Brian Billick previews Week 14 NFL action
Christian Ponder and the Vikings are coming off their best offensive performance of the season, albeit in a loss to the hot Denver Broncos. Ponder took a beating in the first half against the Denver pass rush, so look for Detroit to unleash Kyle Vanden Bosch and Cliff Avril. On the flip side, the Vikings are depleted in the defensive secondary, and if Tim Tebow can throw for 202 yards, then Matt Stafford is capable of doubling that total.
The Saints would like to get the NFC South wrapped up before they have to play the Falcons the day after Christmas. With a win against the Titans and a loss by the Falcons this weekend, they will do just that. In doing so, they will guarantee at least one game in the dome before having to travel to Green Bay or San Francisco. Tennessee has been playing tough defensively, but will be hard-pressed to hold back Drew Brees and his diverse passing attack. Chris Johnson appears to be back for the Titans, and they will once again need him to reach the 150-yard mark to keep pace with the Saints.
he Eagles’ turnover differential of minus-13 pretty much paints the entire picture for their 4-8 season. Michael Vick will start and it appears that Jeremy Maclin will return this weekend as well, but it won’t be easy pickings against the fifth-ranked scoring defense. For the resurgent Dolphins, Reggie Bush is coming off a career-high 22 rushes for 100 yards in their dominant win vs. the Raiders, and he should have similar success against the Eagles’ shaky rush defense.
The Falcons have won three in a row against Carolina, including a 31-17 win in Week 6. However, the Panthers lead the league in explosive plays with 72. With Matt Ryan’s recent struggles, the Falcons may instead lean even more on Michael Turner. He is fourth in the NFL in rushing, while the Panthers’ rush defense is sixth-worst in the NFL. Atlanta’s defense will employ a bend but don’t break mentality against Cam Newton and the big-play potential of the Carolina offense.
Josh Freeman missed last week’s 38-19 loss to the Panthers, but he is anxious to return this week if only to play for the future of his coach, Raheem Morris. Morris’ seat is unfairly hot in Tampa Bay and Freeman is largely to blame. This year he has thrown 12 touchdowns to 16 interceptions, compared to this time last year when he had 25 touchdowns and only six interceptions. For the Jaguars, Blaine Gabbert is only completing 49 percent of his passes, but he does have the league’s leading rusher in his backfield.
Only the anemic NFC West stands in the way of the 49ers procuring the second seed in the NFC playoff picture. But that is the same NFC West that includes an Arizona team that has won four of their last five and a Seattle team that’s won three of its last four. Still, the 49ers have already secured a postseason spot and will look to expand their offense over the next four games in anticipation of facing either the Saints or Packers in the playoffs. It is not coincidence that the Cardinals’ winning streak has come during a time in which Beanie Wells has had his best career games.
Chicago will have to break its Cover-2 defense to build an effective eight-man box to stop the rushing attack of Tim Tebow and Willis McGahee. The Bears will need to force some takeaways against the Broncos, who rarely turn it over, in order to win the field-position battle. With Jay Cutler on the bench, the Bears were only able to muster three points and Caleb Hanie has thrown three interceptions in each of the last two games. Now without Matt Forte, they need that field position more than ever. Better yet, how about the defense just scores for them?
The Texans have won six games in a row for the first time in team history ... all the more impressive considering who they are doing it without. The Texans’ third-best rushing attack is just what Houston needs to help rookie T.J. Yates keep them in the playoff picture. Still, last week, Gary Kubiak seemed more than comfortable using the entire playbook with Yates under center. The Bengals are currently the sixth seed in the AFC, and will most likely need to win at least three of their remaining four to get in the playoffs.
In typical Raiders fashion, they have put themselves in a bind after blowing the AFC West in a loss to the Dolphins last week. They now have to go on the road against a team trying to earn a place in NFL history and potentially be considered one of the greatest teams of all time. The one thing the Raiders can take advantage of is the Packers' vulnerability to the big play on defense. The Raiders rank as the second-best offense in generating explosive plays, and they will need plenty of them on Sunday. With Denarius Moore and Jacoby Ford likely to miss another game, that will be easier said than done.
Not much has gone right for the Chiefs this season, as displayed by Kyle Orton getting injured on his first play in a Kansas City uniform. The Jets have rediscovered their stride and have worked themselves back into the top 10 defensively. The Chiefs have the fourth-fewest sacks in the NFL which is excellent news for Mark Sanchez, who is still trying to win over the New York fans. The Jets have beaten only one team this season with a winning record.
With the Patriots’ remaining schedule, I look for them to walk away with the No. 1 seed in the AFC. The Pats are 33-3 in their last 36 games played in December, and I don’t anticipate a slip-up at the hands of the Redskins. Because his third touchdown of the week last Sunday was deemed a rush instead of a reception, Rob Gronkowski is actually still tied for the most touchdowns caught by a tight end in a season in NFL history. He shouldn’t have any trouble claiming that title on Sunday. For the Redskins, the lone bright spot has been Roy Helu, who is coming off back-to-back 100 yard rushing performances.
Dan Orlovsky will make his ninth career start, second for the Lions, but is still looking for his first career win. Of all the teams he would pick from to try to get his first win, I am sure the Ravens would be at the bottom of that list. Ray Rice is coming off a career-high 204-yard rushing performance, and the Colts are the third-worst rushing defense in the NFL. The Ravens have struggled against inferior teams this year, but now they can smell the division title and will put the Colts away early on Sunday.
The Bills haven’t been to the playoffs in this century and that isn’t going to change this year. They picked the wrong time to come west as the Chargers have found their offensive stride with a good win on the East Coast vs. the Jags last week. The Bills’ small ball has gotten even smaller the last few weeks, and the San Diego secondary should match up well against the Bills’ receivers. Philip Rivers must protect the football while continuing to give his 6-5 receivers opportunities to make plays on the deep ball.
Even in a loss to the Packers, the Giants showed toughness after the previous Sunday’s blowout loss to the Saints. That mental toughness may be what they rely on when they face a Cowboys team that has yet to show that same type of toughness. The Cowboys are still yet to develop any type of consistency this year, and the Giants haven’t lost five in a row since Tom Coughlin’s first season as coach. This division will come down to these head-to-head matchups this week and in Week 17.
You thought he earned some Skittles against Philly, wait until you see what Marshawn Lynch does to the worst rushing defense in the NFL. The Rams are giving up more than 157 yards on the ground per game, but showed an improvement against Frank Gore last week. Even if they do find a way to stop the run, the Rams’ offense is last in the league in scoring ... so either way, it’s not looking good for the Rams.
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