Yesterday I covered the Saturday games and today we look at the Sunday games. So far I have straight chalk with the Saints and Colts pulling out victories.Vi
Cowboys @ Vikings (-2.5)
Interesting line in this game. Typically home teams get 3 points so on a neutral field Vegas thinks the Cowboys would be better. But this isn’t on a neutral field, it is in one of the toughest domes to play in in the NFL.
For many people this is a tossup game but I am pretty confident in my pick. I have not been a Brett Favre fan all season. Personally I think you take Adrian Peterson off this team and Favre throws almost 20 interceptions and the Vikings only go 9-7. Even with both players they were in position to lose 2-3 games this season.
The Cowboys have been playing great of late. They dominated everyone’s favorite team, the Philadelphia Eagles, and beat the Saints when the Saints were still good. Tony Romo is supposedly playing the best football of his career and the running game is 3 deep and dominant. And the Cowboys defense….wow…how good are they. I mean you have the great pass rushers, the awesome linebackers, and the solid secondary. Is there a weakness on this team?
Yes there is a weakness. You know what that is…they just aren’t as good as everyone thinks.
Yes they beat the Saints when the Saints were still undefeated. And yes they beat the Eagles twice. The Saints had already clinched the division and had all but locked up home field throughout, they just didn’t have as much to play for. When you have all but clinched your goals for the season you are surely going to slow down and slip a bit. The Eagles were a mirage…simple as that. They were quite possibly the most one dimensional team in the league with a beat up defense and a poor gameplan in both games.
The Cowboys can stop a running team OR a passing team but can they beat a team that does both very well? Can they stop Peterson AND Favre. I am not so sure.
Yes I know Peterson hasn’t done much in the second half of the season…so? They haven’t had to truly play since about Thanksgiving. When they needed to get up for a game they did…anyone remember the Packers games? Just the threat of Peterson has to be acknowledged by the Cowboys defense which takes away from their pass coverage. And that allows Favre to find Percy Harvin and Sidney Rice downfield, Chester Taylor out of the backfield, and Visanthe Shiancoe over the middle.
The Cowboys will have to outscore the Vikings and honestly I think the Cowboys offensive line will be overmatched. The Vikings defensive line is the best in football. The linebackers and secondary have had some injuries and are weakened a little bit but the defensive line is dominant.
KEY PLAYER:
Felix Jones – Cowboys RB
Marion Barber is banged up and while he will probably play he isn’t any more than a clock drainer. And against the Vikings he won’t have more than 5o yards on 20 carries anyhow. But Felix Jones is a game breaker. Whether getting the ball on screens, kick returns, or taking handoffs he is a threat to go the distance every single time. If he can get a few big plays the Cowboys might actually have a shot. I think he might get his plays too.
MY PICK:
Like I said I am pretty confident in my pick. The Cowboys are playing well right now while the Vikings are a little questionable. But I don’t think the Cowboys can stop both the Vikings passing game and running game.
Vikings 24 Cowboys 21
Jets @ Chargers (-9)
Is anyone talking about the Jets here? Nope. Everyone thinks the Chargers are the best team in the NFL right now. The Jets have a great defense and a good running game but the passing game leaves MUCH to be desired. The Chargers have tall receivers and some name defensive players. Okay so the Chargers have more than that but I am surprised at how good everyone thinks they are.
The Jets won last week in Cincinnati against a team that just can’t throw the ball of late. The Chargers don’t have that problem. But the Bengals can run the ball on anyone while the Chargers can’t. Sure LaDainian Tomlinson is good but he isn’t what he was and Darren Sproles doesn’t get enough touches.
I honestly think the Jets could win this game. They have the defense to slow down the Chargers but their offense needs to step up their game and make some plays. The running game will be there but Mark Sanchez has to make a few plays to win this game. He has made a few plays during the season but he has also made some huge mistakes.
KEY PLAYER:
Mark Sanchez – Jets QB
Like I mentioned above the Jets running game will get their yards. The Chargers weren’t that good at stopping the run all season while the Jets run the ball all the time. In order for the Jets to stay in the game Sanchez HAS to make 3-5 plays in the passing game. It doesn’t have to be long touchdowns or long pass plays but there will be multiple 3rd and longs that he will have to get in order to keep drives alive.
MY PICK:
When looking for true upsets look towards the games that no one is talking about. No one is giving the Jets a chance except the Jets. But why not? The Chargers haven’t stopped the run all season and they aren’t exactly dominating against the pass either. The Jets pass defense has dominated top receivers ALL SEASON but now that the Chargers are the team everyone is talking about how tall and big the receivers are. Really? What did Randy Moss do against Darrelle Revis? The pass defense will be okay and Rivers will turn the ball over 2 times to help the Jets cause.
