Daily Blog •  December 19, 2010

 

HERE ARE MY NFL SELECTIONS: 100-71 (58.5%) This Year!
KANSAS CITY AT ST LOUIS
Rushing
Passing
Points
TO’s
ST
KC 145
145
18
1.9
#19
STL 135
213
19
2.1
#16

Who would have thought at the start of the season that these two would be playing this game with huge playoff implications but that is the case here as both of them need a win to bolster their case. LW KC was without QB Cassel (appendix) and the Chiefs were forced to go with Brodie Croyle at the helm. Croyle was ineffective and Cassel will be a game-time decision here. The Chiefs playoff run started LW as they traveled to SD and perception met reality as SD dominated. They are now playing with added pressure as are also playing on the road for a 2nd straight and a tiring 5th time in 7 weeks. The Rams return home after a lengthy 3 game road trip incl LW as they lost to NO. QB Bradford was bothered by the Saints blitzing LW but KC has not had success away from home with only 10 sacks in their 1st 6 road games and with Cassel being a ? mark I will go with the Rams who get a key win.

PHIL’S FORECAST: ST LOUIS 34 KANSAS CITY 31

 

JACKSONVILLE AT INDIANAPOLIS
Rushing
Passing
Points
TO’s
ST
JAX 185
158
27
1.6
#4
IND 77
353
29
1.5
#31

IND can still win their 7th Div title in 8 years by winning out which makes this the AFC South Championship game. JAX upset IND 31-28 in the 1st meeting TY with the 8th longest FG in NFL history (59 yds). The Colts are 2-3 vs foes with a winning record TY (not inc JAX). They have a 372-313 yd edge with a 25-15 scoring edge but are -8 TO’s as Manning has pressed to make up for the depleted skill players. The Jaguars are 0-4 vs foes with a winning record TY (minus IND) losing the yardage battle in all 4. They have been outgained 409-291 in those (-9 TO’s) losing by a 33-14 avg score. The Colts expect to get WR Collie, WLB Session and possibly CB Hayden and RB Addai back with the extra rest. Del Rio deserves to be commended for making the most out of a soft schedule and a healthy roster TY (only 2 starts on IR) but I'm going with the more veteran team used to big games at the end of the year.

PHIL’S FORECAST:INDIANAPOLIS 34 JAX 20

 

CLEVELAND AT CINCINNATI
Rushing
Passing
Points
TO’s
ST
CLE 112
163
20
2.0
#2
CIN 120
225
21
2.4
#30

Earlier TY the Browns logged a 23-20 win over the Bengals which started the Bengals on a 10 game losing streak. CIN had a 413-295 yd edge but 2 fumbles set up a pair of FG’s for the Browns. On their final drive CIN worked the ball down the field to the CLE 31. An offensive pass interference penalty on Ochocinco made it 3 & 13 on the 41 where Palmer was sacked and CLE ran out the final 4:41. Owens had his best game of they year with 10 rec (22.2) but his 78 yd TD came when the CLE defender slipped in coverage. The Browns have gone with Delhomme at QB the L3W and after a win against Carolina the offense had bogged down and gained 252 yds in a win at Miami but LW the offense totaled just 187 yds including just 56 yds on the last 6 drives. Rookie Colt McCoy will be back in in the starting role after missing the L/3 with an ankle injury. Cincinnati meanwhile got out to an early 7-0 lead at Pittsburgh but they were held to 132 TOTAL yards before 58 yds in garbage time trailing 23-7. The Bengals have now been outgained in 4 straight games by an average of 133 ypg as the veterans have resigned themselves to a lost season while McCoy being back in the lineup should revitalize the CLE offense.

PHIL’S FORECAST: CLEVELAND 23 CINCINNATI 16

 

PHILADELPHIA AT NY GIANTS
Rushing
Passing
Points
TO’s
ST
PHI 140
235
26
2.0
#21
NYG 128
245
28
2.8
#23

One of the most important games this weekend as the winner takes control of the NFC East. Including playoffs PHI has won 5 straight vs NYG with a 31-19 avg score. and PHI won the 1st game TY 27-17. NY rallied from a 16-3 deficit to take the lead early 4Q but a def offsides pen on 3&5 set up a 50 yd TD run by McCoy on 4th Dn. Manning then fmbl’d the ball on a 16 yd scramble which set up a 30 yd FG to seal it. Despite being outgained 392-208 the Giants had a solid def gameplan as while Vick had 258 yds passing (63%) he only had 34 yds rushing (3.1) and no passing TD’s. The Giants had an unusual week flying into KC and then back to Detroit to face MIN. While it took them out of their routine and gave them one less day to prep they know the Eagles well enough to not make that an issue. Manning blamed himself for the loss to the Eagles and NYG continues to be overlooked as one of the league’s premier teams (#2 off, #4 def YTD).

PHIL’S FORECAST: NY GIANTS 33 PHILADELPHIA 23

 

DETROIT AT TAMPA BAY
Rushing
Passing
Points
TO’s
ST
DET 140
185
19
1.7
#5
TB 124
205
22
1.7
#17

This is the Lions 1st road game in 4 Wks and they’ve lost an NFL record 26 straight road games. Both teams have had their share of injuries lately with DET down to #3 QB Stanton, losing DE Vanden Bosch (neck) and CB Smith (right shoulder) landing on IR. TB’s injury situation is more dire however as prior to LW’s 17-16 win vs WAS they lost their best CB (Talib), starting SS (Grimm), Ctr (Faine), RG (Joseph), #3 DE (Moore) and demoted their starting RT (Trueblood) due to poor play. The Lions knocked GB’s Rogers out of the game and the defense came to play holding the Packers to 13 FD’s and 258 yds. Detroit despite their 3-10 record and a late season win over a division rival can give this young team the energy to not only finish the season strong but perhaps pull an upset as well. DL Suh is dominating the middle for Detroit and by him occupying 2 OL on every play the Lions have held 5 of their last 10 opponents to 290 yds or less. It’ll be a low scoring close game but I will go with the home who has the QB edge and will win another close one.

PHIL’S FORECAST: TAMPA BAY 24 DETROIT 21

 

ATLANTA AT SEATTLE
Rushing
Passing
Points
TO’s
ST
ATL 122
260
34
0.8
#11
SEA 92
280
20
2.2
#1

This is the Falcons 3rd straight road game (4th in 5 Wks) and they have a big MNF rematch at home vs the Saints on deck. In SEA's L/3 games vs a foe with a winning record (NYG, NO, KC) they are 0-3 being outgained by 203 ypg (-4 TO’s) and losing by 22 ppg. ATL has logged a 7-2 record vs NDIV foes TY with a 30-22 avg score however this will be the first poor weather game for Ryan and the Falcons this year with the forecasts in the 40’s. A wet field takes away their speed edge and it will be tough to keep the Falcon players from not looking ahead to hosting the Saints next week. Having an energetic HC in his first season with a team that plays well at home has me taking the Seahawks in a upset.

PHIL’S FORECAST:SEATTLE 17 ATLANTA 13

 

DENVER AT PITTSBURGH
Rushing
Passing
Points
TO’s
ST
DEN 116
205
18
1.9
#25
OAK 205
228
36
0.7
#12

OAK won the 1st meeting TY 59-14 where they dominated with a 328 (6.3) to 75 (4.4) rush edge. Including that game the Raiders are 4-0 in DIV play outgaining foes by 35 ypg (+2 TO’s) with a 36-18 avg score. They are getting the Broncos at the right time as they are on their 4th road game in 5 Wks (3rd straight) with career RB coach Studesville in his 2nd game as interim HC. DEN had a favorable matchup vs an ARZ team down to its 3rd string QB LW and looked inept getting outgained 357-288. The secret to the Raiders success is simple and that is running the ball. They have rushed for over 135+ yards 4 times this season winning each and now they face a Broncos defense allowing 169 ypg & 4.6 ypc on the road. The Broncos have also struggled with protection and in the L6W they’ve allowed 3+ sacks in 5 games losing all of them and the Raiders have had multiple sacks in 12 of 13 games TY incl 26 L/7W. The Raiders keep their playoff hopes alive.

PHIL’S FORECAST: OAKLAND 34 DENVER 24

 

 

HOUSTON AT TENNESSEE
Rushing
Passing
Points
TO’s
ST
HOU 148
248
23
1.0
#28
TEN 88
240
21
1.9
#6

After starting a different QB for 6 straight games, TEN went with Collins and put forth their best effort since the SD game. In their 6 game losing streak they have been outgained by 116 ypg (-9 TO’s) losing by a 25-15 avg score. The defense has given up 147 ypg rush (4.0) with a surprising 9-3 TD/Int ratio and 4 games of a 99 or higher QBR allowed. HOU is off LW’s MNF game vs BAL where their 4Q comeback fell on deaf ears as Schaub threw the pick-six in OT. The Texans have followed the same pattern the last few years and LY after they were out of the playoff race they finished winning 4 straight with a relaxed offense averaging 429 ypg and a fired up defense allowing only 300 ypg. Tennessee’s defense has allowed 300+ yards passing in 7 of the last 11 games and if they try to drop back in coverage Houston can again exploit the D with the run game as they did 4 weeks ago (188 yds, 4.8).

PHIL’S FORECAST: HOUSTON 31 TENNESSEE 24

ARIZONA AT CAROLINA
Rushing
Passing
Points
TO’s
ST
ARZ 118
148
21
2.2
#9
CAR 178
160
20
2.6
#13

Much has been made of Fox’s disconnect with the front office and ownership lately especially with the Panthers being 1-6 at home. QB Clausen has had a steep learning curve TY (0-7 as a starter with 1 TD pass) but he has a huge edge over ARZ who could be starting John Skelton again here. Buried as the #3 QB all year Skelton only had a weeks worth of practice snaps with the #1’s LW and it showed. Against a depleted DEN defense he was just 15-37-146. Carolina has the better defense and a young QB will struggle making his first road start against a defense allowing 56% completions at home. If Arizona tries to be conservative and run the Panthers are holding opponents to under 4.0 ypc at home.

PHIL’S FORECAST: CAROLINA 17 ARIZONA 13

BUFFALO AT MIAMI
Rushing
Passing
Points
TO’s
ST
BUF 92
168
11
2.0
#22
MIA 171
153
21
2.1
#29

Miami's defense deserves a lot of credit for holding onto a 10-6 win LW as the offense showed nothing with just 6 FD's and 131 yds. Henne looks to be a QB that needs a strong run game to back him up but MIA lacks that right now. Gailey has done an excellent job with this offense keeping them competitive despite a defense that needs a lot of help. The Dolphins are 4-1 vs the Bills including a 15-10 win in Wk 1. There was little film of how Gailey worked his offense from the preseason and the Dolphins were cautious on both sides of the ball. MIA had a 296-166 yd edge holding the Bills to just 1 drive over 30 yds with 7 of their 1st 9 drives ending as a punt. Henne (268 yds 63% 7-9) is 1-4 as a starter at home TY and has only led MIA a TD on 9 of 56 drives (16%) at home with 18 drives (32%) ending in punts. He hasn’t had much help on the ground as the Brown/Williams combo have been largely ineffective TY with MIA being outrushed 108 (3.7) to 81 (3.5) at home (159 ypg 4.5 at home LY). The Bills got a win last week as they outgained the Browns 323-187 holding them to 9 FD’s. Since their bye week Buffalo has been very competitive and much of the credit can go to a beleaguered OL that has allowed 2 sacks in just 1 game (BAL). BUF continues to play hard and keeps it close but the Dolphins bounce back.

PHIL’S FORECAST: MIAMI 24 BUFFALO 21

WASHINGTON AT DALLAS
Rushing
Passing
Points
TO’s
ST
WAS 94
263
20
2.1
#15
DAL 149
270
30
1.9
#8

These two met all the way back in Week 1 where WAS won 13-7 on SNF. DAL had 380-250 yd and 8:06 TOP edges in the game with an impressive goal line stand by the defense on the 1st drive of the 2H when the Redkskins had 1&gl from the 5. DAL missed a 34 yd FG WR in the 2Q and were hit with 5 penalties including an offensive holding penalty which nullified the game winning TD by Romo after a great scramble and throw to WR Williams on the final play of the game. The Cowboys are off a Sunday Night loss to Philly but have been impressive the L/5 weeks since Garrett took over. While the offense has put up their 2nd and 3rd highest totals gaining 427 at the NYG and 457 vs NO the key to the turnaround is that the Kitna run offense has turned the ball over just 2 times in the 3 SU wins. While a late season win LW could have given the Redskins a morale boost to finish the season I can’t think of a more deflating way to lose a game than to score on the final play and then botch an extra point attempt and QB Grossman will get the start here as the Cowboys should roll.

PHIL’S FORECAST: DALLAS 31 WASHINGTON 14

NEW ORLEANS AT BALTIMORE
Rushing
Passing
Points
TO’s
ST
NO 74
258
21
1.6
#18
BAL 121
255
24
1.0
#24

This game features a pair of playoff teams that have to play hard and get a little help to win their divisions. Baltimore is off a Monday night game at Houston where they gave up two 95+ yd TD drives in the 4Q but got a pick-six to win it in OT. They have to be still thinking about giving the game away vs Pittsburgh. While the Ravens defense has held 4 of 5 opponents to under 290 yds the L5W they are still getting exposed thru the air. They allowed 307 yds passing at home vs Denver, 374 yds passing at home vs Buffalo and allowed 307 yds passing to Atlanta vs the only true passing offenses they’ve faced. If you can move on Baltimore and their offense doesn’t get setup with good field position they’ve been pedestrian averaging 333 ypg the L4W. The Saints offense is now getting their weapons back and last week got a 31-13 win over St Louis. New Orleans on the road has now topped 400+ yds 4 straight games averaging 433 ypg. The forecast is for temperatures in the 40’s so I have no problems going with the Saints who have won 13 of their last 14 away games.

PHIL’S FORECAST:NEW ORLEANS 23 BALTIMORE 20

 

NY JETS AT PITTSBURGH
Rushing
Passing
Points
TO’s
ST
NYJ 85
183
7
2.1
#3
PIT 103
161
18
1.7
#14

This is the 1st meeting between the Jets and Steelers since NY won 19-16 back in 2007. However, Ryan has plenty of experience with PIT as the Ravens DC from 2005-08 logging a 4-4 record. This is a big battle between a pair of Playoff bound teams here and the Steelers could go a long ways to wrapping up the #2 seed with a win while the Jets need a win to stay ahead of the Wild Card pack. The Jets were upset by MIA LW and a closer look shows that the Jets are just 1-4 vs foes with a winning record TY being held to 10 or less in 3 matchups. Minus the 28-14 win vs NE in Wk 2 they have been outgained by 29 ypg (-4 TO’s) with a 21-4 avg score. Sanchez has been pretty bland in all 4 games avg 179 ypg (53%) with a 3-5 ratio with a puny 5.9 ypa. PIT is 3-3 being outgained by 3 ypg (0 TO’s) with a 19-18 scoring edge. While Roethlisberger is 1-2 SU vs a foe with a winning record TY avg 278 ypg (60%) with a 4-3 ratio, the key here is the rush attack. PIT has outrushed winning foes 111 (4.4) to 66 (2.9) on the year. I'm going with the home team that relishes physical games with only CAR and CLE on deck vs a Jets team with a road trip to CHI on deck.

PHIL’S FORECAST: PITTSBURGH 23 NY JETS 13