By TLarner
Stories to watch in Week 14: Denver without McDaniels and Minnesota possibly without Favre. Get ready for this week’s action with predictions and the Game of the Week breakdown.
Monday Night’s Results:
New England 45, New York Jets 3
Thursday Night Football:
Indianapolis 30, Tennessee 28
Game of the Week: Kansas City at San Diego
The Kansas City Chiefs, 8-4, travel to the San Diego Chargers, 6-6, for an important AFC West battle. The Chiefs currently sit atop the division, while the Chargers are tied with Oakland for second place. Kansas City looks to make a statement and end San Diego’s hopes of a late season playoff run.
The Chiefs boast the best rushing attack in the league (175.2 yards per game) behind star backs Jamaal Charles and Thomas Jones. Charles is third in the league with 1,137 yards with an outstanding 6.2 yards per carry, number one among all running backs. Charles also has three rushing touchdowns. Jones has added 765 yards and five touchdowns the lethal backfield. Quarterback Matt Cassel is also playing well. He has thrown 23 touchdowns to just four interceptions, looking more like the QB that took over for Tom Brady in New England. Receiver Dwayne Bowe has silenced many skeptics by hauling in 885 yards and 14 receiving touchdowns. Linebacker Tamba Hali leads the team with 10 sacks. Rookie first round safety Eric Berry is having a fine first season. He currently has 69 tackles, two sacks, two interceptions, and a forced fumble for a defense eight in the league in points allowed per game (19.8).
The San Diego Chargers had their four game win streak snapped last week against the Raiders. Quarterback Philip Rivers aims to get his offense back on track this week. The Chargers are second in the league in yards per game (397.4). Rivers has a 102.5 passer rating. He has thrown for 3,642 yards with 24 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. Despite drafting running back Ryan Mathews this year, Mike Tolbert leads the San Diego backfield. He has rushed for 625 yards and nine touchdowns. Antonio Gates, who is batting the injury bug, leads the team in all receiving categories with 50 receptions for 782 yards and 10 touchdowns. Linebacker Shaun Phillips has a team best 10 sacks, and corner Antoine Cason has four interceptions as the Chargers allow a league low 186.2 passing yards per game.
Key Matchup: Charles vs. San Diego’s Front 7
When these teams faced each other in Week 1, Cassel threw for only 68 yards as his Chiefs won 21-14. Charles led all rushers with 92 yards, including 56 yards on a long touchdown run. After signing a five-year contract extension, expect to see more of Charles again in Week 14. After a breakout season last year, Charles is setting personal records while splitting carries with Jones. However, San Diego is currently fifth in the NFL in run defense, allowing only 95.2 yards per game. With Cassel ruled out this week, Brodie Croyle will get the start, and will be handing off most of the day.
Prediction
I have jumped on the covered bandwagon the Chiefs started rolling down that dusty trail back in Week 1. They are the surprise team of the season, and look to be headed toward the playoffs as the AFC West leaders. San Diego is known for winning games late in the season and stealing the division in the final weeks. After losing to Oakland, the Chargers’ chances are running slim. If Kansas City had Cassel under center, I would give them another win, but with Croyle comes uncertainty. San Diego steals a big win this week.
Best of the Rest: (Home teams in italics)
Cleveland over Buffalo
Atlanta over Carolina
Green Bay over Detroit
Jacksonville over Oakland
Pittsburgh over Cincinnati
Tampa Bay over Washington
New Orleans over St. Louis
Seattle over San Francisco
Denver over Arizona
New England over Chicago
New York Jets over Miami
Philadelphia over Dallas
New York Giants over Minnesota
Baltimore over Houston
Last Week’s Results: 9-5
Have NFL Splinters? Share them here.
tlarner says
Sorry for the abreviated version this week guys. It’s finals week 🙁
Bill S. says
BEARS (+3) over Patriots
The 9-3 Bears need to get to 12-4 and a 2-seed to qualify for “creeper” status. Don’t sleep on them Sunday. Haven’t we been here before? A contender looks unstoppable on Monday night at home, everyone spends the next few days fawning over the team, and meanwhile, it has a scary road game looming six days later against an underrated contender that matches up with it pretty well.
Packers (-7) over LIONS
I learned three things on Thanksgiving: Always take an elite QB against Detroit’s pass defense; stop believing CBS when they pretend it’s a new “Survivor” (and it’s really a clip show); and next time there’s an uplifting pregame segment about a deceased NFL player who found redemption in the afterlife when his mother donated his organs to people who desperately needed them, you might want to lie about his cause of death to your sobbing wife if that cause of death is going to make her scream, “Wait a second … he did WHAT?”
Eagles (-3.5) over COWBOYS
Feels like Dez Bryant’s injury should have swung this line a little more, no?
Browns (+1) over BILLS
I don’t care if Jake Delhomme might be involved — the Browns are one fumble and one 80-yard screen pass from a six-game winning streak right now. In the “Which coach is least likely to get fired?” power rankings, has Eric Mangini vaulted above Rex Ryan or am I crazy?
Smitty says
The Bears/Pats game will probably be the game of the week. The Pats lost Brandon Spikes one of their middle linebackers to a 4 game suspension. While they are coming off a huge Monday night game, has anyone heard a peep out of the Patriots? But this game is in Chicago and against a tough Bears defense. Add in a Bears offense that is starting to gain confidence – should be a tough game.
I heard Merril Hodge saying the Belichick was going to try to confuse the Bears offensive line and not Cutler.. Makes sense. Cutler can’t throw if he is getting hit all day.
Belichick loves these kind of challenges – I say the Pats win 17-14.
Where will the Vikings/Giants game be played? Metrodome roof collapsed.
Matt Cassel is out for the Chiefs/Chargers matchup. This is huge since the Chiefs love to run the ball, but need the threat of the downfield pass. Expect the Chargers to stack the box and try to take away the run.
Casey says
An act of God keeps Favre’s streak intact. 🙂
Rey says
I’ve heard that the Pats D is their weakness. Is that only because their offense is so potently good? 36-7 Pats right now going into the last quarter.
Rey says
I don’t understand the Jets, so allow me to attempt to with a Seinfeld reference. Aren’t they like Jerry’s girlfriend who looks beautiful only in the right light and then quite monster-ly in bad light? The Jets are in an entertaining game right now against the Dolphins. But, shouldn’t they be handling them a bit easier? It’s like they take care of the teams they should in close fashion that they fool us into saying “They can close out close games.” But then when they play the juggernauts of the league they get absolutely man-handled (Ravens, Pats). I don’t know, but I’m willing to say they’ll get blown out in the divisonal round (2nd round or whatever they call it).
Smitty says
Rey – Since I was forced to watch the same game – I’ll share my thoughts after watching Monday’s game and today. The Jets offense is too inconsistent and it starts with Mark Sanchez.
For every good play by Sanchez, it is followed by fumbles, bad passes and bad decisions. Can’t have inconsistent play at the Quarterback position and expect to go deep in the playoffs.
Oh course when Sanchez hit his receivers in the bread basket – they couldn’t hold on. That doesn’t help at all!
I also think their running game is average. LT shows flashes of Christmas past and Shonn Greene hasn’t been the replacement for Thomas Jones they had hoped for. The Kansas City Chiefs sign Jones and they have one of the best running games right now. Hmmm…
By the way – did Tom Brady just rip the MVP award away from Michael Vick? Still a few games to go, but today’s performance is unreal..
Wally says
Smitty —
Temper your Brady bromance for a few minutes. That was against duh Bares … certainly not remarkable. Belijerk vs Lovie Smith is simply not a fair fight. That’s like Ali vs Quarry or Ohio State vs Kent State. No chance. I knew duh Bares would lose … only question was how inept and unprepared they would look. We have our answer. Immediately fire Smith after the season … please!!! It’s always Amatuer Hour with him on the big stage.
Smitty says
C’mon Wally I wasn’t that bad.. Couldn’t be worse than your bromance for Jim McMahon or Kellen Moore.. 🙂
Casey says
hahahahahaha
Jimmy says
How ’bout them Cowboys!