Week 10 Highlights

Here are the key plays and moments from week 10, in the NFL

Power Rankings after week 10

1. Indianapolis Colts (9 – 0)
2. New Orleans Saints (9 – 0)
3. Minnesota Vikings (8 – 1)
4. Cincinnati Bengals (7 – 2)
5. New England Patriots (6 – 3)
6. Pittsburgh Steelers (6 – 3)
7. San Diego Chargers (6 – 3)
8. Arizona Cardinals (6 – 3)
9. Dallas Cowboys (6 – 3)
10. Denver Broncos (6 – 3)
11. Green Bay Packers (5 – 4)
12. Atlanta Falcons (5 – 4)
13. Philadelphia Eagles (5 – 4)
14. Houston Texans (5 – 4)
15. New York Giants (5 – 4)
16. Baltimore Ravens (5 – 4)
17. Jacksonville Jaguars (5 – 4)
18. Miami Dolphins (4 – 5)
19. Carolina Panthers (4 – 5)
20. San Francisco 49’ers (4 – 5)
21. Chicago Bears (4 – 5)
22. New York Jets (4 – 5)
23. Tennessee Titans (3 – 6)
24. Washington Redskins (3 – 6)
25. Buffalo Bills (3 – 6)
26. Seattle Seahawks (3 – 6)
27. Kansas City Chiefs (2 – 7)
28. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1 – 8)
29. St. Louis Rams (1 – 8)
30. Oakland Raiders (2 – 7)
31. Detroit Lions (1 – 8)
32. Cleveland Browns (1 – 8)

If you have any comments or questions about these rankings, or anything else, leave a comment, or email nflgbview@googlemail.com

Week 10 Review

Falcons 19 Panthers 28
This was an upset for a lot of people, but one that I could see coming. The Falcons QB Matt Ryan has been on a poor run at the moment, and even though he had 224 yards and a TD here, he managed to throw 2 INT’s. I thought the important factor in this game would be who performed better in the run game. Michael Turner had a monster 1st half, running for 111 yards off just 9 carries, before getting injured. The ankle injury doesn’t look good, and may affect them as the season goes on. The Panthers RB’s had very good games. Williams ran for 92 yards, and Stewart picked up 82 yards and 2 TD’s. Jake Delhomme had a good game again, not turning the ball over, and throwing for 195 yards and 2 TD’s. Star WR Steve Smith even managed to get his first 2 TD’s of the year. A very good performance from the Panthers, they have managed to give themselves a slight shot at the playoffs. The only bad point is a broken ankle for left tackle Jordan Gross, which is a worry.

Buccaneers 23 Dolphins 25
This game should have been a lot more straight forward for my Dolphins, but the Buccaneers look like a different team now that rookie QB Josh Freeman is running the offence. Freeman threw for 196 yards and a TD; he did though throw 1 INT. The 2 headed monster of Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams ran for a total of 184 yards. Williams stepped up big in the 4th quarter after Ronnie Brown left the game with an ankle injury. He looks to be out of Thursday night’s game with the Panthers. The Dolphins defence managed to get to Josh Freeman 3 times and force one INT. Still with less than 2 minutes remaining, the Buccs took a 1 point lead, when Cadillac went in from 1 yard. The Dolphins kept their calm though, and Henne completed 2 big passes to Davone Bess, before a 27 yard rush by Ricky Williams set up the winning field goal. Closer than it should have been for the Phins, but with other results in the AFC East, they will now believe they can have a good run at the playoffs.

Lions 10 Vikings 27
This game wasn’t really a fair contest from the get go. Adrian Peterson had his expected big game, running for 133 yards and 2 TD. Brett Farve threw for 344 yards and a TD, and WR Sidney Rice went for an amazing 201 yards. Lions QB Matt Stafford had a better game than expected, having 224 yards and a TD. The only problem was he had no support from his run game, therefore he had to throw the ball way to many times (51 in all). The Vikings are very good, and rolling towards the playoffs. The Lions are quite bad, and are defiantly in contention, yet again, for that number one draft pick.

Jaguars 24 Jets 22
This result was another major shock for me. In my preview I gave the Jags no chance, but mistakes from rookie QB Mark Sanchez, and a huge day from MJD, gave the Jags this win. MJD ran for 123 yards and a TD, these numbers are now expected of him, no matter who the opposition are. The 2 QB’s had similar statistical days, Garrard throwing for 221 yards and a TD, Sanchez throwing for 212 and a TD. The only difference, the rookie Sanchez had 2 INT’s. The most interesting part of the game was with the Jags trailing by a point, MJD broke through, and took a knee at the 1 yard line with 1:48 left. The Jets had no time outs, and therefore couldn’t stop the Jags from running down the clock. They then kicked the winning FG as time expired. That’s how you do it Belichick.

Saints 28 Rams 23
This game was a lot more of a contest than expected. The main reason for this is that the Saints really struggled to slow down Steven Jackson. Jackson had 131 yards and a TD, and really did highlight the problem that the Saints have in this area. Also QB Drew Brees uncharacteristically threw 2 INT’s that helped the Rams. Their QB Bulger had a good day, 298 yards and a TD. The Saints also had injuries in their secondary, including Darren Sharper. They manage to get the win here, but the Rams are a poor team. If it wasn’t for the heroics of Reggie Bush, who had 98 total yards and 2 TD’s, this could have been embarrassing. The Saints won’t be the number 1 team in my power rankings this week.

Bills 17 Titans 41
So the Titans continue their run back into contention, or so they hope. RB Chris Johnson, who said that they will run the table and get to the playoffs, went off again. Johnson totalled 232 total yards and 2 TD’s. With a weapon like this VY just has to manage the game and this is what he is doing so well since coming back. Yes he is 3 – 0 as a starting QB this year. Who would have thought that just 4 weeks ago? VY threw for 210 yards and a TD, but did throw a INT. There is no shame in that though, as the safety that picked him off, Jairus Byrd, now has 8 INT’s this year. The Bills struggles on offence continued here, and the last ranked rush defence didn’t have a prayer against Chris Johnson, who now must be considered as one of the top 3 RB’s in the league. Can the Titans continue on this comeback trail?

Broncos 17 Redskins 27
This is another real shock upset for me. I can’t believe that the struggling Redskins offence managed to score 27 points on anyone, never mind this defence. They now must be worried, as next week they play the Chargers, for the lead in the division. QB Kyle Orton threw for 193 yards and 2 TD’s before leaving the game with an ankle injury. His replacement Chris Sims came in, and this good Redskins pass defence shut him down. He had just 3 completions for 13 yards. This is a major worry going forward. The Redskins RB Ladell Betts played very well replacing Clinton Portis. He had 114 yards and a TD. Also Jason Campbell looked good again, throwing for 193 yards and a TD. Perhaps more importantly he had no INT’s. This was a very good win for the Skins, but the Broncos, they’ve got to be very worried about next week.

Chiefs 16 Raiders 10
This was, as expected a very poor game. Raiders QB JaMarcus Russell had just 64 yards, before he was benched for the 2nd time this season. The funny thing is that his replacement Bruce Gradkowski, came in and threw 2 INT’s. This is a bad team. Thankfully Michael Bush had 119 yards, so at least somebody did something. The Chiefs in all fact weren’t much better. Jamal Charles looks to be a better option at RB than the cut LJ. Charles had 103 yards and a TD. At least the Chiefs have a QB who can throw the ball, Cassel had 216 yards, but 91 of those were to the now suspended Dwayne Bowe. These are 2 bad teams, but the slightly better one managed to get the win.

Seahawks 20 Cardinals 31
So the Seahawks needed to win to open up the NFC West, but they didn’t. The Cardinals get the win and stay very much in control of the division. QB’s had their expected big days, Warner 340 yards 2 TD’s, Hasselbeck 315 yards 1 TD. But the Seahawks QB also had 2 INT’s. Cardinals RB Beenie Wells looked very impressive in this game, running for 85 yards and 2 TD’s. But more importantly, Wells was running in a real run first, tough; eat the clock, style that will help open up the field for Warner and co in the passing game. This can only help to make the Cardinals offense even more potent than it already is. The Seahawks had to go with Justin Forsett at RB following an injury to Julius Jones. The 2nd year player looked very impressive though, running for 124 yards and a TD. He may help the Seahawks offence in the same way Wells helps the Cards. Both teams should improve in the coming weeks, but the Cards are the class of this division.

Cowboys 7 Packers 17
This game was a real shock to me. I said in my preview of the game that it would be high scoring (it was 3 – 0 at half time), I said the Cowboys and DeMarcus Ware would sack Rodgers often, (they did but Green Bay sacked Romo more) and the Cowboys would win. How wrong could I be? This turned out to be a defensive struggle, and the Packers defence, who changed their scheme to a 3-4 early in the year, DOMINATED!! The dominated so much that the only Cowboys score came when the game was over. I have a question for the Cowboys OC. Why only run the ball 14 times, when you are close in a game, and have that big strong dominant O line? I believe this is what cost the Cowboys here. Romo has been playing well recently, but he isn’t Brady or Manning. Give him some help, give him a running game. This is a huge win for the Packers and a real setback for the Cowboys. Just want to say what a game Packers CB Charles Woodson had – 9 tackles, 1 sack, 2 forced fumbles and 1 INT. That is my performance of the week.

Eagles 23 Chargers 31
This game did turn out to be quite an exciting one. The red hot Chargers jumped out to a 14 – 6 half time lead. They also lead 28 – 9 after 3 quarters, but the Eagles weren’t finished. Twice early in the 4th McNabb lead the Eagles down the field, and threw TD’s to Maclin and Celek, to make the game 28 – 23. The Chargers knew they needed to bleed the clock, and that’s exactly what they did as they ran a 12 play 66 yard drive that resulted in a FG with just 32 seconds left. Now the Eagles needed a TD and a 2 point conversion with 30 seconds on the clock. With just 2 seconds left McNabb heaved one to the end zone, only to be picked off by Antonio Cromartie. A major worry for the Eagles after this game was the fact that RB Brian Westbrook has another concussion. Chargers RB LT looks to be back to his old form. He ran for 96 yards and 2 TD’s, but his second TD run looked like the old LT. The Chargers are now level with the Broncos in the AFC West, and they meet for the lead in the division next week. For the Eagles, the blow of this loss was softened by the Cowboys loss, but how significant will the injury be to star RB Brian Westbrook?

Patriots 34 Colts 35
The game that probably should have been voted the ‘Game of the week’ took place at Lucas Oil Stadium. I thought before the game that it would be a high scoring game, that the injures in the Colts secondary would ultimately cost them, and the Patriots would hand them their first loss. With around 2:30 left in the game, and the Pats leading 34 – 21, that looked to be the case. But then Peyton Manning took over, and bought the still undefeated Colts back from the dead. First he drove them down to the 4 yard line, before Addai forced in. Then trailing by 6 they looked to have forced the Patriots to punt the ball from their 28 yard line on a 4th and 2. Bill Belichick, for some reason, decided to go for it, and put the game out of reach, but when Kevin Faulk’s reception was marked short, the Colts took over on downs. Peyton Manning, needing 28 yards for the win, what do you think was going to happen? He hit Reggie Wayne, and the Colts march on. Both QB’s in this game had their expected monster games. Brady had 375 yards and 3 TD’s; Manning had 327 and 4 TD’s. What looked to have won the game for the Pats was their very successful run game. Faulk ran for 79 yards, which is a lot for a Patriot RB. This may be a slight weakness that teams facing the Colts in the future may try to take advantage of. I think the Colts are now the best team in the NFL, and will be top of my power rankings this week.

Ravens 16 Browns 0
Monday night football turned out to be exactly what we expected, eventually. This game was the first game this season that the score was 0 – 0 at half time. The Ravens put this right on the 1st possession of the 2nd half though, when Ray Rice went in from 13 yards. Rice had 89 yards and the TD. The other TD came from Safety Dawan Landry, who picked off Brady Quinn, and ran it back 48 yards for the score. This win wasn’t really impressive enough for the Ravens against a very poor Browns team. QB Quinn had just 99 yards, no TD’s and 2 INT’S. They also managed just 86 rushing yards. Flacco had 155 yards for the Ravens. This is a big win for the Ravens, but they need to get considerably better, to be in the mix come playoff time.

Do you have any comments / questions about this article or anything else?? Let me know through comments on the blog, email me at nflgbview@googlemail.com or tweet me nflgbview.

Bengals 18 Steelers 12

So your ‘Game of the Week’ choice was the AFC North battle for top spot. Both teams stood at 6 – 2, the Bengals at 4 – 0 in the division, and with a shot at sweeping the Steelers for the first time since 1998. This game turned out to be a defensive battle with 2 of the best defences in the NFL. A major blow was dealt to the Steelers in the 1st quarter, when safety Troy Polamalu went down with a knee injury. Polamalu had missed the first meeting between the 2 sides, and was seen as the key to the Steelers being a lot more competitive this time around. The Steelers took a 3 – 0 lead through a Jeff Reed field goal, but on the following kick off, Bengals backup RB Bernard Scott ran the ball back 96 yards to give the Bengals the lead.

In the 2nd quarter though the Bengals chances of winning were dealt a huge blow as their star player of the season, and their hope against a Polamalu’less Steeler defence, Cedrick Benson went out of the game with a hip injury. Those worries were unfounded though as RB Scott came into the game, obviously encouraged by the run back earlier in the game, and churned out a hard 33 yards. The Steelers did go in at half time with a 9 – 6 lead (Bengals missed the extra point attempt) following 2 more Jeff Reed field goals.

The Steelers did struggle to get their run game going at any point during the contest. Rashard Mendenhall, who has been so impressive in recent weeks, ran for just 36 yards against a tough Bengals defence. The Bengals defence also managed to get 4 sacks on big Ben, and the young secondary looked very impressive. In the 3rd quarter just 2 FG’s were scored, both by Shayne Graham and the Bengals, to take a 12 – 9 lead.

Going to the 4th this was obviously a very close game. But surely at home, with the opponent’s best player out, the Steelers were still favourites. They went down the field, and levelled the game at 12, through Jeff Reeds 4th FG of the game. But the Bengals offence did enough to get 2 more FG’s, and that amazing defence held out the defending Superbowl Champion Pittsburgh Steelers, to take control of the AFC North. I now believe that the Bengals will sweep their division (they only have to beat the Browns) and go to the playoffs as AFC North champions. They must also be a threat to take a number 1 or 2 seed in the AFC, which would mean a ‘Wild card Weekend’ bye. Well done Cincinnati, you are now a tough, hardnosed, proven football team, a real threat down the line.

Monday Night Football Preview

Baltimore Ravens @ Cleveland Browns

The 4 - 4 Ravens travel to Cleveland to take on the 1 - 7 Browns. This is a huge game for the Baltimore Ravens. They are now 2 games behind the Steelers, and 3 behind the division leading Bengals. Therefore if they want to keep their playoff hopes alive, they have to win this game against the lowly Browns. The Browns, coming off their bye, have had a big shake up of the back room staff, sacking GM George Kokinis. They hope that this may show everyone at the club that their jobs are on the line. The Browns defence is pretty poor in all the stats, but it is ranked 31st in rush defence. This plays right into the Ravens, and Ray Rice's, hands. The only chance that the Browns have in this one is to hope the home crowd are as loud as possible for this big rivalry game, and the sacking of the GM fires everyone up enough. Do I believe this can happen, no!! I think the Ravens go into the Dog Pound, and get a very important win.

Lee's Prediction: Ravens 21 Browns 6

Week 10 Preview

Atlanta Falcons @ Carolina Panthers

The 5 – 3 Falcons travel to Carolina for a divisional matchup against the 3 – 5 Panthers. This is a big game for both teams as they try to keep pace with the runaway NFC South leading Saints. Falcons RB Michael Turner looks to be back to his best running for 166 yards and 2 TD’s last week against the Redskins. Panthers RB DeAngelo Williams also looks to have regained last season’s form, running for 158 and 149 yards in the last 2 games. The key to the game could well be which of these 2 have the best game, as both defences struggle against the run. Jake Delhomme is being a lot more careful with the ball recently, and is not been asked to win games by his self. Falcons QB Matt Ryan is having turnover problems recently, and I believe this will be the key factor, against the 6th ranked Panthers pass defence.

Lee’s Prediction: Falcons 14 Panthers 21

Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ Miami Dolphins

The battle of Florida takes place in Miami as the 3 – 5 Dolphins take on the 1 – 7 Buccaneers. The Buccs got their first win of the season last week, with 1st year QB Josh Freemans 1st start. The Phins also have a young QB in Chad Henne at the helm. I think the Dolphins defence will be able to get a lot of pressure on the rookie QB, coming from LB’s Joey Porter and Jason Taylor. This pressure will allow the Phins to force mistakes out of Freeman. I also think the Dolphins run game will be very effective against the 30th rank run .

Lee’s Prediction: Buccaneers 7 Dolphins 17

Detroit Lions @ Minnesota Vikings

The 1 – 7 Lions travel to take on the 7 – 1 Vikings in a NFC North clash. I don’t think this is going to be much of a contest, as Brett Farve and co should roll the Lions. QB Matthew Stafford and star WR Calvin Johnson are both back for the Lions, but this will not help. Jared Allen will get a lot of pressure on the rookie, and force mistakes from him. Expect BIG numbers from ‘All Day’ Adrian Peterson as the Vikings get up big. The Lions RB Kevin Smith will need to have a good game for the Lions to have any chance, but don’t expect much, as the Vikings have the 6th rank run defence. Pretty easy game to call in my eyes.

Lee’s Prediction: Lions 3 Vikings 28

Jacksonville Jaguars @ New York Jets

The 4 – 4 Jaguars travel to the ‘big apple’ to take on the 4 – 4 Jets. Jags RB MJD is the only bright spot for the Jags in this game. He will need to have a huge game, to keep the Jags competitive here. The Jags have struggled on the road this year (losing 3 of 4) and have had struggles in their pass attack. Jets CB Darrelle Revis and co (2nd rank pass defence) should completely shut down the pass game. The Jets rookie QB Mark Sanchez has made a few mistakes when he has come up against a good pass rush, the only problem is the Jags have a poor pass rush. In fact, they have a league low 8 sacks. The Jets 1st ranked rush attack should also have a field day against the poor rush defence of the Jags. Only one winner here.

Lee’s Prediction: Jaguars 7 Jets 17

Cincinnati Bengals @ Pittsburgh Steelers

In my opinion, this is the game of the week. The 6 – 2 joint leaders of the AFC North collide in Pittsburgh, and the winner will be in sole possession of 1st place. The Bengals did beat the Steelers in week 3, by picking holes in their zone pass defence. The big difference in this game, Troy Polamalu is back, therefore, the holes will be nowhere near as big. They may look to Cedrick Benson, who is having a monster season, to run the ball, and quieten the home crowd. This will be very difficult though against the number 1 rush defence. The offensive line for the Bengals will need a big day against this defence. James Harrison and co, love to pressure the QB, and force turnovers. Big Ben is playing very well at the moment (14 TD’s and a QB rating of 104.1), and I belive the Steelers, at home, will have to much.

Lee’s Prediction: Bengals 13 Steelers 21

New Orleans Saints @ St Louis Rams

I don’t think there is much to say about this game, as the undefeated 8 – 0 Saints travel to play the 1 – 7 Rams. St Louis has absolutely no chance of slowing down this offence. Their best offensive option is RB Steven Jackson, but he is no use to them when the opposition has a big lead. I believe the Saints will score early, and often, and put this game away very quickly.

Lee’s Prediction: Saints 37 Rams 6

Buffalo Bills @ Tennessee Titans

The 2 – 6 Titans, now on a 2 game winning streak, will host the 3 – 5 Bills. The Bills hope to have QB Trent Edwards back for this game. They face a real uphill battle though as their last ranked rush offence, takes on the 2nd best rush attack in the NFL. Look for Chris Johnson to have another very impressive game. The Bills do have a pretty good pass defence, but the Titans are doing a lot better job in that area now they have VY at QB. He is doing a great job of moving the pocket, keeping it simple, and finding the open man. For the Bills to win they will have to run the ball very effectively through Fred Jackson and Marshawn Lynch. I belive the Titans will take this, as they put points up early, and the Bills will have to rely on their poor pass game.

Lee’s Prediction: Bills 7 Titans 21

Denver Broncos @ Washington Redskins

The 6 – 2 Broncos, on a 2 game slide, travel to Washington to take on the 2 – 6 Redskins. It looks like the Redskins will be without 2 of its best offensive options in Cooley and Portis. This does not bode well, for an offense that is struggling badly to begin with. The other thing for the Redskins to worry about, is that the Broncos are 1 of the best defences in the league, look out for big Elvis Dumerville to get pressure on struggling Skins QB Jason Campbell. The Redskins have got quite a good defence, including the best defence against the pass. So I believe the key to the game is going to be Broncos RB Knowshon Moreno. If he has a good game, the Broncos will win. This will be a low scoring affair though.

Lee’s Prediction: Broncos 13 Redskins 7

Kansas City Chiefs @ Oakland Raiders

This looks to be a very poor game. The 1 – 7 Chiefs travel to Oakland to play this divisional game against the 2 – 6 Raiders. The Raiders will be hoping that QB JaMarcus Russell will have used the bye week well, and come out looking refreshed. They will also be hoping that their pass rush will be able to get to Matt Cassel, against an offensive line that has given up 30 sacks so far this year. The Chiefs look to have no real rush attack with the cut of Larry Johnson. But the addition of Chris Chambers looks to have significantly improved the pass game. This may not be a real factor though as the Raiders have the best CB in the league Nnamdi Asomugha. I believe this will be a low scoring game, with the home team just sneaking it.

Lee’s Prediction: Chiefs 7 Raiders 10

Seattle Seahawks @ Arizona Cardinals

This is a big game in the NFC West. The 3 – 5 Seahawks travel to the dessert to play the division leading 5 – 3 Cardinals. If the Seahawks can get the win here, it will open up the whole division. You never quite know which side of Arizona will show up from week to week. Will it be the team that went into the Meadowlands in week 7 and won, or will it be the team that got stomped 41 – 21 by the Bears last week. One thing is for certain though; they have only won 1 out of 4 home games this year. Kurt Warner will throw the ball around in this one, and may have some success against a pretty average Seahawks secondary. The Seahawks have had to deal with a lot of injuries this year. QB Matt Hasselbeck will have to have a big game here if they are to have any chance. The 30th ranked Seahawks rush attack will be almost nonexistent here against the 4th ranked Cardinals defence. This is a very hard game to call, but expect a lot of pass plays.

Lee’s Prediction: Seahawks 10 Cardinals 20

Dallas Cowboys @ Green Bay Packers

The 6 – 2 Cowboys travel to Lambeau to take on the 4 – 4 Packers. This game will have huge NFC playoff implications. The first thing that I think with this match is that Cowboys LB DeMarcus Ware must be very excited. The Packers offensive line has struggled all year to protect Aaron Rodgers, and D Ware certainly knows how to apply the pressure. I think this fact alone swings the game in the Cowboys favour. There’s no doubt that a lot of points will be put on the board by 2 very talented offenses, but I believe the Cowboys defence has a better chance of slowing Green Bay down, than vice versa.

Lee’s Prediction Cowboys 28 Packers 21

Philadelphia Eagles @ San Diego Chargers

The 5 – 3 Eagles travel to California, to play the 5 – 3 Chargers. This will be a very good game, and will give a clearer view of both team’s playoffs aspirations. The Eagles young, but very talented offence may need to put a lot of points on the board to overcome the in form Chargers in this one. The big play ability of DeSean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin is always a huge threat. Phillip Rivers and the Chargers are on a 3 game winning streak. The Chargers may look to use the aggressive Eagles defence against them, with quick screens to Sproles and LT. Merriman and Phillips will look to pressure McNabb, and take away some of that big play capability. This should be a very interesting game to watch.

Lee’s Prediction: Eagles 14 Chargers 24

New England Patriots @ Indianapolis Colts

Sunday Night Football is a HUGE matchup as the 6 – 2 Patriots and the undefeated 8 – 0 Colts collide. These are 2 of the best teams in the NFL, with the best 2 QB’s in Manning and Brady. What a game this promises to be. The only factor that may spoil this game is the fact that the Colts have major injury problems in their secondary, and I believe that the high powered Patriot offence will take full advantage. This is undoubtedly going to be a high scoring game, with these great offences, the difference may well be which defence can slow the opposition down. I believe the Patriot defence is better, and with the injuries to the Colt defence as well, I can only see one winner.

Lee’s Prediction: Patriots 35 Colts 28

Bears 6 49'ers 10

So the first Thursday night game of the season was a classic defensive struggle that was though very good to watch. I mentioned in the preview for this game about the troubles Bears QB Jay Cutler has had this year with turnovers, he didn’t let me down here. Cutler threw 5 INT’s in this game, including one in the redzone to end the game. To be fair to Cutler, not all of these INT’s were his fault, but they still occurred. The major problem with the Bears is they have no offensive balance at all. RB Matt Forte struggled again running for just 41 yards on the ground. He did though go for 120 yards off screen pass plays. If the Bears cannot run the ball, the defence knows exactly what to expect, and they took full advantage of this here. 49’er RB Frank Gore ran for 104 yards and a TD, and rookie WR Crabtree again looked impressive. QB Alex Smith looked agile in the pocket for the 49’ers, and defiantly looks like an upgrade at the position over former starter Shaun Hill. The 49’ers look to be improving and have put themselves right back in the hunt in the NFC West. The Bears on the other hand look in trouble in the competitive NFC North. Their running game is a major problem going forward, and if they don’t get this problem sorted, they will really struggle to make the playoffs.

Do you want to go head to head with me on picks this week, or any week?? Email your picks to nflgbview@googlemail.com.

Thursday Night Football

Chicago Bears @ San Francisco 49’ers

The first edition of Thursday night football this season sees the 4 – 4 Bears in San Francisco, to play the 3 – 5 49’ers. This is a big game for both teams as they try to keep pace with the leading teams in their division. The Bears are not the defence that we are used to seeing, due to the early season ending injury to LB Brian Urlacher. The defence is now just an average unit, and is also pretty poor against the run. On the offensive side of the ball the Bears have been very disappointing in the run game. Coming in to the season Matt Forte was expected to be one of the top RB’s in the league, but he has struggled so far. QB Jay Cutler has had big numbers, but has also struggled with turnovers, especially on the road. Alex Smith is now the starting QB for the 49ers, he also has had his problems with turning the ball over. When he does keep hold of the ball though, he has done very well. He has done especially well throwing to TE Vernon Davis, who has had a big season (477 receiving yards and 7 TD’s). With this production, along with the improving rookie Michael Crabtree, the 49’ers should have a decent passing attack. Also the run game is quite impressive, with the double headed monster, Gore and Coffee. I believe the run defence of the 49ers will keep the struggling Bears run game quite, therefore forcing Cutler to throw more and tempting fate, with those turnover tendencies. I believe Gore and Coffee will get it done against this weakened Bears defence, and the big play ability of Crabtree and Davis will see the 49’ers through.

Lee’s Prediction: Bears 14 49’ers 24

Tell me your prediction for the game at nflgbview@googlemail.com.