bay and Chicago. The Packers will come in with a two game winning streak. Green Bay is coming off a 31-3 thrashing of Cleveland, which followed their 26-0 blanking of Detroit. On the season, Green Bay has scored 161 points and allowed 96. Aaron Rodgers, who took over behind center for Green Bay has thrown for 1702 yards and 11 touchdowns thus far. Ryan Grant and Donald Driver lead the team in touchdowns, each with 3.
Carolina Panthers (2-4) @ Arizona Cardinals (4-2)
Time: 4:15pm EST
Spread: Arizona - 10
Over/Under: 41
Preview: One of the more disappointing teams in 2009, the Carolina Panthers will head west and take on the defending NFC Champions. The Carolina Panthers, at 2-4, are finding themselves in must win games early in the season. The Panthers are coming off a 20-9 loss at the hands of the Buffalo Bills. Quarterback Jake Delhomme has not taken care of the ball for the Carolina offense. Delhomme has thrown just 4 touchdowns on the season, while leading the NFL in interceptions, with 13. The Cardinals are starting to catch their stride of the first time on the season. After struggling out of the gate, Arizona has won their last three games, by an average of 12.3 points per game. The Cardinals are led offensively by quarterback Kurt Warner, running backs Beanie Wells and Tim Hightower, along with receivers Anquan Boldin and Larry Fitzgerald. Warner has thrown for just under 1700 yards and added 9 touchdowns. Hightower leads the rushing attack with 4 touchdowns, while Fitzgerald leads the team with 5.
Monday, November 2nd, 2009
Atlanta Falcons (4-2) @ New Orleans Saints (6-0)
Time: 8:30pm ET
Spread: New Orleans - 10
Over/Under: 54
Preview: Two of the top NFC South teams will go toe to toe in New Orleans for Monday Night Football. The Atlanta Falcons, who trail the Saints by two games at the top of the division, will look to make up ground on the road. The Falcons are coming off the 37-21 loss to Dallas. Atlanta is led by Matt Ryan, Michael Turner and Roddy White. Ryan has thrown for 11 touchdowns, while Turner has added 7 on the ground, and White 5 in the air. The Falcons have scored 144 points, while allowing 114 on the year. The Saints are coming off their come from behind win in Miami. In that one, the Saints trailed 24-3 late in the first half. The Saints are leading the NFL in points scored with 238 points, while their defense has allowed 127. Drew Brees is putting up MVP type numbers for New Orleans. Brees has completed 132 of 197 passes for 1698 yards and 14 touchdowns.
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