Week 8 Highlights

Take a look at the key plays and big moments from week 8, around the NFL

NFL London Game Review

Broncos 16 49'ers 24

After the long wait, the NFL finally arrived back in the UK on Sunday, and after a slow start, the game turned out to be an exciting showdown.  The day started with a performance by 'My Chemical Romance', and then 'The Star-Spangled Banner' by former 'Destinys Child' member Michelle Williams, and a strange version of 'God Save the Queen' by guitarist Jeff Beck.  Just a quick hint to the NFL, if you want to get the full effect of our national anthem, you do need a singer to help the crowd come in at the right time.  If you do this, the crowd will bring the hairs on the back of your neck up, with a thunderous rendition.  The 'home team' 49'ers took the field to the usual fireworks show, and the 83,941 fans in attendance were ready for the show to begin.

The first half was very slow, with the 49'ers trying to move the ball on the ground through RB Frank Gore, and the Broncos struggling to get anything going either through the air or on the ground.  The score at the half was just 3 - 0 49'ers, thanks to a Joe Nedney 34 yard FG. 

The 2nd half began with the Broncos kicking to the 49'ers.  They managed to move the ball from the 20 yard line, before it stalled on the half way line.  This movement was mainly down to Gore, who finished the game with 118 yards and a TD.  After they punted to the Broncos, they managed to get their first big play of the day, a deep throw from QB Kyle Orton, to WR Brandon Lloyd for 71 yards, down to the 1 yard line.  The Broncos bought in back up QB Tim Tebow, who took the ball in on a QB keeper.  This but the Broncos up 7 - 3.  The 49'ers started to show life and QB Troy Smith was heating up as he found Josh Morgan for 30 yards.  They were left to try a 52 yard FG, which Nedney hit the post.  After a few short possessions, the Broncos managed to get into field goal range, which Matt Prater hit from 32 yards, 10 - 3 Broncos.

The last 14 minutes were what will be known as, Troy Smith time.  He made a play were he scrambled right and completed the pass to Delaine Walker for 38 yards, before running the ball in himself, levelling the game up.  The play to Walker was described by HC Mike Singeltery as ' Farve like'.  The Niners defence got the ball back and Smith found WR Michael Crabtree for a 28 yards TD, 17 - 10 Niners.  The 49'ers defence came up big again as LB Manny Lawson forced Orton to fumble, and it was covered up by LB Takeo Spikes at the Denver 18.  Gore ran in another TD, and the 49'ers were up 24 - 10 with just under 4 minutes left.  The Broncos managed to score another TD, Orton to Bandon Lloyd, but the game finished 24 - 16 Niners.

The game was a huge success again, and I can't wait for next years specticle.  Keep in touch with nflgbview to find out all the latest NFL information, including next years Wembley game.  Keep in touch through this blog, twitter or facebook.

Power Rankings after week 8

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

If you agree or disagree with any of these power rankings, leave a comment. If you have any other questions regarding any topic you like, get in touch - nflgbview@googlemail.com.

Week 8 Review

Broncos 7 Ravens 30

Well in the preview for this game I said about how the Ravens defence had struggled over the past few weeks. The bye week has defiantly sorted that out. The Ravens D got back to it formidable best against a previously undefeated team, and were so dominant, the Broncos offense was only in Ravens territory 3 times. Joe Flacco did his usual game managing best; he threw for 175 yards and a TD. Ray Rice, who has proven himself to be the number 1 option at RB in Baltimore, ran for 84 yards and a TD. But this wasn’t as big of a blowout as the score line suggests, only 2 TD’s in the 4th made it look that way. The excellent Broncos defence kept them in this game until that point, even on the back of the offences struggles. The Broncos will win a lot more games this season because of that defence; they are just not built to play from behind. Kyle Orton, much like Joe Flacco, is a game manager, and will make few mistakes. This is great if you are leading, but he is unable to put the team on his back to mount a comeback. A great win for the Ravens to stop the rot, they are now back in the hunt in the exciting AFC North.

Texans 31 Bills 10
This game put one of the best passing offences (Texans) against a ball hawking secondary (Bills) , and the league’s worst run defence (Bills) against a struggling running team (Texans). Interesting?? Well it looked it as the Bills took an early lead, and the Texans supposed star RB Steve Slaton fumbled his first carry and was benched, game on! The passing game went as we expected, Schaub throwing for 268 yards, but also throwing 2 INT’s to that man Jarius Byrd again. The difference in the end was the Bills inability to put points on the board, and the emergence of Slaton’s replacement at RB – Ryan Moats. Moats ran for 126 yards and 3 4th quarter TD’s to seal the game, I wonder if Slaton’s job is now at risk? Big win for the Texans as they now improve to 5 – 3 in their pursuit of the Colts. The bad news for the Texans is the season ending injury to TE Owen Daniels; this may affect them as the season wears on.

Browns 6 Bears 30
This game went pretty much according to plan. The Bears managed to turn up the heat with their defence, and managed to force 5 turnovers from the Browns. Derek Anderson completed just 6 of 17 passes, and threw 2 INT’s. Brady Quinn did play a small part of the game, and who knows what is going to happen regarding the QB position in Cleveland. Matt Forte finally had a decent game for the Bears, running for 90 yards and 2 TD’s. The Bears hope he has now turned the corner, because his production has been missed. The Bears didn’t look great in this game (Cutler 225 yards 1 INT) but they had way too much for an abysmal Browns squad. They needed this win to, as their division looks to be very tough.

Seahawks 17 Cowboys 38
The Cowboys come out firing again at home, and look very impressive once again. I stated in the preview for this game that the Cowboys roster is full of talent, and this was very much in evidence as 5 Cowboys scored TD’s in this game. Tony Romo looked very good, throwing for 256 yards and 3 TD’s. The Cowboys defence got to, and sacked, Matt Hasslebeck, who had a decent game in the losing effort for the Seahawks. The Cowboys look like they can be a very strong threat as the season moves forward, and with the result in the Eagles / Giants game, the NFC East is going to be a great division to watch. This is another disappointing loss for the Seahawks, but even with their 2 – 5 record, they still cannot be counted out in the weak NFC West.

49’ers 14 Colts 18
The Colts manage to grind out their 7th win of the season, and their 16th straight regular season win. This is a very impressive stat, but the 49’ers played extremely well in this game, and gave the undefeated Colts all they could handle. The 49’ers D managed to get enough pressure on the great Payton Manning with their front 4, so that they didn’t have to bring any extra blitzers. This meant the other 7 defenders could clog up pass lanes for Manning and even though he managed to throw for 347 yards, he didn’t throw a TD. The TD pass for the Colts in this game came from Joseph Addai, in the 4th, to give the Colts the win. Alex Smith did start at QB for San Fran, throwing for 198 yards and a TD. Frank Gore played well for the 49’ers, as did rookie Michael Crabtree. With these attacking options, and a very good defence, I still believe the 49’ers can win a lot more games this year, and challenge Arizona in the poor NFC West.

Giants 17 Eagles 40
Well, another dismal performance by the Giants in a big game. Eli Manning really struggled to cope with the pressure that the Eagles D were putting him under. This coupled with the fact that the Eagles were getting big plays from all over the field; put them out of sight. The Eagles big play ability was there for all to see on just their 3rd play from scrimmage. Leonard Weaver took the hand off, and went 41 yards for the TD. The Eagles D stepped up, and Eli had his pass (1st of 2) picked off by Asante Samuel, which the Eagles quickly turned into 6 more. This set the tone for the rest of the first half, and after TD’s from WR’s Maclin and the customary big play from DeSean Jackson, the score at half time was 30 – 7 and the game was over. The NFC East is set up really nice now as next week the Eagles and Cowboys collide in another huge game.

Rams 17 Lions 10
In a week full of really exciting games, this was not one of them. In fact, with just a couple of minutes on the clock before half time the score stood at 3 – 2, wow! To break this 3 – 2 bore fest; the Rams faked a FG, and their kicker (Josh Brown) threw a 36 yard TD pass to Daniel Fells. Finally some excitement. The Lions got a TD and a 2 point conversion to tie the game at 10, which left the best player on the field to get the game winning TD. Rams RB Steven Jackson is having a really good season, apart from the fact he hasn’t scored a TD, until Sunday that is. Jackson ran for 149 yards and his first TD, to carry the poor Rams past the even worse Lions, so both teams now have 1 win each. So, over to you Tampa.

Raiders 16 Chargers 24
So could the Chargers keep up the pressure on division leaders Denver, and continue their dominance over rivals Oakland?? Of course they could. Rivers had a decent game throwing for 249 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT and Vincent Jackson had 103 yards receiving and 1 TD. The other big plus for the Chargers was that even though L.T only ran for 56 yards, he managed to get in the end zone twice. This was a huge win for the Chargers, even though it was expected. History tells us they will now get on a roll, and give Denver a real fight for the division title. If they are to do this though, they will have to begin next week in the Meadowlands against the Giants. Russell threw for just 109 yards for the Raiders, also 0 TD’s and 1 INT. He and the Raiders are very poor.

Jaguars 13 Titans 30
I hate to say it people, but I did call that this would be the week that the Titans would get their first win. Vince Young started the game, took care of the ball, and threw for 125 yards and 1 TD. He also ran for 31 yards. The explosiveness of RB Chris Johnson was the difference on the day. He ran for 228 yards and 2 TD’s. His TD runs were of 52 yards and 89 yards respectively. On the other side of the ball MJD ran for 177 yards, and his 2 TD runs were of 80 and 79 yards. Can we please get some run defence? The Titans looked back to the style that we saw from them last year, which is pound the ball (White also got 47 yards rushing). Will they now make a run?? Or will Young slip back into making mistakes?

Vikings 38 Packers 26
Brett Farve, the former Green Bay legend, returned to Lambeau for the first time, as a member of the arch rival Vikings. As he entered the field he received huge boos from the home fans, which I believe is to be expected. Did it affect his performance? Only in a positive way. Farve threw for 244 yards and 4 TD’s on his return, and showed the Packer organisation just what they had let go. The score was 17 – 3 Vikings at half time, as the Packers struggled to get anything going on offence. One of the main reasons for this was the fact they could not keep QB Aaron Rodgers upright. He was sacked a total of 6 times, 3 by Jared Allen. This has been a huge problem for the Packers all year, and one that needs to be sorted if they are to have any level of success this season. Rookie WR Percy Harvin made a few big plays for the Vikings offence, including a 51 yard TD reception. The Vikings now have a strangle hold on the NFC North, and will probably feel slightly aggrieved that they aren’t still undefeated, after the heartbreak loss to the Steelers last week.

Panthers 34 Cardinals 21
This to me was the shock of the week. We go on about the effectiveness of Kurt Warner, and how ineffective Jake Delhomme can be. In this game it was like they were playing for the opposite teams. Kurt Warner threw a total of 5 INT’s and also fumbled once. Delhomme on the other hand threw for 90 yards, 1 TD and most impressively 0 INT. As you can tell from those stats, Delhomme did not have to throw the ball much. This was due to the success of the Panthers running game. We knew this running game was there, it is what took the Panthers to the playoffs last year, but we did not expect it to show itself here, against the number 1 defence against the run. Williams had 158 yards and Stewart had 87 yards and 2 TD’s. This was exactly what was needed to take the pressure off Delhomme. This was a HUGE win for the Panthers as they try to pull themselves back into the hunt in the NFC South, it’s a long way back, but they have to start somewhere. This is typical Cardinals football. After a massive win on the road against the Giants last week, we were all believers. This week they make us all look rather stupid.

Falcons 27 Saints 35
Monday night football was a big game in the NFC South. The division leading Saints welcomed the Falcons to the Superdome. I thought we might be in for a bit of a shootout and we were not disappointed. Both QBs had good games Brees – 308 yards, 2 TD’s, 1 INT. Ryan 289 yards, 1 TD, 3 INT’s. Also the running game for both teams was very good as Turner went for 151 yards for Atlanta, and Thomas and Bell combined for 140 yards for the Saints. As you can tell by these stats the game was close right up to the end. The Falcons kicked a FG with 31 seconds left to pull them within 8 points of the Saints. They converted the onside kick to give them a chance. With just 3 seconds on the clock Matt Ryan threw the ball to the endzone, only to be intercepted by Saints safety Darren Sharper (his 7th INT of the year). This win takes the Saints to 7 – 0, equalling their best ever start, and puts them in a very commanding position in the division. The Saints go marching on!

Dolphins 30 Jets 25

Well the ‘Game of the week’ that you all voted for looked to be a really poor choice at half time as the score stood at 3 – 3. These two rush first, defensive minded teams were completely cancelling each other out, and I personally could not believe I was watching the same teams that just 3 weeks earlier had provided the 31 – 27 thriller at Land Shark Stadium.

The second half though was a completely different story. The game became littered with huge plays, and the excitement went right down to the last minute or so. The big news coming out of Miami before the game was that Ted Ginn Jr, the Dolphins former first round pick, and supposed game changing WR, was dropped in favour of Brian Hartline (a rookie, picked up in the 4th round of last years draft). Also my thought that the game was going to be a bad tempered affair was proven, as players were getting in each others faces, in the warm up. All set for the game of the week then.

As I said the first half was slightly dull and the 3 – 3 score summed that up. The Jets came out running hard in the second half. So much so they were lining up for virtually every play in a goal line set. The drive eventually stalled, but Jets kicker Jeff Feeley drilled a 55 yard FG, to give the Jets the 6 – 3 lead. Feely, who had made the tackle on Ginn on his previous 2 kicks in the game, kicked deep to Ginn who collected the ball on the goal line. Ginn bought the ball out, bounced outside, and outran the Jets coverage to score. This was a really explosive play, and lit the touch paper under the game. On the Jets next possession, they continued to pound the ball, to the annoyance of the home crowd. Shonn Green then took the ball, went between the tackles, but was hit hard by Phins D-lineman Paul Soliai. Soliai stripped the ball from Green which Jason Taylor collected, and took the ball back 48 yards to put the Phins in control, up 17 – 6.

Their dominance looked to get stronger as the defence forced a 3 and out, and the Jets had to punt away. Davone Bess was under the punt; his hands let him down though as he put the ball on the ground, and the Jets recovered at the 29 yard line. The Jets finally started to air the ball out and got the ball down to threw 1 yard line. Everyone was expecting the Jets to try and run this in, put Sanchez kept the ball on a bootleg, and ran the ball in completely unopposed. In fact some of the Dolphins players were fighting for the ball on the ground, as they thought it had been fumbled. With the score at 17 – 12, the Jets wanted to go for 2, to bring them within a FG. But a false start penalty meant they decided to just kick the extra point. Feely, for some unknown reason, kicked the ball deep to Ginn again, and he took the ball from 1 yard inside the end zone, sidestepped 2 tackles, and went the distance to tie the NFL record of 2 kick returns in 1 game.

The Jets, now realising they needed points fast, continued to throw the ball against the very young Dolphins secondary. A 53 yard Sanchez pass took them to the 20 yard line, and on the next play, Sanchez threw to Braylon Edwards, who fighting against 2 Dolphins defenders, fell backwards into the end zone (24 – 19). The Jets decided to go for 2 again, but Sanchez’s fade pass was intercepted by Vonte Davis.

The Dolphins knew they had to take control of this game the best way they know how to, they ran the ball, and ran down the clock. With just 8.48 on the clock, Joey Haynos caught a Henne pass, to give the Phins a 30 -19 lead. Sanchez hit Keller for a 16 yard TD, and with the score 30 – 25, they failed again at the 2 point conversion. The Jets got the ball back and drove to the 12 yard line with 2 minutes left. So here we are, the Jets need to get in from 12 yards, or they lose to the Dolphins (again!). First down - Thomas Jones runs for 4 yards. Second down – Sanchez keeps the ball, dropped by Randy Starks. Third down – Starks sacks Sanchez back at the 16 yard line. So its 4th and 14, from the 16 yard line. Sanchez, obviously worried about the pass rush, drops to the 30 yard line, throws to the endzone, but it goes out the back, and the Dolphins are able to run out the remaining 1:06, to get a big divisional win.

A great game people, good choice.

Lee’s prediction: Dolphins 24 Jets 20, correct winner and pretty close with the score.

Week 8 Preview

Denver Broncos at Baltimore Ravens

The first of many, great games this week. The undefeated 6-0 Broncos go into Baltimore; to take on a shell socked 3-3 Ravens team. After starting the season 3-0, the Ravens went into last week’s bye at .500. The concerning thing about this fact is that they are now 2 games back, it what looks like being a very competitive division. They therefore will really need this win, against a very impressive Broncos team. The Broncos have been all about defence this year, and their most impressive player has been outside linebacker Elvis Dumervil. He has already racked up a huge 10 sacks and 2 forced fumbles this year. These stats have helped the Broncos become one of the top defences in the league, 1st in points against (11) and 2nd in yards against (262.5). You may think this would be a battle of 2 great defences, the only problem, is the usually solid Ravens D, has been quite weak, especially against the pass. The Broncos main strength is not the pass, although with WR Brandon Marshall, and the not spectacular, but very reliable QB Kyle Orton, they may take advantage of this weakness. Look out for Ray Rice and Joe Flacco to get this uncharacteristically good Ravens offence some points – if they can keep Dumervil out. Going to be an interesting, and hard to predict game.

Lee’s Prediction: Broncos 17 Ravens 21

Houston Texans at Buffalo Bills

The 4 – 3 Texans, travel to western New York to play the 3 – 4 Bills. QB Trent Edwards is still out for the Bills, so Ryan Fitzpatrick will get the start. This should be exciting to watch as the 3rd best passing attack of the Texans, takes on the Bills defence, who have 13 INT’s this year. A problem for Houston is the injury to star WR Andre Johnson. Johnson received a bruised lung last week, and they are not sure whether he will play. The Bills offence is pretty poor, and I don’t think they will be able to score enough points to stay in this game. Houston need to get the running game going with Steve Slaton, to keep the ball out of the reach of the play making Bills secondary. The Bills are also the worst team in the NFL, against the run.

Lee’s Prediction: Texans 17 Bills 10

Cleveland Browns at Chicago Bears

The 3 – 3 Bears need to win against the poor 1 – 6 Browns at Soldier Field. Jay Cutler has played well so far in Chicago; he has had his problems though, with INT’s. He has yet to throw an INT at Soldier Field though. RB Matt Forte has yet to rediscover last years form for the Bears. I believe this will be the week he gets back to his best though against the 31st ranked rush defence. The Browns are a poor offensive and defensive team. Kick returner Josh Cribbs is their best weapon. They will lose many games this year and this is defiantly one of them.

Lee’s Prediction: Browns 3 Bears 21

Seattle Seahawks at Dallas Cowboys

The 4 – 2 Cowboys, at home again this week, take on the 2 – 4 Seahawks. The Cowboys are coming off a very good win last week, and are starting to look very good. The Cowboys have alot of talent on their roster, and if everyone plays as they should, they will be very dangerous. WR Miles Austin has had huge games this season, and the Seahawks are not great at defending the pass. Seattle QB Matt Hasslebeck has been sacked 7 times this season, they also had backup QB Wallace sacked 8 times. This shows the Seahawks have offensive line problems. Not good when Demarcus Ware and co are around. I believe the Cowboys get a big win here.

Lee’s Prediction: Cowboys 24 Seahawks 13

Miami Dolphins at New York Jets

The 4 - 3 Jets welcome the 2 – 4 Dolphins to Giants stadium, with revenge on their minds. Still fresh in the minds of the Jets players and coaches will be the sight of Ronnie Brown, running in for a game winning TD, in the final seconds of the game, just 3 weeks ago at Dolphins Stadium. Not to mention, the game in week 17 last year, when the Dolphins won in New York, to take the AFC East title and their place in the playoffs. Rex Ryan, has made sure that the Jets aren’t the only team to be really up for this rivalry game. Since the off season, he has continually bad mouthed the Dolphins and their tactics - most notably, Channing Crowder and the wildcat formation. This week, he also added a ‘boo hoo’ statement, when asked about the injury to Dolphins CB Will Allen. This will be a bad tempered game. The main keys to this game will be if the Jets can stop the wildcat, and if the Dolphins can pressure rookie QB Mark Sanchez into making mistakes. I know that the Dolphins can bring pressure, and Sanchez has thrown 10 INT’s this season. Rex Ryan did stop the wildcat last season when he was coaching in Baltimore, but the Jets D is not as talented as the Ravens D was. I believe may Dolphins will get a BIG rivalry win.

Lee’s Prediction: Dolphins 24 Jets 20

San Francisco 49’ers at Indianapolis Colts

The Colts have quietly, but impressively, marched to a 6 – 0 start. The 49’ers looked very good early on this year, but the last few weeks have dropped to 3 – 3. Alex Smith will get the start this week, after leading the 49’ers back (falling just short), against the Texans last Sunday. To be honest, I don’t think this will make any difference. The Colts offence is 2nd in points scored, 4th in total yards and are the NFL’s number 1 passing team. That is down to number 18, Peyton Manning. He is having an amazing season 1,880 yards and 15 TD’s. This game would have looked alot better if it were a couple of weeks ago, but the Colts will have to much here.

Lee’s Prediction: 49’ers 10 Colts 24

New York Giants at Philadelphia Eagles

The suddenly shaky New York Giants (5 – 2) and the unproven Eagles (4 – 2) clash in a very important divisional game. The Giants, who raced to a 5 – 0 start (against really bad teams) have since lost their last 2 games against the Saints and the Cardinals (good teams). This has started to raise questions about the Giants ability to play in big games. Their offense has being performing well 27.9 points and 391.3 yards per game. Their defence has done well against the pass, but surprisingly bad against the run. This may not be as bigger worry against the Eagles this week, as it looks like they will be without star RB Brian Westbrook, who was knocked out in Mondays win against the Redskins. The Giants will have to be wary of big play WR DeSean Jackson, who can make a play from many different situations. Also Michael Vick is yet to make a real impression on a game out of the wildcat formation, will this be that game? I think this game will be very competitive, but ultimately, the Giants should have too much, and prove they can win against decent teams.

Lee’s Prediction: Giants 27 Eagles 24

St. Louis Rams at Detroit Lions

This game, should be very interesting, for all the wrong reasons. The 0 – 7 terrible Rams travel to Detroit, to play the not much better 1 – 5 Lions. These are clearly 2 of the worst teams in the NFL, and 2 of the teams competing for the unwanted number 1 pick in next year’s draft. Detroit’s number 1 pick from last year, QB Matthew Stafford, is practicing again, and may be fit to start the game. Star WR Calvin Johnson has missed practice most of the week with a knee injury. The best offensive weapon in this game comes in the form of St. Louis RB Steven Jackson. He is 3rd in rushing yards in the NFL, but amazingly still hasn’t scored a TD this season. I think he gets that this Sunday. I believe this game is really hard to call as both teams are as bad as each other. I think though with Jackson, and the fact they don’t want to join the Lions with a 0 – 16 record, the Rams will be fired up, and will get their 1st win of the year.

Lee’s Prediction: Rams 10 Lions 7

Oakland Raiders at San Diego Chargers

This divisional game is huge for both teams. The 3 – 3 Chargers hope to try and keep the pressure on Denver as they host the 2 – 5 Raiders. The Raiders pulled JaMarcus Russell from the game last week after 3 turnovers in the first half. Apparently though he will start on Sunday, I have one question, WHY??? He has been abysmal this year, and his attitude after last weeks game was very poor. When asked to comment on the Raiders poor start to the year, he replied “I don’t think it’s me, I really don’t.” I’m sorry JaMarcus, it is YOU!! San Diego seems to have a poor start to the season every year, and still go on to win the division. I’m not saying they will win the AFC West, but they will win this game.

Raiders 3 Chargers 21

Jacksonville Jaguars at Tennessee Titans

The 3 -3 Jags travel to Tennessee to face the 0 – 6 Titans, in a battle of the bottom 2 clubs, in the AFC South. The Titans decided this week to take a look at their supposed franchise QB of the future, Vince Young. This shows you that this team, who were supposed to be Superbowl challengers this year, are now writing off their season. This will affect them in one of two ways. They may play without pressure, not worry about making mistakes, go out and just play. This may lead to wins. It may affect them in the opposite way though, and make some players throw in the towel. If this happens, it will be a long, hard season. Tennessee is quite strong against the run which is Jacksonville’s main strength. I believe that the start of Vince Young, and the explosive play of RB Chris Johnson, will get the Titans their first win of the year. I am far from certain of this though.

Jaguars 14 Titans 21

Minnesota Vikings at Green Bay Packers

There is only one real story here – Brett Farve. For the first time he will suit up at Lambeau, to play against the Packers. What kind of reaction will he get?? How will his nerves hold up?? How will he handle the pressure?? All these questions will be answered on Sunday – and I can’t wait. One thing you need to consider here though is that there will also be alot of pressure on Green Bay QB Aaron Rodgers. He is the man that took Farve’s job, and in the 1st meeting, Farve got the better of him in a 30 – 23 win. He will want to put on a show, especially in front of his home fans. The only way he will be able to do this though, is if the Packer offensive line can keep Jared Allen and co from sacking him. This has been a problem for Green Bay this season. This game has massive implications on the divison as the 4 – 2 Packers cannot afford to lose any more ground to the 6 – 1 Vikings.

Lee’s Prediction: Vikings 28 Packers 24

Carolina Panthers at Arizona Cardinals

This is a huge game for the 2 – 4 Carolina Panthers. Not only did the 4 – 2 Cardinals go to Carolina and embarrass the Panthers in the first round of last years playoffs, but that game was the start of the really poor run of form for under pressure QB Jake Delhomme. The Cardinals got 5 INTs from Delhomme that night; he also now has 13 INTs this year. You would think the Panthers would consider benching Delhomme, but to be honest, I don’t think they have anyone to put in. Who knows anything about backup QB Matt Moore? The Cardinals defence seems to be getting better and better with every game. They were really good last week against the Giants. We all know how good their passing attack is, but now with Chris ‘Beenie’ Wells, the rookie from Ohio State; they look to have found a run game. They should have way to much here.

Lee’s Prediction: Panthers 10 Cardinals 24

Atlanta Falcons at New Orleans Saints

Monday Night Football is a huge NFC South matchup. Division leading Saints (6 – 0) host the 4 – 2 Falcons. The Falcons will feel if they lose this game; it will be a long way back to win the division title. Both QB’s in this game are very good and playing well. Both teams have good running games and also have stud WR’s and TE’s. I think we might be in for a bit of a shootout. I think the difference maker here is the veteran in the Saints secondary Darren Sharper. He is always liable to come up with a big play, a momentum changing play, which can win a game. Against a young QB, I believe the Saints will get the ‘W’, and go 7 – 0.

Lee’s Prediction: Falcons 28 Saints 38