2nd Edition

Many believe that Chris Johnson was snubbed at last year's Grammys.

DeSean Jackson came back for the Eagles in a big way in their victory over the Giants Sunday night.  The 2^nd year star totaled 178 receiving yards and a touchdown receiving, while adding a second on special teams.  This effort helped the Eagles outlast the Giants in a shootout totaling 83 total points that lived up to every bit of the hype.  The New Orleans Saints survived another scare as with a three point victory over the Falcons, and all of a sudden they look like the weaker undefeated team.  Can they hold out for three more games?  If they don’t they falter they may just end up playing in Minnesota this January.

While the excitement was palpable last week, this week is filled with tension thick enough to dull the sharpest of blades.  With two crucial losses there is now a 4 way tie for the final playoff spot in the AFC and the Titans and Texans are trying to slide in undetected and leave the water running, if you know what I mean.  The Titans host the Dolphins whom created the tie by defeating Jacksonville in a tight battle.  A win for the Titans place them ever closer to the least likely comeback in NFL history, while a win for a surging Dolphin squad could place them on tops of the AFC East.  The Falcons, who fell just short of doing the impossible week 14, must travel to the Meadowlands and defeat a dangerous Jets team, to keep any hope of making the postseason.  An embarrassed Bengal squad travels to San Diego, with the AFC’s 2^nd seed, and a first round bye on the line.  The Cowboys will try to be 4 points better than the Falcons and Redskins, as they try to stifle the Saints.  The Jaguars struggling to stay in the picture get bad news as Coach Caldwell of the Colts has announced that everyone will see regular action.  Finally, Green Bay tries to lock up a playoff spot with a win.  They travel Heinz field to take on the defending Super Bowl Champion Steelers, for whom a loss ends any dreams of playing in post season play, let alone the chance to defend their title.

Indianapolis Colts at the Jacksonville Jaguars

The Jaguars always play the Colts close, and this Thursday night match-up will be no exception.  The Colts have trouble controlling the run, and Maurice Jones Drew is one of the best in the business.  However the Jaguars passing attack has floundered of late, and they don’t have the punch to do what a stronger Bronco defense failed to do a week ago:  Outscore Peyton Manning.  The Colts stay unbeaten:

Colts 30 – Jaguars 20

The Cowboys pass the ball as well as anyone, while the Saints secondary takes gambles that sometimes allow big plays.   Number 2 and 3 receivers have strived against them, and the Cowboys have four down field threats.  That being said, the absence of Demarcus Ware will give Drew Brees a free pass, and the Cowboy’s will be playing from behind all day.  The Saints secondary will do just enough to remain unbeaten:

Saints 33 – Cowboys 28

Vince Young restrained his hamstring, going out during the 2^nd quarter, as the Titan’s crushed the lowly Rams.  Chris Johnson remained full tilt rushing for 117 and gained another 69 through on screens, finding the end zone 3 times.  His season totals are now 1,626 rushing and 2,019 total yards from scrimmage.  He needs 480 yards to break Eric Dickerson’s record of 2,105 rushing yards which has stood for 25 years, and  411 yards from scrimmage to break the record 2,429 that Marshall Faulk has held for 10 years.  The Dolphins one the other hand, are rolling despite losing Chad Pennington and Ronnie Brown for the season.  The Dolphin’s passing attack is stronger with Henne at the helm.  The Dolphins are strong against the run, but not strong enough.  Look for Chris Johnson to pull another 100+ /150+ yard game from his hat.  By the luck o’ the Titans, Vince Young re-re-aggravates the hamstring and the Titans play the rest of the year in pursuit of 2,106:

Dolphins 33 – Titans 31

The Falcons fell behind by double digits half-way through the second quarter, and couldn’t quite match what is arguably the league’s scariest offense.  They had trouble bottling up the Saint backfield, allowing it 192 yards and 2 scores.  While neither Sanchize or Clemens are as deadly a Brees, the Thomas Jones and the company are as effective as any backfield in the bigs, even without Leon Washington.  Look for Thomas to total over 100 all purpose and the rest of the Green Machine to match, as the Jets move into a tie for 6^th in the AFC:

Jets 24 – Falcons 20

This week, Ochocinco appeals to a higher power in order to get a victory.

The Bengals defense was dominated by Purple Jesus and friends, as the Vikings steamrolled them 30-10 in the Metro Dome Sunday.  The Chargers survived the Cowboys, as Philip Rivers completed his longest pass of the game (a 39 yard strike to Vincent Jackson, which set up the go ahead TD) just one play after Demarcus Ware went down in the 4^th quarter.  One wonders how the events would have unfolded had Ware stayed healthy, yet the fact remains that the Chargers just seem to keep winning.  Cedric Benson should be able to remove some pressure from Palmer against a less than stellar Chargers rushing defense.  However, Sproles and LT will combine for 150 as the Chargers lock up 2^nd place:

Chargers 23 – Bengals 20

The Packers offense has been firing on all cylinders, and slowing down against a strong Chicago  defense shouldn’t bear any lasting results.   Look for Aaron Rogers to return to form against a Polamalu-less Steeler defense that has been terrible throughout their five game slide.  The Packer defense has a knack for forcing key turnovers with their back against the wall.   They’ll force enough turnovers for the Packers  to lock up the NFC’s 5^th seed:

Packers 37 – Steelers 25

The Colts won’t have to travel unless it’s to Landshark Stadium, and the Chargers move ever closer to also gaining that first round bye.  If that happens expect one hell of an AFC Championship game in Indianapolis.  The North is still open, as the Bengals can’t find a win, and the Ravens have a very favorable schedule ahead.  The East is technically anyone’s race a this point, and will be blown wide open if the Bills can pull the upset when the Patriots come to town.  The Wild Card picture is a mess as the top slotted Broncos are now just two games ahead of the playoff starved Texans and the redemption seeking Titans.  The Broncos will protect their lead versus a Raiders team that is forced to go back to Jemarcus Russell.  The Dolphins, the Raven, the Jets, and the Jaguars could all find themselves in the 6^th slot by week’s end.  The Texans will have no trouble with a weak Rams defense, and remain one game back.

The Saints have now wrapped up a bye and the Vikings look to do the same.  The Saints must keep going strong, for if they rest now the Vikings have a shot at stealing home field.  The Packers are arguably and can lock themselves into a playoff spot with a win.  The Eagles are now in sole possession of the East, and look to strengthen their lead while as well as that of the Cardinals, the top team in the NFC Worst.  The 49ers, whom have stayed in both the Wild Card and the West by beating the Cardinals twice, have a shot of playing in January if they can stay consistent.  Either way, look for them run the West in years to come.

Tags: bongos, chris johnson, hampton forecast, nfl, ochocinco

This entry was posted on Thursday, December 17th, 2009 at 6:23 pm and is filed under Sports. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.