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View Full Version : Week 6 picks: Eli will feel at home in New Orleans



Lonestar
10-15-2009, 12:04 AM
SportingNews

Five teams remain undefeated in the NFL. One has an open week, but the other four are in action.

Find out why that number should still dwindle to three come Tuesday, starting with the battle of the unblemished in the… .


NFC Game of the Week
New York Giants at New Orleans Saints. It's a super matchup in the Superdome, a possible preview of the conference championship game. The Saints will enjoy home field in this round, but the Giants have made their living on the road the past few years. A trip to New Orleans also means a homecoming for Eli Manning(notes).

Manning vs. Drew Brees(notes) will be the headline duel, but it really comes down to what happens up front. Both teams have terrific offensive lines that equally excel at run blocking and pass protection, so it comes down to which group of defensive linemen and linebackers can be more disruptive.


New York won't just let Brees sit back and pick apart its coverage. The pressure will come from overload and zone blitzes. The goal will be limiting gains on first and second down to get Brees into predictable throwing situations.

Part of the reason the Saints' defense is so improved is the play of second-year tackle Sedrick Ellis(notes), with linebacker Jonathan Vilma(notes) right behind him to clean up the middle. The Giants' offensive line is tough because it has the right combination of power and quickness. They also will stick with the run, knowing it will eventually wear down the Saints' front seven.

The Giants have the slight edge on both lines of scrimmage. Offensively, with some good running early, that will set up more comfortable passing opportunities for Manning to spread the ball around the field. New York is the NFC's best team, and will prove it on Sunday. Giants 24, Saints 20.


AFC Game of the Week
Denver Broncos at San Diego Chargers. The Chargers' only shot in this game is Philip Rivers(notes). Their running game has sputtered with a banged-up LaDainian Tomlinson(notes). Their run defense is getting gashed without Jamal Williams(notes) clogging the middle. The secondary is constantly getting burned.


San Diego also isn't forcing turnovers, and the Broncos have been very good at protecting the ball. They are about to have a strong rushing attack with rookie Knowshon Moreno(notes), and Kyle Orton(notes) knows that just putting the ball in the hands of Brandon Marshall(notes), Eddie Royal(notes) and Tony Scheffler(notes) will create some mismatches.

The Chargers, as the object of rest coming off an open week, will need many things to turn around quickly to stop Denver, which has increasing momentum. The intensity will be there from Josh McDnaiels' team, knowing that a Sunday night win will be put them in a dominant position in the AFC West race. Broncos 20, Chargers 17.


Shootout of the Week
Arizona Cardinals at Seattle Seahawks. The Cardinals' defense is giving up big passing totals. With a healthy Matt Hasslebeck back to having a pair of trusty wide receivers in T.J. Houshmandzadeh(notes) and Nate Burleson(notes), expect the 'Hawks to keep taking flight.

Of course, the Cards might be a little more armed and dangerous with Kurt Warner(notes) flinging the ball to Larry Fitzgerald(notes) and Anquan Boldin(notes). Arizona survived another high-powered team last week, and will do it again to get above .500. Cardinals 27, Seahawks 24.


Lock of the Week
New England Patriots over Tennessee Titans. As you know by now, with Tom Brady(notes) and Bill Belichick, the words "losing streak" aren't in the Patriots' vocabulary. When they come off a loss, they usually correct everything they did wrong and come out a stronger team for the next week.

That's terrible news for winless Tennessee, riddled by injuries and searching for answers. Brady's eyes should light up when he sees the Titans' replacement cornerbacks, who will be no match for Randy Moss(notes) and Wes Welker(notes). Patriots 42, Titans 10.


Upset of the Week
Baltimore Ravens over Minnesota Vikings. The coaches in this game, John Harbaugh and Brad Childress, have both learned well from Eagles coach Andy Reid. That should led to a physical, well-played game with much on the line, considering both teams are in tough three-team division races.

So why will Harbaugh's team be a bit better? The Ravens' offense is creative, and will avoid the strength of the Vikings up front by designing pass plays to have Joe Flacco(notes) get the ball out quickly, using Ray Rice(notes) and Todd Heap(notes) often. Defensively, led by ballhawk safety Ed Reed(notes), Baltimore will come after Brett Favre(notes) and force him into some mistakes after slowing Adrian Peterson first. Ravens 20, Favre 17.


Rest of the Week
Carolina Panthers at Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Panthers are getting their defense back healthy, and both Steve Smith and their running game are due to explode in a break out game. The Bucs will struggle to keep Smith from shooting downfield, and when moving upfield to stop the run, they'll be overworked by Carolina's front-line blockers. Josh Johnson(notes) won't have much fun against Julius Peppers(notes) and Jon Beason(notes). Panthers 20, Buccaneers 13.

Cleveland Browns at Pittsburgh Steelers. By now, the Browns should have realized their offensive problems go well beyond who's under center. They only have a shot if they can run the ball well, something they won't do against Pittsburgh. The Steelers will easily render them one-dimensional and have their edge pass rushers tee off. Ben Roethlisberger(notes) and Rashard Mendenhall(notes) will take care of business on the other side. Steelers 24, Browns 6.

Detroit Lions at Green Bay Packers. The Lions have shown plenty of fight under Jim Schwartz; they just tend to run out of gas when facing more talented and successful opponents. They're going into a bad matchup at Lambeau Field however, because they're giving up big pass plays all over the field, something at which Aaron Rodgers(notes) excels. Packers 33, Lions 14.

Kansas City Chiefs at Washington Redskins. Once you get past the potentially offensive nicknames, don't expect either team to display a potent offense.Washington's front seven won't need to worry much about the run and will consistently come after Matt Cassel(notes). The saving grace for the hosts will be Santana Moss(notes), whose speed and quickness will deliver the few big plays needed. Redskins 17, Chiefs 16.

Houston Texans at Cincinnati Bengals. The Bengals' defense has worked on many levels. It has the cornerbacks to slow down top receivers, and the pass rush to get to quarterbacks who have limited options. That formula will work well against Andre Johnson(notes) and Matt Schaub(notes). Offensively, they'll pound Cedric Benson(notes) to set up favorable play-action for Carson Palmer(notes). Bengals 23, Texans 20.

St. Louis Rams at Jacksonville Jaguars. Although the Jags have been dragged down to the same level to also be shut out at Seattle, you can bet former Rams receiver great Torry Holt(notes) is happy to be away from St. Louis' offensive mess. This week, Holt should get help from Mike Sims-Walker(notes), Marcedes Lewis(notes) and David Garrard(notes) to rip the Rams through the air, before handing the game over to Maurice Jones-Drew(notes) in the second half. Jaguars 31, Rams 7.

Philadelphia Eagles at Oakland Raiders. Nnamdi Asomugha(notes) won't be able to cover all the Eagles' speedy deep threats, and whichever's open, Donovan McNabb(notes) will find. The speedy backfield combination of Brian Westbrook(notes) and LeSean McCoy(notes) will take care of driving the front seven dizzy. As for JaMarcus Russell(notes), it will be his average inaccurate, ineffective afternoon. Eagles 34, Raiders 6.

Buffalo Bills at New York Jets. After losing two consecutive games to get back to the AFC pack, the Jets will keep it simple by staying grounded. Pounding Thomas Jones(notes) and then getting Leon Washington(notes) outside will help New York dominate the tempo. The pressure will be on Trent Edwards(notes) to come back, and both he and his offensive line will struggle against Rex Ryan's blitzes. Jets 19, Bills 3.

Chicago Bears at Atlanta Falcons. The teams went back and forth last season, until smart play by Matt Ryan(notes) in the final seconds set up the Falcons win. Expect the rematch to be just as close, with Ryan and Jay Cutler(notes) dueling for four quarters. Atlanta has a little more punch with its receivers and running back Michael turner(notes), and that makes the slight difference. Falcons 24, Bears 23.


Byes of the Week

Related Links
Staff picks: Everyone else has the Saints
The 49ers will likely go back to the drawing board under Mike Singletary after the Falcons debacle. They need to regroup fast for tough road games at Indianapolis and Houston coming up… . The Colts look unstoppable at 5-0, and Peyton Manning(notes) may be playing his best football, ever. They'll probably beat up St. Louis, San Francisco and Houston before the big Patriots game in Week 10… . The Cowboys are not playoff-dead by any means at 3-2, but they need to play at a high level more consistently or risk fading away in the NFC East. The good news is they have the next two at home… . The Dolphins have proved they are the best running team in the league, because they can do it from any formation. The Wildcat isn't just their gimmick; using it often is their best chance of winning the AFC East. Stats of the Week
Week 5 record: 10-4
Season-to-date record: 56-20


Vinnie Iyer is a writer for Sporting News
http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news?slug=tsn-weekpickseliwillfeel&prov=tsn&type=lgns

Brand
10-15-2009, 12:25 AM
A W is a W is a W..... (Even if it is just fantasy.)

But I would like to see more points for the Broncos, and fewer for the chuggers.......

broncophan
10-15-2009, 07:28 AM
The chargers will be ready......hard to imagine there is a possibility that the broncos will have a 3 game lead (in the loss collumn, anyhow) after 6 weeks.

GO BRONCOS........

MadMax
10-15-2009, 09:47 AM
The intensity will be there from Josh McDnaiels' team, knowing that a Sunday night win will be put them in a dominant position in the AFC West race. Broncos 20, Chargers 17.

Hmm I dont think even McDaniels is a good enough coach to beat them a day before we actually play them...

Brand
10-15-2009, 11:08 AM
Hmm I dont think even McDaniels is a good enough coach to beat them a day before we actually play them...

Only the fans do that........:D