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Philadelphia (2-4) at Minnesota (2-4)
Minnesota has finally broken the silence and confirmed that backup QB Kelly Holcomb will play on Sunday against the Eagles in place of the starting quarterback Tarvaris Jackson who broke the index finger on his throwing hand in last week’s 24-14 loss at Dallas. With a completion rate of about 46% and a QB rating only a couple of points higher, Jackson is the lowest ranked quarterback in the NFL this year and he is 2-2 this year in games he has started. The loss to the Lions in Week 2 sits squarely on his shoulders being that he threw 4 interceptions in a game that was very close owing to some solid work by the Detroit defense. For Holcomb it will be only his third start of the season following an 0-2 performance against Kansas City and Green Bay. He posted good numbers against the Packers completing 21 of 39 for 258 yards, but the one completion he needed to tie the game late in the 4th quarter was first tipped and then intercepted by Green Bay who hung on for the win.
The Eagles are having problems of their own on offense. Mainly they have not been able to score touchdowns. Philly drove into the Jets red zone 4 times in Week 6 and never once punched the football into the end zone. The Eagles defense which had struggled to contain Jets running back Thomas Jones in the first half made the necessary adjustments and limited Jones to 34 yards after halftime. That defensive performance is why the Eagles won the game, but Philadelphia will have to sharpen it’s offense if they expect to have a winning record this year.
Written by Nick Lang · Filed Under Matchups
Cleveland (3-3) at St. Louis (0-7)
| Off |
Avg |
Yards |
Pass |
Rush |
Y/R |
Y/A |
| CLE STL |
27.8 11.3 |
354.5
274.6 |
239.3
192.0 |
115.2
82.6 |
4.6
3.5 |
7.4
5.2 |
| Def |
Avg |
Yards |
Pass |
Rush |
Y/R |
Y/A |
CLE
STL |
30.5
27.4 |
413.0 331.0 |
263.5
201.4 |
149.5
129.6 |
4.9
4.0 |
6.8
6.9 |
|
The surprising Browns are among the top 5 scoring teams in the league while the Rams are dead last with 11.3 points per game. The St. Louis quarterbacks have been under tremendous pressure this season getting sacked 24 times, and the Rams are a league worst Minus 12 in the give-away/take-away department. Running back Steven Jackson, who is adept at picking up all purpose yardage will rejoin the recently reactivated QB Marc Bulger on the field this Sunday. The Rams best chance would seem to be a short and quick passing game using the tight ends and backs like Jackson to take the heat off Bulger. Cleveland's defense is ranked 29th against the pass and 30th against the run so if Jackson is reasonably healthy the Rams might see some opportunities there. For the Rams part they have the 10th ranked pass defense in the NFL, and although they are 24th against the rush, the Browns main weapon Jamal Lewis is coming off a sore ankle that kept him out of the Miami game in Week 6. |
Detroit (4-2) at Chicago (3-4)
| Off |
Avg |
Yards |
Pass |
Rush |
Y/R |
Y/A |
DET
CHI |
23.3
19.6 |
328.5 301.7 |
243.0
220.6 |
85.5
81.1 |
4.2
3.2 |
6.9
6.1 |
| Def |
Avg |
Yards |
Pass |
Rush |
Y/R |
Y/A |
DET
CHI |
28.5
23.6 |
385.8
357.4 |
269.3
224.9 |
116.5
132.6 |
4.0 4.6 |
7.1
7.2 |
|
The home field advantage for Chicago is probably going to be as much a factor in this evenly matched game as anything else. Neither team has had much of a running game this season although the return of running back Kevin Jones to the Lions lineup last week may help Detroit turn the corner in that area. The Lions rushed for 147 yards against Tampa Bay with Jones being the highest contributor of yardage. The passing game is another story and could be the big difference here. Kitna and the Lions are ranked 7th in the league in passing so far while Chicago is 13th. Whether Brian Griese can do more against Detroit's abysmal pass defense than the high powered Kitna can against Chicago's average to below average secondary remains to be seen. It might come down to turnovers (the Bears do it much more often) and the kicking and special teams play. |
Indianapolis (6-0) at Carolina (4-2)
| Off |
Avg |
Yards |
Pass |
Rush |
Y/R |
Y/A |
IND
CAR |
32.2
20.5 |
399.7 316.2 |
257.8
183.7 |
141.8
132.5 |
4.5
4.6 |
7.7
6.0 |
| Def |
Avg |
Yards |
Pass |
Rush |
Y/R |
Y/A |
IND
CAR |
15.8
18.3 |
269.5
331.5 |
162.2
221.2 |
107.3
110.3 |
4.2 3.8 |
5.3
6.3 |
|
This will be a very tough test for the Carolina defense which ranks pretty low. Peyton Manning and the Colts have the best passing game in the NFL through 7 weeks and combined with running back Joseph Addai, the 3rd ranked running back in the league Indy is number 3 in overall offense this year. The Panthers offense won't have an easy day of it either - the Colts have the league's top rated pass defense right now and Panthers wide receiver Steve Smith will need to be at his best to beat it. Carolina RB D'Angelo Williams might find some holes in the Colts defensive line the way he did at Arizona last week when he rushed for 121 yards but the Panthers passing game is what will really be needed if they are to survive Indy's high powered scoring machine. All in all however, Manning is a precise and extremely intelligent QB who will most probably put this one away for the Colts without a great deal of trouble. |
NY Giants (4-2) vs Miami (0-7)
| Off |
Avg |
Yards |
Pass |
Rush |
Y/R |
Y/A |
NYG
MIA |
26.7 22.3 |
347.7
333.1 |
217.3
218.0 |
130.4
115.1 |
4.6
5.0 |
6.3
6.2 |
| Def |
Avg |
Yards |
Pass |
Rush |
Y/R |
Y/A |
NYG
MIA |
21.3
33.0 |
303.4 365.1 |
206.0
208.7 |
97.4
156.4 |
4.1
4.4 |
6.0
8.5 |
|
The location is the biggest story in this weeks upcoming contest - it will be played at Wembley Stadium in London England. The second biggest story is injuries, as Miami continues to be hobbled by them. Last week they lost running back Ronnie Brown, the 4th best rusher in the NFL and the starting safety Renaldo Hill both to torn knee ligaments. Both will be sorely missed - the running game was one of the few things that Miami had the edge on, and unless the second string can pull off some great performances things are likely to keep sliding downhill for the Dolphins. The Giants will use RB Brandon Jacobs to put the test to Miami's porous defensive line, only the second worst in the league. If they push the Dolphins all over the field the way they manhandled the 49ers last week then Miami's record of giving away more points per game than any other team in the league should remain intact. |
Oakland (2-4) at Tennessee (4-2)
| Off |
Avg |
Yards |
Pass |
Rush |
Y/R |
Y/A |
OAK
TEN |
21.0 22.0 |
317.8
322.5 |
170.3
178.5 |
147.5
144.0 |
4.5
3.9 |
6.3
6.0 |
| Def |
Avg |
Yards |
Pass |
Rush |
Y/R |
Y/A |
OAK
TEN |
23.3
18.0 |
345.8 290.0 |
204.2
230.8 |
141.7
59.2 |
5.2
3.4 |
6.7
6.0 |
|
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Philadelphia (2-4) at Minnesota (2-4)
| Off |
Avg |
Yards |
Pass |
Rush |
Y/R |
Y/A |
PHI
MIN |
19.3
19.2 |
349.3 314.8 |
219.7
151.2 |
129.7
163.7 |
4.9
5.4 |
6.4
5.3 |
| Def |
Avg |
Yards |
Pass |
Rush |
Y/R |
Y/A |
PHI
MIN |
16.8
19.0 |
308.2
359.0 |
220.2
282.5 |
88.0
76.5 |
3.7 3.0 |
6.4
6.9 |
|
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Pittsburgh (4-2) at Cincinnati (2-4)
| Off |
Avg |
Yards |
Pass |
Rush |
Y/R |
Y/A |
PIT
CIN |
26.7 27.3 |
356.3
371.7 |
197.3
273.7 |
159.0
98.0 |
4.7
3.8 |
7.1
7.3 |
| Def |
Avg |
Yards |
Pass |
Rush |
Y/R |
Y/A |
PIT
CIN |
13.0
31.2 |
250.3 384.7 |
174.8
249.2 |
75.5
135.5 |
3.7
4.7 |
5.5
7.2 |
|
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Buffalo (2-4) at NY Jets (1-6)
| Off |
Avg |
Yards |
Pass |
Rush |
Y/R |
Y/A |
BUF
NYJ |
14.0 19.4 |
229.2
288.4 |
130.2
198.9 |
99.0
89.6 |
3.7
3.4 |
5.3
6.4 |
| Def |
Avg |
Yards |
Pass |
Rush |
Y/R |
Y/A |
BUF
NYJ |
22.0
27.4 |
402.3 377.7 |
269.8
239.7 |
132.5
138.0 |
4.7
4.2 |
7.1
8.1 |
|
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Houston (3-4) at San Diego (3-3)
| Off |
Avg |
Yards |
Pass |
Rush |
Y/R |
Y/A |
HOU
SD |
24.1 22.8 |
341.1
334.5 |
265.6
208.7 |
75.6
125.8 |
3.1
4.3 |
7.6
7.0 |
| Def |
Avg |
Yards |
Pass |
Rush |
Y/R |
Y/A |
HOU
SD |
24.9
19.8 |
341.9 324.3 |
219.6
238.2 |
122.3
86.2 |
4.7
3.6 |
6.5
7.1 |
|
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Jacksonville (4-2) at Tampa Bay (4-3)
| Off |
Avg |
Yards |
Pass |
Rush |
Y/R |
Y/A |
JAC
TB |
17.8
17.7 |
333.7 314.9 |
185.7
212.1 |
148.0
102.7 |
4.7
3.9 |
6.5
7.5 |
| Def |
Avg |
Yards |
Pass |
Rush |
Y/R |
Y/A |
JAC
TB |
14.5
15.7 |
318.0
308.9 |
214.2
185.6 |
103.8
123.3 |
3.9 4.0 |
7.0
5.7 |
|
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New Orleans (2-4) at San Francisco (2-4)
| Off |
Avg |
Yards |
Pass |
Rush |
Y/R |
Y/A |
NO
SF |
16.8
13.0 |
317.7 213.8 |
227.7
125.0 |
90.0
88.8 |
3.6
4.2 |
5.5
4.3 |
| Def |
Avg |
Yards |
Pass |
Rush |
Y/R |
Y/A |
NO
SF |
25.3
22.5 |
344.7
328.0 |
244.0
201.2 |
100.7
126.8 |
3.6 3.9 |
8.4
6.2 |
|
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Washington (4-2) at New England (7-0)
| Off |
Avg |
Yards |
Pass |
Rush |
Y/R |
Y/A |
WAS
NE |
20.3 39.9 |
304.5
432.9 |
189.8
299.4 |
114.7
133.4 |
3.6
4.2 |
6.8
9.0 |
| Def |
Avg |
Yards |
Pass |
Rush |
Y/R |
Y/A |
WAS
NE |
14.7
17.1 |
276.8 274.6 |
196.2
182.1 |
80.7
92.4 |
3.5
4.4 |
5.2
5.6 |
|
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Green Bay (5-1) at Denver (3-3)
| Off |
Avg |
Yards |
Pass |
Rush |
Y/R |
Y/A |
GB
DEN |
23.7
17.7 |
339.3 358.3 |
273.7
227.7 |
65.7
130.7 |
3.3
4.7 |
6.6
7.5 |
| Def |
Avg |
Yards |
Pass |
Rush |
Y/R |
Y/A |
GB
DEN |
17.8
27.3 |
323.8
340.8 |
223.7
164.7 |
100.2
176.2 |
3.8 5.1 |
6.4
7.2 |
|
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Written by Nick Lang · Filed Under Matchups
AP Photo
Members of the Miami Dolphins made a visit to Wembley Stadium in London a couple days ago to promote the NFL’s first-ever overseas regular season game. The Dolphins will face the New York Giants on Sunday, October 28, 2007. Naturally, DE Jason Taylor was the focus of attention because he’s the league’s defending defensive MVP and the leader of the team. But there’s more. I was reading an article at SI.com that reported PR powerhouse Rogers & Cohen were working with Jason to generate even more interest in this game. Sandy Friedman, the executive vice president for music and sports at R&C, while looking at a photo of a tuxedo-clad Jason and his beautiful wife, said to Jason and his agent:
“We sell Tim McGraw and Faith Hill as the First Couple of Country Music; that’s how we want to position you [as an NFL couple] over there. The trick is getting you off the sports pages and into the other parts of the paper — and that’s what this allows us to do. They’ll eat this up on Fleet Street. They love couples! We’ll make sure you’re seen with all the right people in all the right places. Because what you’re giving us, with the business interests and lifestyle and charitable efforts and entertainment ventures, is perfect for the business we’re in.â€
So, you see what’s happening here? The powers-that-be are trying to generate interest in football from people who might not care about football. Which is fine. The NFL is worldwide and now that they’re playing regular season games outside of the U.S. for the first time, more efforts like this will be made to market NFL players globally. And to a diverse audience. It’s exciting for the game of professional football. But it’s kind of goofy at the same time if Jason and his wife are red-carpet posing in the tabloids. Nevertheless, I’m all for it if it brings more positive visibility to the game.
Source: Every Morning Quarterback
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