New York -7 1/2 vs. Denver
New Yorkers are getting used to being better than perfection. It's not that the citizens of the Big Apple need any more arrogance, but their football teams have done some remarkable things over the past year. First the New York Giants took to the road to win three playoff games and then upended the heavily favored and undefeated New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLII this past February. Since that game the Giants have only lost once and are now tied for the best record in the league at 10-1. Just do not overlook the Jets.
If it was not for the Giants, the Jets (8-3) would be the hottest team in the NFL. By totally dominating the previously undefeated Tennessee Titans 34-13 on the road last week, the Jets at least claimed the honor of hottest team in the AFC.
The Jets return home this weekend to welcome in the AFC West-leading Denver Broncos. The two game road trip they are returning from was supposed to ruin their season, instead it has put them in the AFC East drivers seat. Before dominating the Titans in Nashville, New York also dispatched New England at Foxboro the week before in overtime. The Jets now have won five straight and six out of seven.
The Jets success has had a lot to do with the improvements of Brett Favre. Perhaps the veteran quarterback needed some time to learn the new offense, but he has excelled in it the last few weeks. During the road trip, Favre threw for a combined 51 of 65 for 482 yards with two touchdowns and only one interception. It is probably no coincidence that Favre has gotten hot while Thomas Jones has gotten on track. Jones was just four yards short of 100 yards last week and caught a touchdown pass.
You will forgive them if Favre, Jones and the rest of New York's defense is salivating for more than just Thanksgiving dinner. The Denver defense has been terrible all season long. The Broncos (6-5) are coming off a humiliating 31-10 home loss to the awful Oakland Raiders last week. However, Denver still leads the division by two games over San Diego who can not get on track this season. The Broncos appear headed for the postseason, perhaps by default and will look to shore up its defense down the stretch with the return of All-Pro cornerback Champ Bailey.
The teams have not met since 2005 in Denver with the Broncos blanking the Jets 27-0. The Jets last win was in 2002 at home.
New York -3 1/2 vs. Washington
The best thing the Redskins can do this weekend is to win. Easier said than done when they welcome in the division leading Giants to FedEx Field. It is imperative for Washington to keep pace with the Giants and, more importantly, the Cowboys.
The Giants (10-1) are three full games in front of both the Redskins and Cowboys. Even if Washington is victorious, they realistically have a slim chance at taking the division. Their more pressing concern is Dallas. The teams split their meetings this season, which means if the teams' have identical records, which they do now, the deciding factor is conference record. Right now, Washington boasts a 6-3 NFC record against Dallas' 5-4.
The Cowboys are in an easy portion of their schedule at the moment, they host Seattle on Thanksgiving, and the Redskins must keep pace as it seems more likely only two teams from the NFC East will go to the postseason because the NFC South contains all above .500 teams.
It is doubtful, however, that Washington will have Dallas on their minds when they play New York Sunday. They are looking to avenge the first game of the NFL season in which the Giants made the Redskins look like the worst team in the NFL by winning 16-7. Washington (7-4) recovered and have surprised many by their ability to contend in one of the toughest divisions in the league.
Last week the Redskins put a stop to a two game losing streak by beating the aforementioned Seahawks on the road last Sunday 20-17. Meanwhile the Giants kept on rolling.
New York traveled to their Mecca last Sunday. They went to Arizona, the site of last February's Super Bowl triumph, and beat the Cardinals 37-29. The Giants did not have their best game both offensively and defensively, but they made the key plays when needed to hold off the West-leading Cardinals to come home riding a six-game winning streak.
The New York Giants gave the Cardinals their first home loss of the season last Sunday and the Redskins hope to do the same thing to the Giants, who are 6-0 at home. They already have topped their home victory total from last season when they went 3-5 at Giants Stadium. Washington has been almost equally as effective on the road, winning all but one of their five road games.
Giants' running back Brandon Jacobs who missed last week's game with an injury is still day-to-day.
The teams split their games last season, with each team winning on the road. With the Giants Week 1 victory, New York has won four of the last five and five out of the last seven.
New England -1 vs. Pittsburgh
Things don't seem to be getting any easier for the Steelers, but when you hold the distinction of having to play the NFL's toughest schedule, things tend to not get better. Pittsburgh has weathered the storm quite nicely, however. The Steelers (8-3) are tied for the second best record in the AFC with 8 wins and are still one game in front of Baltimore in the AFC North. The next "big boy" on the Steelers schedule is the New England Patriots.
Pittsburgh will travel to Foxboro, a place where they have not had much success. Their last victory over the Patriots in Massachusetts was in 1997. The Patriots have claimed seven of the last 10 matchups as well, including three straight and six out of the last seven, including postseason play.
Pittsburgh swarmed all over the Bengals at home last week 27-10. Ben Roethlisberger threw for 243 yards and a touchdown with no interceptions against Cincinnati. Big Ben has had a solid season despite being banged up through much of it and missing his first-string running back through a good chunk of the season as well. Roethlisberger has thrown for 2233 yards and 11 touchdowns on the season. Willie Parker, the aforementioned first-string running back has also been hobbled by injuries. He ran for only 37 yards on 15 carries last week and is listed as questionable for the New England game.
Mewelde Moore continues to get the bulk of the carries for Pittsburgh even when Parker is in the lineup. Last week he got the ball 15 times for 56 yards. He will see his carries increase substantially if Parker misses his sixth game of the season.
Matt Cassel continues to improve and impress under center for New England (7-4). In the Patriots 48-28 road victory over the Dolphins, Cassel became only the second New England quarterback to throw for 400 yard in consecutive games, the only other one being Tom Brady. In the last two games, Cassel has completed a combined 60 of his 94 passes for 815 yards, six touchdowns and only one interception.
Cassel will probably not be expecting a third straight 400-yard performance against the Steelers' tough defense.
The last time the Steelers beat the Patriots was in 2004 in Pittsburgh.
Crimson Tide -14 1/2 vs. Tigers
The Alabama Crimson Tide have their eyes set on greater things than this week's game with rival Auburn. But they also know that looking ahead has rarely been good for any team and will concentrate on getting one step closer to that BCS championship game.
If the number one ranked Crimson Tide (11-0, 7-0) can get past the Tigers, they will head into the SEC championship game undefeated. Alabama knows they are going to the game no matter what happens in the annual Iron Bowl battle with their state rivals, but will probably not be looking forward to a BSC game if they lose.
Unless Auburn (5-6, 2-5) can pull off a stunning upset, the Tigers will be sitting at home for bowl season and a loss to Alabama would cap a very disappointing season for Auburn. A win over the top ranked Alabama will certainly put the Tigers on the map for a bowl game and at 6-6 would be eligible for one. Auburn had better improve on their last showing at home against Georgia when they lost their sixth game of the year 17-13.
The 96th-ranked Tiger offense has been anchored by Kodi Burns. The sophomore passed for 179 yards and a touchdown and ran for an ineffective 28 yards on 14 carries against the Bulldogs. Ben Tate had similar dismal statistics from out of the backfield with 37 yards on 14 carries with no scores.
Alabama's high powered offense continues to turn out points and uses a solid defense to win on both sides of the ball. Two weeks ago, the Crimson Tide beat Mississippi State 32-7. John Parker Wilson actually had a fairly pedestrian game for him. The senior threw for 148 yards with no touchdowns, however he scored once on the ground. Glen Coffee also had an uncharacteristically off game by his standards. Coffee gained only 71 yards on 17 carries with no scores.
When the offense has been slacking this season, the defense has picked it up. Alabama held Mississippi State to only seven points and have only allowed 9.3 points per game over the past four Tide victories.
Alabama holds a slight edge in the long-time series 38-33-1. No one should count out the Tigers, however. Quietly Auburn has strung together six straight victories in the series, the longest of either squad in the history of the series. Alabama has not won since 2001 in Auburn and last beat the Tigers in Tuscaloosa in 1998.
Bulldogs -7 1/2 vs. Yellow Jackets
In the annual grudge match for the state of Georgia, the Bulldogs welcome in the surprising Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets to Athens Saturday afternoon.
For Georgia Tech (8-3, 5-3), it has been a roller coaster season, especially the last month. The Yellow Jackets were riding high at 6-1 and firmly in the Top 25 after earning a road victory against Clemson on October 18. Georgia Tech promptly dropped their next contest 24-17 to Virginia and began alternating losses and wins. A 2-2 mark down the stretch could be discouraging; however last week's 41-23 triumph against Miami helped ease some discouragement. The Hurricanes were feeling good as they were in the Top 25 for the first time in over two seasons, but were dominated by the Yellow Jackets. The victory was the perfect way for Georgia Tech to tune up for their archrivals.
Georgia Tech did not have to pass much last week, Josh Nesbitt threw only six passes. But the quarterback rushed 15 times for 93 yards with a touchdown and Jonathan Dwyer added another 128 yards on 10 carries and scored two touchdowns. The sophomore back went over 100 yards rushing for the eighth time in 11 games this season and has rushed for 1184 yards and 10 touchdowns.
The Bulldogs are impressed with what the Yellow Jackets have accomplished, but history tells us that they will be ready for them. Georgia has beaten Georgia Tech seven straight times. The Jackets have not won since 2000, which was also the last time they won between the hedges.
Georgia (9-2, 6-2) is ranked 13th, but is a far cry from the preseason number one ranking they once possessed. Losses in two of their biggest games of the year, Alabama and Florida, have lead to a bit of a disappointing season for the Dawgs, but they still have big victories, such as over LSU to hang their hats on.
The Bulldogs have won two straight and topped Auburn on the road 17-13 two weeks ago. At 215 yards, Matthew Stafford had his lowest yardage output since he threw for 213 against Central Michigan on September 6. Stafford threw for two touchdowns against the Tigers and has 17 on the season against only eight interceptions. Knowshon Moreno helped take some of the pressure off of Stafford by rushing for 131 yards and a touchdown. The sophomore has rushed for 1244 yards and 15 touchdowns on the season.
Sooners -7 vs. Cowboys
For the first time in awhile both Oklahoma teams will face off with much on the line. When one side has been good, the other has usually been down. But when the teams meet up this Saturday night in Stillwater, they will be meeting for the first time when both teams have nine victories.
It is hard to think of a team that has a better, more complete victory than Oklahoma's win last week. The Sooners (10-1, 6-1) not only beat the previously undefeated and second-ranked Texas Tech Red Raiders, they made a statement in doing so. Oklahoma built an insurmountable lead and cruised to a shockingly easy 65-21 victory. Sam Bradford, who has had a storybook season by throwing for 42 touchdowns on only six interceptions, completed 14 of his 19 passes for 304 yards and four touchdowns.
The win helped the Sooners climb into number three in the BCS standings behind Alabama and Texas. Oklahoma is hopeful one of those two teams will fall, allowing them to go to the title game. If victorious in this game, the Sooners have a very good chance at staking claim to the Big 12 South title.
This game should be an offensive explosion. Oklahoma is third in total yards and Oklahoma State is seventh. The Sooners are the best team and the Cowboys are the seventh best team in points scored. Each team does an aspect of their offense very well. The Sooners are better as passing, third in the country, while the Cowboys are eight in rushing.
Oklahoma State (9-2, 5-2) though disappointed about losing two of their last four, can hold their heads up high. It has been a long time since the Cowboys have had this much success in a season and their losses to Texas and Texas Tech were to teams that were ranked at or near number one at various points this season. Oklahoma State can mark a terrific season and stop their archrivals from winning the division with a home victory.
Last time out the Cowboys beat Colorado and spoiled their home finale 30-17. In that game, star running back Kendall Hunter rushed for 102 yards with a touchdown. The sophomore has had a stellar year by rushing for 1434 yards and 14 touchdowns. Hunter has rushed for at least 100 yards in all but two games this season.
Oklahoma State has not won in the series since 2002, a 38-28 home victory. Oklahoma has won five straight and seven of the last ten.
Cornhuskers -18 vs. Buffaloes
Taking to the field in their traditional battle that takes place the day after Thanksgiving, Colorado will visit Nebraska as both teams attempt to assign meaning to their season by beating their archrival. Nebraska has won two straight and has their sites on a bowl game, while Colorado seeks to improve to .500 and become bowl eligible.
The Cornhuskers (7-4, 4-3) beat Kansas State on the road 56-28 continuing their potent offensive attack. Nebraska boasts one of the top offenses in the nation. They are 10th in total yards, 15th in passing yards and 18th in points scored. The offense has been anchored by Joe Ganz who has had an outstanding year by throwing for 3103 yards and 21 touchdowns. The senior had the best game of the season last week against the Cougars as he not only passed for 270 yards with two touchdowns, he also gained a season-high 95 yards on the ground with another two rushing touchdowns. Ganz will finish his stellar career by taking a bow on Senior Day at Memorial Stadium.
If it were not for a three game losing streak in late September through early October, the Cornhuskers may be in the thick of things of their division. Since the three game skid, Nebraska has only lose once five tries.
The Buffaloes (5-6, 2-5) also suffered through a three-game losing streak at exactly the same time as the Huskers, but unlike their arch-rival, they were unable to right the ship and save their season. Since the three game skid, Colorado has gone 2-4. Last week Colorado lost on Senior Day to Oklahoma State 30-17.
Colorado finds themselves in this hole due to their poor offense. Ranking no higher than 77th in any offensive category, and much lower in most, the Buffaloes have sputtered at quarterback and running back all season long. They also have not been able to win away from home. This will be Colorado's fifth and final road game and are 0-4 thus far. Nebraska is 5-2 in Lincoln this season.
The Buffaloes won last season in a shootout 65-51 in Boulder which snapped a two-game Cornhusker winning streak in the series. Colorado last won in Memorial Stadium in 2004.
Tennessee -11 vs. Detroit
In one of the bigger mismatches of the NFL season, the Titans (10-1) will travel to Ford Field to take part in the annual early Thanksgiving Day game in Detroit. Perhaps a bit of embarrassment for this matchup has gone away for the Lions (0-11). Certainly the media would be billing it as the battle of the unbeaten and winless. However for Detroit, who has let a pair of 10-0 and a 17-0 leads evaporate over the last two weeks, there is plenty of embarrassment to go around.
The chances of the Tennessee Titans becoming the third modern team to go undefeated in the regular season were long, and for two teams to do it in back-to-back years, astronomical, so they were bound to lose. Being perfect, Tennessee was clearly the hottest team in the NFL. But the second hottest team, with all apologies to the New York Giants, were the New York Jets. The Jets staked their claim to the hottest team, at least in the AFC with their 34-13 road victory over the Titans this past Sunday.
Tennessee's offense seemed out of synch throughout the game. Kerry Collins was 21 for 39 for 243 yards and a touchdown, but the running game did not help the veteran. Chris Johnson had only 46 yards on the ground and Lindale White only received one carry for minus one yard. The Titans won 10 games in a row as a team and this was the case with their first loss. The defense surrendered 409 yards and allowed Thomas Jones and Leon Washington to gain 178 yards with Washington scoring twice.
Thanksgiving is a time to give thanks and the Titans can truly be thankful that Detroit is their next opponent and if they do what is expected, they will be 11-1 with 10 days to rest until their next game against Cleveland December 7. Tennessee will undoubtedly be able to get its offense on track against the Lions who are susceptible to big plays. Detroit fell to Tampa Bay at home 38-20 despite building a first quarter 17-0 lead. This was only one week after Carolina spotted them 10 points only to storm back and win 31-22. This has been the story of the season for the Lions, who have held leads in seven of their games this season.
Daunte Culpepper continues to struggle as he learns the offense. The veteran who came out of retirement prior to Week 10 has looked decent in certain drives, but has continually made key mistakes. Culpepper has completed just over 50 percent of his passes for 432 yards with two touchdowns and five interceptions in three games. Against the Buccaneers, Culpepper threw for 121 yards with a touchdown, but two costly interceptions, one which was returned for a touchdown and caused him to be benched in favor of Drew Stanton. Although with Stanton suffering a concussion late in the game, it appears certain Culpepper will start Thursday.
Detroit has never beaten Tennessee in two games since the team relocated from Houston. They last beat the franchise in 1995 at the Astrodome.
Dallas -12 1/2 vs. Seattle
When the NFL scheduled this game, it probably thought Seattle (2-9) would be much better. After all the Seahawks had won four straight division titles in the usually putrid NFC West and truly appeared to be the class of the division. But perhaps the NFL did not expect that the NFC West would be worse than previously thought and that the Seahawks would be an unimagined mess.
In what may be the second blowout on the Thanksgiving slate, the hobbled Seahawks will jet south to take on the resurgent Cowboys (7-4) in their annual Turkey Day contest. Seattle lost their fourth game in a row 20-17 at home against Washington. Once a place of horror for NFL opponents, the Seahawks have lost their fourth straight game at Qwest Field and have fallen to 1-5 at home. Matt Hasselbeck was under center for the second straight game but was ineffective. Hasselbeck passed for 103 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions.
The Seahawks' defense once again cost them in a close game. Though only giving up 20 points, Seattle allowed Washington to gain 386 total yards, 187 of that on the ground. That is music to Dallas' ears as they continue to get Tony Romo tuned up after missing a number of weeks due to injury.
The Cowboys who were once 5-4 and facing doom when they went up against the Redskins on the road, a team who had beaten them earlier in the season in Dallas. The Cowboys won that close game 14-10 and geared up for two doormats from the NFC West at home the following two weeks. They did their part Sunday by beating up on the San Francisco 49ers 35-22. Romo is coming along just fine by throwing for 341 yards with three touchdowns while former 49er Terrell Owens had his best performance as a Cowboy with 213 yards and a touchdown.
After Seattle, it gets a whole lot tougher. The Dallas Cowboys have a brutal stretch against Pittsburgh, the Giants, Baltimore and Philadelphia. Those four teams boast a combined 30 wins and a .698 win percentage.
Philadelphia -3 vs. Arizona
It had been a long week for Donovan McNabb. After putting his foot in his mouth and being ridiculed for not knowing that an NFL game could end in a tie when his team tied the Cincinnati Bengals at 13. The tie was the first McNabb had been involved with since his career began in the NFL. He also achieved-or suffered a career first this past Sunday: being benched. His ineffective play in the Eagles destruction at the hands of Baltimore 36-7 caused the veteran to ride the pine while he watched Kevin Kolb take the snaps under center.
McNabb's season has steadily deteriorated. Sunday he completed only 8 of his 18 passes for 59 yards and two interceptions. To be fair, his replacement, Kolb, did not fare much better, tossing two interceptions of his own and only passing for 73 yards. However, McNabb is turning the ball over at an alarming rate. The veteran has been responsible for seven turnovers in the last seven quarters.
The Eagles managed only 206 yards and 13 first downs and were 3 for 13 on third down conversions. Philadelphia had better have a more consistent offensive attack on Thanksgiving as they host their first ever Turkey Day contest and welcome in the powerful offensive attack of the first-place Arizona Cardinals.
Perhaps Kolb's equally lousy play lead to coach Andy Reid's decision Monday to rename McNabb the starter for the game Thursday night. The game will be the third contest of the day for the NFL after Tennessee-Detroit at 12:30 and Seattle-Dallas at 4 o'clock.
Arizona did not have a good week last Sunday either. The Cardinals had the NFC's best Giants in their home stadium, where they had not lost this season. They allowed New York to score 30 points for the fourth straight time and came up just short 37-29. Arizona actually outplayed New York in many statistical categories, such as first downs (27-18), total yards (371-321) and passing yards (348-234), but they were unable to stop the Giants' intangibles.
The Cardinals will look to reestablish themselves after their three game winning streak was stopped Sunday, but will face a tough challenge on the road. Arizona is just 3-3 away from the desert and 0-3 against teams from outside of its own lousy division. The Cardinals missed a chance to become the first team to clinch a post-season spot when they lost Sunday. If they can beat Philadelphia on Thanksgiving, the Cardinals will clinch their first playoff berth since 1998 and first divisional title since the franchise was located in St. Louis.
