by Mike Trovato
Unfortunately I haven't had the time to put a regular post up this week, so instead, here are some quick picks of the week:
Atlanta Falcons (5-4) vs. New York Giants (5-4)
In a game with playoff implications written all over it, the New York Giants will finally snap their four game losing streak at home against the Atlanta Falcons. The winner of this contest will catapult themselves right back into the playoff picture, and with Dallas and Philly failing to gain ground last week, the "playoff picture" could mean more than just the wildcard for the Giants. The Falcons haven't had a road loss to the G-men since 1979, but with the bye week to prepare, Tom Coughlin's troops will be ready to go. Matty Ice hasn't been as efficient as he was in his rookie campaign. Ryan has already surpassed his interception total from last year nine games into 2009. Without Michael Turner, the Falcons offense should be heavily focused on getting the ball to Tony Gonzalez, Antonio Pierce will be missing from the middle linebacker spot, out indefinitely with a bulging disc in his neck. Still, with time to rest, Eli Manning and Brandon Jacobs should have success against the Falcons 25th ranked defensive unit.
Giants 24, Falcons 16
New York Jets (4-5) vs. New England Patriots (6-3)
A curious fourth quarter play call has the New England Patriots in a role reversal, with Bill Belicheck being the center of criticism and controversy. Last week, with the lead in hand against the undefeated Colts, Belichick risked going for it on 4th and 2 late in the fourth quarter, rather than punting the ball out of Patriot territory. The move backfired, giving Peyton Manning one-third of the field to do what he does best- win games. The call caused quite a buzz, which I'm sure relieved the New York Jets, who suffered a bad loss themselves at the hands of the Jacksonville Jaguars.The Jags also stirred up some controversy, with Jack del Rio instructing Maurice Jones-Drew to take a knee at the Jets one, rather than score the go-ahead touchdown with just under two minutes remaining. Though the call worked out, del Rio was questioned for risking a missed game-winning field goal rather than 6 points on the board.
Circumstance and controversies aside, what remains is the fact that the formerly 3-0 Jets are now 4-5, "not dead yet" but "barely breathing," according to Rex Ryan. Ryan made his own headlines this week, shedding tears in an emotional post-game locker room speech. Coach "Cryin'" may have more to be upset about by day's end on Sunday; the Patriots will be out for blood, and have enough venom in them to make this game ugly. As though Belicheck's hatred for Gang Green wasn't enough- last week's mishap, Jim Leonhard playing through a recovery from thumb surgery, along with the week 2 manhandling of Tom Brady by the Jets D- all of these could very well add up to a beatdown of the visiting Jets. Even recognizing their flaws, I've given the Jets the benefit of the doubt just about every week, until now. When Rex Ryan starts crying and Bart Scott stops talking, it's pretty clear that the Jets issues are more than an aberration, they're a concern.
Patriots 38, Jets 17
And then there was one...
Two undefeated teams remain in the NFL, the Indianapolis Colts and New Orleans Saints. Both sit at 9-0, both looking for win number 10 this weekend. Both teams, however, are coming off scares- the Colts having barely beaten the Patriots thanks to Belicheck's questionable confidence on fourth down, while the Saints fended off the lowly Rams in a 28-23 game that, like their four previous games, shouldn't have been as close as it turned out. The Saints play the 1-8 Buccaneers this week, a Tampa team that put up one heck of a fight at Miami last weekend. The 5-4 Ravens will follow their 16-0 Monday Night blanking of the Browns by hosting the Colts in Baltimore. My prediction: when the dust clears, only one 9-0 team will come out still undefeated.
Bottom Feeders
The Detroit Lions looked like a team with some fight in them when they beat the Washington Redskins in week 3. Since then, three different Lions quarterbacks have been the team's single game passing leaders in passing, including Drew Stanton. No Detroit running back has come close to 100 yards on the ground since Kevin Smith ran for 101 in that lone Detroit victory.
That changes this week.
As miserable as Detroit has been over the last two seasons, the Cleveland Browns are apparently trying to one-up them- in terms of being awful- and I think they may have a case. This week, we'll find out. Brady Quinn has overtaken Derek Anderson behind center, if you can even call it overtaking. If the Lions running backs have had it rough, here's one better- neither Browns QB has passed for over 100 yards since week 6 (WEEK SIX?!?!) when Derek Anderson put up 122 yards on the Steelers. Interestingly enough, JaMarcus Russell is now riding the bench on Oakland, and an NFL without JaMarcus Russell means the Browns may now have no competition for worst collective passer rating in the league.
Quinn may crack triple digits, which should be enough to keep Brett Ratliff on the bench... but who really cares? Rack up another post-game celebration with the fans, the Lions will take this one, and I'll figure something wacky into the final score. Let's go with a safety for Cleveland, because again, who really cares? It's just a prediction.
Lions 16, Browns 8
