AFC
Pats at Jets
One of the strongest and longest rivalries in the AY, the head says New England, the heart screams New York. At the start of the AY renaissance it was close games between these two coaches, the high number of games that couldn't be decided in a mere 60 minutes of play in the division that earnt the AFC East the unofficial moniker of "overtime division". The bruising power attack of the Pats will likely control the pace of the game, however the smart safe play execution of the jets and their overall efficiency, as well as their more recent ability to fabricate big plays at times, should make this game close, but it will be a game New England will be expected to win. Coach Gick needs to ensure that the Pats don't get away from them in the first half, if the Jets can go into the half within striking distance of the Pats the home fans and the Jets ability to get close in the final minutes will keep this game alive for the Jets. As one of the AY's less experienced coaches Gick may be in the position of being underestimated by some veterans, Coach Salmon knows him too well to make this mistake, but it should be noted that New York can still win the division if they win all their last 3 games and the Pats have another late season slump.
New England 20 New York 17
Colts at Dolphins
Only 2 games separate these cellar dwelling teams, with nothing to play for but respect and a worse draft pick this game should not attract much attention around the league, but may serve as an indication of Miami's fighting spirit. Would thier coach rather have a good draft pick or avoid last place in their division?
Colts 13 Dolphins 17
Texans at Steelers
Houston are on a real hot streak at the moment, a streak that puts them atop the Division of Death as their 2 rivals for the top spot play each other. Houston should go 2 games up on 3rd place with a win here.
Houston 27 Pitt 10
Bengals at Titans
The match of the round was always going to be this game in the DOD between bitter arch rivals and Victorian natives, Goetz's Titans host Richards' Bengals. Both teams have spluttered a bit this year, dropping games agaisnt top sides. The Titans have started to pull ahead with an easier end to the scedule, while the Bengals have lost the last two games to the Jets and Eagles. What the striped cats have going for them however is they are yet to loose a divisional game this year, a remarkable feat considering the increadible competitive spirit of the AFC central and the quality of coaching. Now sitting in 3rd place, 1 game behind the leader, Cincinati will be gong all out for a win in this game, leaving no stone unturned. Coach Goetz's self-proclaimed brilliant new defensive scheme is in its imfancy in Tennessee, and this week will be its first real test. Purported to do away with the succes of the proprietors of the run and shoot offensive philosophy the Bengals at least partially fit this bill. The Bengals however are not a standard run and shoot team, in fact evolution of playcalling trends in the AY over the season have shown time and time again that the offensive plan that won superbowls for Carolina, San Diego and Oakland in the last 3 seasons are rare nowadays. Each coach seems to add his own new spin on the stlye, and use it in moderation- starting to realise that defences are learning to match them reasonably well. The varied novel offence of the Bengals will be a test of the flexibility of the Titans new Stormin System. Coach Richards will have been planning for this game for months, and it seems likely that he will have at least one big trick up his sleeve for the wily old Goetz to deal with. How will the Stormin System hold up in its second week? Washington found holes in it last week, Cinci may do the same this week too. This game could go down to who has the ball last, though I feel turnovers will play a big part.
Cincinati 21 Tennessee 19
Chiefs at Broncos
Mathematically, the Chiefs haven't yet cemented their division title. Pragmatically however the Chiefs have not only got the division sown up but are also favourites for home field advantage through the AFC playoffs. KC will look to iron out a few small wrinkles in their gameplan and get thier training prepared for the postseason with another easy win this week
KC 27 Denver 13
Chargers at Raiders
Despite several surprise losses to high calibre oposition this year the Chargers remain the scariest offence in the league to face. Needing all the wins they can manage to grab their wildcard spot again the Chargers won't be stopped by the disapointing Raiders this year. Oakland showed quality last year, but have failed to live up to it this year, and will go back to the drawing board looking for a good draft pick and a better year next season.
Chargers 38 Oakland 17
NFC
Cards at Boys
Both teams are spluttering a little this season in an increasingly challenging NFC. The Cardinals are clearly the better of the two teams, having beaten some quality oposition this year, such as week 1's win over the Lions, and week 3's win over the Packers by 21 points.
Dallas opened the season with an embarasing 40-0 loss in Coach Slavin's first game incharge of the Superbowl Champs, pipped the Cards by 3 in week 2 in a low scoring game, picked up wins over the niners, Broncos, Bears, Rams and Steelers, none of which have a winning record this season. Some close losses to top teams show they are competitive (e.g. 3 point loss to Detroit, 5 points Washington), but they have not shown in any game that they are playoff calibre this year. Coach Coltherd remains a stalwart competitor in the NFC East, but will not contend this year for the playoffs.
This game might be a low scoring affair as both teams continue to attempt to sort themselves out for next year, and if they get lucky sneak into the playoffs, though this now looks unlikely.
Arizona 14 Dallas 5
Birds at Skins
The Eagles have secured the NFC East title, being the 4th team to hold the honour in the last 4 years (2009 Arizona, 2008 Dallas, 2007 Washington). With nothing left on the line but ego the Eagles will be taking all the remaining regular season games easy, hoping not to injure any key personel.
The week 2 match between these two teams was close, a 16-12 Philly win. In the return matchup the Redskins have much to play for, having been denied playoff participation in the last two seasons. The Washington faithful, and their AY Veteran coach are desperate to get them back to the Superbowl and that desire, and philly's relaxed attitude may be enough to win this one, though its hard to tip against the Eagles at the moment, who have gone 26-3 in the 2 years since Washington were in the bowl game against the Raiders.
Philadelphia 20 Washington 17
Vikes at Lions
Despite showing they have talent by winning the black and blue division last year the Vikings have suffered this year due to the occasional absences of their head coach De Kievit. The Lions have capitalised on this and their energetic style has not been seen in the central since hte height of the Bear's power under Arthurton and has seen them rocket right to the top. The Lions should win this game easily with a good score, though they will allow plenty of points in the process. The Vikings D is one of the most underestimated in the NFC and has limited great teams like the Panthers to low scores in the past, and potential exists for this score to be around the 10-15 mark rather than the 25-30 the Lions normally expect. If the Lions are really ready for the playoffs they will sail through this game with ease, a tough win might indicate they aren't quite top tier yet
Detroit 24 Minnesota 17
Packers at Bears
The Packers have been up the top of the Central for since sighning Coach Beaton, and while they have done nothing but improve the Bears have declined in that time. Two wins in both games coached by Bobby Davis shows the Bears still have a good roster, but without a coach they will be no match for the mighty Cheeseheads as they march towards the playoffs.
Green Bay 27 Chicago 10
Panthers at Rams
Carolina haven't lost games like this for years, and even without a coach it will be a while before they do so. Easy win for the league's most successful franchise.
Panthers 34 Lambs 6
Falcons at 49ers
Atlanta are the NFC's second best team, and perhaps the only other top tier team other than the unbeaten Eagles, whom they play next week. Its unlikely any SF fans, or indeed many players or staff, will show up for this game . However with the ink on the contract of Sam Chillari still wet the tide will soon begin to turn in San Francisco- athough nothing good is likely to come from this game.
Coach Chillari is expected to arrive in the city by the bay in under a month and has already scheduled the team's first meeting to occur at Alcatraz national park, the site of the old gail. Rumour is players believed to have underperformed this season will bunk up in what will become the league's toughest offseason program! Surrounded by water they will certainly not be distracted from the job ahead of them.
Meanwhile the dirty birds will roll on with another blowout win this week in a soft NFC West.
Atlanta 38 SF 10
--Last edited by alex on 2007-06-16 19:06:51 -- 
Register | 
Profile | 
Private messages | 
Search | 
Online | 
Help
| Create a free blog
Email Notification
Warn moderators
Just a short commute via jetski to your new training facility!
