We are approaching the halfway point of the 2010 NFL season, and the divisional races will start to heat up. I will now provide some interesting stats for you to chew on. It’s interesting to note that 19 of the 32 teams are .500 or better right now and 17 of them have 4+ wins. Each NFC division currently has a team with just 1 win, notably the Dallas Cowboys. The top 5 passer ratings belong to the AFC. Week 8 brings some intriguing match-ups to us football fans. The Green Bay Packers travel to face the New York Jets, who had a bye week to prepare. Randy Moss and the Minnesota Vikings will be in Foxboro to face the New England Patriots. The Tennessee Titans travel to San Diego, where an irate Philip Rivers awaits. The Pittsburgh Steelers are in New Orleans in an attempt to further disappoint the Saints. Monday night provides us with some good entertainment as the Houston Texans try to sweep the Indianapolis Colts.
Sunday, October 31st
Miami (3-3) @ Cincinnati (2-4)
Both of these teams have disappointed me this season. I expected the Bengals to contend for a division title and the Dolphins to play better defense. The Dolphins are undefeated on the road and are the better football team.
Prediction: Miami 23, Cincinnati 20
Jacksonville (3-4) @ Dallas (1-5)
The records show Jacksonville is the better team, but they’re not. Dallas has the superior offense and defense and should actually blow the Jaguars out of the water. However, Jon Kitna gets the start, as Tony Romo will be sidelined for 6-8 weeks, maybe the entire season.
Prediction: Dallas 30, Jacksonville 17
Washington (4-3) @ Detroit (1-5)
The interesting thing here is the Lions actually have a better point differential (+6) than the Redskins (-3), despite their records. Matt Stafford returns to the lineup and will likely be rusty. I think the Lions will shock us with a win at home here.
Prediction: Detroit 26, Washington 24
Buffalo (0-6) @ Kansas City (4-2)
The Bills gave the Ravens a scare last week, sending the game into overtime. The Chiefs throttled the Jaguars, putting up 42 points. The Bills are 27th in total offense, 28th in total defense, and on the road. I think I’ll go with Kansas City here, but Ryan Fitzpatrick will make it interesting.
Prediction: Kansas City 31, Buffalo 20
Carolina (1-5) @ St. Louis (3-4)
Carolina is winless on the road, and the Rams’ three wins are at home. The Panthers are atrocious on offense, but have a top 10 defense. The problem with that defense, though, is that they can’t stop the run. The Rams win at home since Steven Jackson should have a lot of success, opening things up for super rookie Sam Bradford.
Prediction: St. Louis 24, Carolina 17
Green Bay (4-3) @ New York Jets (5-1)
This game should be entertaining. Aaron Rodgers gets to face arguably the toughest defense in the NFL, and they had two weeks to prepare. The Packers are banged up and will keep it close for a while, but will fall to 4-4.
Prediction: New York Jets 23, Green Bay 20
Denver (2-5) @ San Francisco (1-6)
Both of these teams have been underperforming this year, especially the 49ers. Denver can’t run or stop it. It will likely be an ugly game, but Denver should prevail.
Prediction: Denver 30, San Francisco 20
Tennessee (5-2) @ San Diego (2-5)
The Titans are impressing me this year, but they’re going on the road to the team that is ranked #1 in total offense and #1 in total defense. Save for those boneheaded mistakes last week, the Chargers would have beaten the Patriots. The Chargers will play better this week and come out on top.
Prediction: San Diego 27, Tennessee 17
Tampa Bay (4-2) @ Arizona (3-3)
Tampa is undefeated on the road, and Arizona is undefeated at home. Neither of these offenses and defenses are very good, so it’ll make for an interesting, but boring, game. I will go with the home team here since Arizona beat New Orleans, but Tampa got smoked by them.
Prediction: Arizona 20, Tampa Bay 16
Minnesota (2-5) @ New England (5-1)
Tom Brady hasn’t lost a regular season home game since 2006. The Vikings could be without Brett Favre. The Patriots’ running game has improved, ranking 9th in the NFL. Randy Moss returns, which should add to some drama, but he’ll be wishing he never wanted out.
Prediction: New England 30, Minnesota 17
Seattle (4-2) @ Oakland (3-4)
This game features a pair of interesting teams who surprise us some weeks and leave us disappointed in others. Oakland put up a whopping 59 points last week in Denver. The Raiders’ rushing attack won’t have the same success as they face the #2 defense against the run. Seattle isn’t a very good road team, and Oakland will put up just enough points to win.
Prediction: Oakland 17, Seattle 13
Pittsburgh (5-1) @ New Orleans (4-3)
The Steelers are undefeated on the road. New Orleans is terribly mediocre this year in general, losing badly to the Browns last week. The game will provide a lot of back-and-forth action since both offenses can move the football. The question is: which defense will make the key stops? The Steelers have looked much better than the Saints this year, so I have to go with them.
Prediction: Pittsburgh 24, New Orleans 20
Monday, November 1st
Houston (4-2) @ Indianapolis (4-2)
This is a great re-match from week one, where the Texans stunned the Colts. Both teams are coming off of a bye, and the Colts should win this game at home, as the Texans have the worst total defense in the NFL, allowing 410 yards per game.
Prediction: Indianapolis 34, Houston 20
Bye: Atlanta, Chicago, Cleveland, NY Giants, Philadelphia, Baltimore
