Week 9 of the NFL comes to us this week, and with it comes the midway point of the convoluted 17 week schedule. Eight weeks gone, eight weeks still remain on the docket to see who will make the playoffs in the quest for the elusive Lombardi Trophy, the Holy Grail of professional football.
Along with week nine are a couple of big time games, including a divisional rivalry on Sunday night, when Tony Romo and Dallas travel to the city of Brotherly Love to face Donovan McNabb and the Eagles. Then on Monday night, the defending Super Bowl champion Steelers travel to the Mile High City to take on the Broncos, whose undefeated season came crashing back to earth with a sickening thud last week in Baltimore.
Speaking of undefeated teams, we'd like to congratulate the Colts and Saints for extending their marks to 7-0 with wins last week. The Colts needed a touchdown pass from...Joseph Addai? in order to beat the 49ers, while the Saints lit up the scoreboard and managed to hold off the Falcons. Both teams face division rivals this week, as the Colts face an improving Houston squad, and the Saints get a up and down Carolina team that is coming off a big win on the road against Arizona last week.
On the flip side of undefeated, we'd also like to congratulate the Tennessee Titans and the St. Louis Rams, who both got off the schneid of being undefeated in the win column last week. The Titans beat Jacksonville 31-13 in Vince Young's first start since week one of the 2008 season, mainly due to the running of Chris Johnson, and Jacksonville's questionable play calling. Maurice Jones-Drew only gets
EIGHT carries? He had 177 yards and two scores. Give the man the ball. The Rams won for the first time in more than a
YEAR, snapping a 17 game losing skid over the poster boys for losing in recent years, the Detroit Lions, on Steven Jackson's 25 yard TD run with just under two minutes to play, his first of the year. That leaves the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as the lone winless team left in the league.
It was a rough week last week, as I only went 7-6, thanks to Jacksonville and Detroit giving up wins to teams with no wins for starters. Denver was the only team I picked that was flat out obliterated, though Arizona did score some garbage time points to cut the gap against Carolina, and Tennessee scored in the fourth quarter to put the hammer down on the Jags and their ineffective offense. For the year, my record still stands at a health 77-38, which I can live with.
As always, I pick the games straight, not with the spread, and for entertainment purposes. I don't wager money on the games and don't recommend you do either unless you can afford to lose it without getting maimed by your spouse, significant other, kids, random street people, bookies, loan sharks, or wild animals. I'm not responsible for any losses you may take because you were foolish enough to wager on games with the mortgage, but if you win, I'll gladly take a cut of the winnings as a "consultant."
To the games:
Kansas City at
JACKSONVILLE (-7): Oh joy. Want to bet that this game is on TV here? The Chiefs will be without Larry Johnson, who is still serving his team mandated suspension after making gay slurs to the media and questioning his head coach Todd Haley before the Chiefs last week. The Jaguars need to get the ball in the hands of Maurice Jones-Drew
FAR more than they did last week. He's the most explosive, dynamic player on the offense.
Use him.BALTIMORE (-3) at Cincinnati: The Bengals stole a win from the Ravens in Baltimore last month in the closing seconds after Ray Lewis kept a drive alive with a personal foul penalty when it looked like he was going to decapitate Chad Ochocinco. The Bengals have been able to handle business in the division, beating the Steelers, Ravens and Browns, but can they keep the momentum going? The Ravens are coming off a whipping of the Broncos and have revenge on their minds.
Houston at
INDIANAPOLIS (-8.5): The Colts won ugly last week, as it took four Matt Stover field goals and the aforementioned Joseph Addai TD pass to Reggie Wayne to get a win over the 49ers. That's right, the Colts won with Peyton Manning throwing
NO touchdown passes. The Texans needed to put together a big fourth quarter after being stymied for three quarters against the Bills after turning the ball over three times in the first. The big problem for Houston is the loss of tight end Owen Daniels with an ACL injury. He really took the pressure off Andre Johnson. It will be interesting to see who totes the rock for Houston, Steve Slaton, who was benched after fumbling last week, or Ryan Moats, who stepped in with 125 yards and 3 scores.
Washington at
ATLANTA (-9): The Redskins are a team that is inept offensively. Granted, Matt Ryan has struggled the last couple weeks, but we're talking about Washington here. This is a team that beat the Rams 9-7 and LOST to the Lions. I think the Falcons can handle this one fairly easily.
GREEN BAY (-9.5) at Tampa Bay: I'm not even going to talk about this one. Until Tampa Bay can show some semblance of offense, it's a waste of time and space.
Arizona at
CHICAGO (-3): Cards undefeated on the road, Bears undefeated at home. Problem is, the Bears beat a doormat (Cleveland) last week, while Arizona lost to a doormat (Carolina). I'm not convinced that Arizona is quite as good as they should be, especially with an inability to get playmakers like Larry Fitzgerald involved. Throw in the traveling to a notorious cold weather city in November, though the weather won't be as much of a factor today, and I think the Bears find a way to prevail.
Miami at
NEW ENGLAND (-10.5): Full of bulletin board material in this one between two teams that hate each other. Joey Porter made a comment that Tom Brady has his own set of rules with officials. That said, Pats are coming off a bye, which gave all their banged up weapons a week to rest. Not the best time to have to face a team like that. This could be close, but it could just as easily be a blowout.
Carolina at
NEW ORLEANS (-13): Note to John Fox: regardless of how much Steve Smith complains,
DO NOT THROW THE BALL. Play like Navy did yesterday, run almost every down out of the option. You have talented backs. Why lengthen the game and give the Saints more possessions? Besides, Jake Delhomme likes to throw picks. Turnovers + short fields + more possessions = lots of New Orleans points and a Carolina loss.
Detroit at
SEATTLE (-10): Who cares?
Tennessee at
SAN FRANCISCO (-4): The Titans are happy about their first win. The 49ers take solace in playing the Colts close. Neither team has the QB that started the opener for them starting now. Both of them were high draft choices (Alex Smith #1 overall, Vince Young #3) that haven't met expectations. Should be interesting, but I'm not sold on Tennessee winning on the road on the west coast. Young has a lot more to prove than one game.
SAN DIEGO (+5) at New York Giants: The Giants have lost three straight after winning five in a row to start the year, and are coming off a 40-17 pounding at the hands of the Eagles, yet they're FAVORED by 5? Is this because Oakland played tough against San Diego? The Giants can't stop the pass to save their lives and I can't see them winning.this one if Philip Rivers plays the way he has this season. Eli Manning needs to get some help from the defense instead of having to try and play shootout with other teams.
Dallas at
PHILADELPHIA (-3): McNabb has been really good at home in his two outings and while Romo has been good on the road, divisional road games are a lot different than playing Tampa Bay. This will be close, but I think that the Eagles have just enough in the tank to take it on an Akers field goal late.
PITTSBURGH (-3) at Denver: After laying that egg last week against Baltimore, I can't take the Broncos seriously against a tough defensive team like Pittsburgh. The Steelers have some flaws, but I'll take Ben Roethlisberger and the Steelers D over Kyle Orton any day of the week, especially with a questionable run game behind him. The Steelers drop Denver for the Broncos' second straight loss.
So that's week nine in a nutshell folks...sit back, relax with your favorite snacks and beverages, and enjoy what the NFL has to offer for you this week. We'll be back with more exciting stuff as it comes out.