Week Four NFL Handicapping Tidbits
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• Carson Palmer Road Woes-
A key area that has kept Carson Palmer from ascending the quarterback rankings is how prone he is to turning the football over. In his last thirteen road games he has thrown for the same amount of touchdowns as he has interceptions with sixteen. To make matters worse he has had five lost fumbles in those road games.
• Reggie Wayne’s Dominance Over the Jaguars-
It’ll be hard to find another receiver that has owned a divisional opponent quite like Reggie Wayne has. In fourteen games against the Jaguars since 2006 Wayne has totaled 1,458 yards receiving.
• NFL in Europe: Vikings vs Steelers
Travel to London has not caused a decline in points. Only in 2007 was there a game that total points scored were under forty. Minnesota has allowed thirty or more points in all three of their games thus far.
• Ravens Close Wins on the Road
Last season the Ravens went 4-4 on the road. Three of those four wins were by three points. Health offensively with key injuries may cause a conservative game plan to capture yet another close road victory.
• Alex Smith’s Woes Against the Giants
Kansas City is 3-0 but has done it without any flare. Jacksonville was an easy week one rout. Against Dallas the Chiefs relied on their defense and did just enough offensively. Last week’s Thursday night win was a turnover fest self-inflicted by the Eagles. The change over at quarterback by the 49ers to Colin Kaepernick may have been caused by Smith’s ineffectiveness against the Giants. In 2011 on their home field they lost the NFC Championship. Last year the 49ers hosted the Giants at home and were pounded 26-3. Smith threw zero touchdowns with three interceptions in that game. You can bet Harbaugh wanted to make a switch then. There are some psychological factors that will be an impact for Alex Smith in this matchup. Will Andy Reid instill the confidence in him to clear the hurdle, or will the Giants beat him for the third straight season on his home turf?