Week Nine Preview

By Zack Cimini
Notjustagame.com

Here is a look at this weekend?s games.

Indianapolis at Miami
We will be able to see the real Brian Griese in this game. The Dolphins offense struggled after their first half burst, and still isn?t getting the effort they need from their offensive line. Ricky Williams has been held in check and needs to get some holes this week. Marvin Harrison has been notorious for annually tearing a part the Dolphins awesome secondary. It could be Reggie Wayne this time, because Patrick Surtain has been holding his corner spot down.

Oakland at Detroit
Joey Harrington and the Lions have been terrible since their week one win against the Cardinals. Injuries have plagued them on both sides of the football, and right now they seem to be the worst team in the NFL. The Raiders have struggled but still could turn around their season with a big winning streak. Marques Tuisasosopo will get the start and could revitalize this offense like he did against Kansas City.

Chicago vs. San Diego
Drew Brees is starting to feel the heat and could lose his job to Doug Flutie if he continues to struggle. Chris Chandler has done a solid job moving the football, and will have to hand the football off to rookie Brock Forsey. As long as Chicago plays their style of game they should win with their kicker Paul Edinger.

Dallas vs. Washington
All the sudden the Cowboys are feeling the pressure after one loss. Bill Parcells knows that his young team needs to bounce back, or a let down could end up happening. Like we said from the get go, it?s all up to Quincy Carter. If he can settle down and control himself in the pocket than this team will roll off wins. Joey Galloway and Terry Glenn are always open deep, and the Cowboys defense doesn?t give up that many points.

Jacksonville at Baltimore
Byron Leftwich has showed a lot of promise, and hung in there last week against Tennessee. This could be the type of game he could win, because it?ll likely be low scoring. Kyle Boller isn?t going to kill you with his arm, and the Jaguars will be geared up for stopping the run. If Leftwich can limit his interceptions and continue with the 2-3 big plays a game than the Jaguars should win.

Carolina at Houston
The Texans have found themselves their starter of the future with rookie Domanick Davis. Davis has quietly had two straight monster games. Once David Carr is healthy we may finally see Carr excel with a balanced attack. Carolina?s defense was vulnerable last week against the Saints, but should have no problem forcing Tony Banks into mistakes.

New Orleans at Tampa Bay
Aaron Brooks has finally got the passing game going a little bit. Deuce McAllister has been solid all season long, and now the Saints could turn their season around. They almost pulled at a victory against Carolina last week, and will need this one to keep their season alive. Tampa Bay has been shaky all year long and won?t be able to keep up with the Saints offense. As long as Aaron Brooks plays the way he has been than the Saints should win this comfortably.

New York Giants vs. Jets
This should be an offensive shoot out, and I?d expect Kerry Collins to out duel Chad Pennington. Pennington hasn?t had enough playing time yet, and we saw that last week when he threw a costly interception. That is definitely a throw he wouldn?t have made, and makes you wonder if the Jets should have kept Vinny Testaverde in last week. Last week the Giants offense was able to go up and down the field on the Vikings, and should be able to do that with their passing game this week.

Pittsburgh vs. Seattle
Besides Seattle?s one-point come from behind win against St. Louis, all of their wins have been ?easy?. Their schedule has been easy so far and now we will start to see the real Seahawks. They already fell to the Bengals last week and even in their wins have looked shaky. Even though the Steelers are 2-5 they still present plenty of mismatches for the Seahawks. This is also do or die for the Steelers because another loss would put their season in a chokehold

Cincinnati vs. Arizona
The Bengals are actually in a solid position in their division. The Cardinals on the other hand are three games below .500, but a dangerous team. Their massive offensive line controlled the line of scrimmage last week and allowed for over 200 yards rushing for the Cardinals offense. The key to this game is how well Jon Kitna plays. Chad Johnson has tore up every defense this year, and the Cardinals should be no different.

St. Louis vs. San Francisco
The 49ers are in a most win situation and might be without their starting quarterback in Jeff Garcia. Garcia is listed as questionable and it?ll be difficult for him to go with a bad ankle. Tim Rattay has had enough experience that he should be able to fill in well. The key to this game is the 49ers defense. The last time they played the 49ers were able to limit Bulger and forced him into some bad throws. They?ll need to get after him again or we?ll see some big plays from Torry Holt.

Philadelphia vs. Atlanta
With Vick out until December you can count the Falcons season over. Who knows it could end up working out great for the Falcons. It?ll be like with the San Antonio Spurs when David Robinson was hurt all year long and then they were able to draft Tim Duncan. The Falcons will get a very high pick next year and should be able to get that ?one? dominant player that could propel this team. As for this game the Eagles are starting to look a little better every week, and should continue on that pace this week.

Green Bay at Minnesota
The Vikings suffered their first loss of the season, and now have to face their rivals in the Green Bay Packers. Green Bay needs this win to try to catch up to the Vikings in their division. On the other hand the Vikings could separate themselves by four games of anyone in their division with a win. This should be an interesting game and will fall into the hands of Green Bay?s defense.

New England vs. Denver
All of the sudden the Broncos have three losses and the Patriots are a top the AFC East. At 6-2 the Patriots have quietly been a dominant team and have done so without even figuring out their offense yet. Tom Brady has done a solid job with the talent he has been given, and the Patriots defense has been just fine without Lawyer Milloy. Denver usually plays well on Monday Night and could benefit from the fact that this should be a low scoring game. Clinton Portis and a few solid passes from Danny Kanell should be enough for the Broncos to win.

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