Sunday Countdown online: Your weekly NFL guide
Weekly Picks |
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| Ditka | Johnson | Carter | Mortensen | Jackson | |
| N.Y. Jets @ Buffalo | N.Y. Jets | Buffalo | Buffalo | Buffalo | Buffalo |
| Detroit @ Chicago | Chicago | Chicago | Chicago | Chicago | Chicago |
| Jacksonville @ Cincinnati | Jacksonville | Jacksonville | Jacksonville | Jacksonville | Jacksonville |
| Baltimore @ Cleveland | Baltimore | Cleveland | Baltimore | Cleveland | Cleveland |
| Green Bay @ Tennessee | Tennessee | Tennessee | Green Bay | Tennessee | Tennessee |
| Tampa Bay @ Kansas City | Tampa Bay | Tampa Bay | Tampa Bay | Tampa Bay | Tampa Bay |
| Arizona @ St. Louis | Arizona | Arizona | Arizona | Arizona | St. Louis |
| Houston @ Minnesota | Minnesota | Minnesota | Houston | Minnesota | Minnesota |
| Miami @ Denver | Miami | Miami | Miami | Denver | Miami |
| Atlanta @ Oakland | Atlanta | Atlanta | Atlanta | Atlanta | Atlanta |
| Dallas @ N.Y. Giants | N.Y. Giants | N.Y. Giants | N.Y. Giants | N.Y. Giants | N.Y. Giants |
| Philadelphia @ Seattle | Philadelphia | Philadelphia | Philadelphia | Philadelphia | Philadelphia | New England @ Indianapolis | Indianapolis | New England | Indianapolis | Indianapolis | Indianapolis | Pittsburgh @ Washington | Washington | Washington | Pittsburgh | Washington | Washington |
| Week 9 record | 12-2 | 9-5 | 10-4 | 9-5 | 8-6 |
| Overall record | 78-52 | 78-52 | 78-52 | 84-46 | 83-47 |
| More picks: Our other experts' selections | SportsNation: Pick Week 9 games | |||||
Countdown Confidential
Titans' pursuit for perfection could end against Packers: A whole bunch of reasons explain why the Tennessee Titans might not be perfect much longer.
First, the schedule. Tennessee will have had a short week of rest after an emotional Monday night win over division-rival Indianapolis, but the Packers had a bye Sunday and are healthier than they've been all season.
Paul Spinelli/Getty Images
Titans RB LenDale White leads the NFL with 10 rushing touchdowns.
Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers (sprained shoulder) practiced more this week than he has in a month. Cornerback Al Harris (lacerated spleen), safety Atari Bigby (hamstring) and 2007 first-round pick defensive tackle Justin Harrell (back surgery) all could return for the Packers on Sunday after missing extensive time. Harrell hasn't played all season, but he said this week that "it's really looking like it's going to happen Sunday." The Packers are thin at defensive tackle, so getting Harrell back the week they face Tennessee's backfield duo of Chris Johnson and LenDale White is crucial.
Then there's this: The Titans are an impressive 9-4 in their past 13 home games. But during that same stretch, the Packers are 10-3 on the road.
Don't be surprised if those '72 Dolphins pop the champagne by Sunday night.
-- Bob Holtzman
Jets prepared for inclement conditions in Buffalo: It's supposed to be 49 degrees and sunny in Buffalo on Sunday, but Eric Mangini isn't taking any chances. Daring to go where Major League Baseball did not this week, he had the Jets practice in a mix of rain, sleet and hail -- just in case the conditions turn sour during the team's game against the Bills.
"We've played in Buffalo so many times where the weather report says one thing, and then something dramatically different happens," Mangini said. "The fellas lobbied pretty hard [to practice indoors], seeing as we have such a beautiful indoor facility, but no. We'll get there at some point, but not right now."
The extra outdoor work was part of a teamwide effort to be more prepared and on-point -- the Jets turned the ball over three times last week against Kansas City, and players say that just can't happen against Buffalo if they're to win.
"They've been playing extremely well -- you can't give them a short field," center Nick Mangold said. "So we have to be sharper in every aspect."
-- Rachel Nichols
Week 9: Numbers Crunching
Jets at Bills, 1 p.m.
The Jets' offense should see some improvement as the year goes along. Its offensive DVOA on first down is 19th in the league, and on second downs, the Jets are 17th. On third downs, they fall to 25th; our research has shown that third-down performance tends to mirror that of first and second down as time goes along.
A lot has been made of Trent Edwards' fourth-quarter QB rating, but the Bills' offense hasn't really played that great -- it ranks 21st in the league offensively in the fourth quarter. Of course, that comes after a dire performance in the dying stages last week.
• More Jets-Bills: Intel Report | EA Simulation
Packers at Titans, 1 p.m.
Speaking of the best in the league, that's exactly what Tennessee's defense is in the fourth quarter. Green Bay's offense is 14th in the league; the Packers fare best in the second quarter, in which they're second-best in the NFL.
Reversing the field, Green Bay's defense is best in the third quarter, when it's the second-best defense in football. That's the worst quarter of the game for Tennessee's offense, which ranks 21st.
• More Packers-Titans: Intel Report | EA Simulation
Cowboys at Giants, 4:05 p.m.
Each offense is the best in the league on a particular down; the Giants have the preferable spot of being best on first down, while the Cowboys are the kings of the more dangerous (but more valuable) down: the third down. First-down performance doesn't tend to regress to the performance of other downs as the season goes along; third-down performance does, which doesn't bode well for the Cowboys.
The Giants' offense also is the best in the league in the first quarter; the Cowboys' defense is 13th, but that's its best quarter.
• More Cowboys-Giants: Intel Report | EA Simulation
Steelers at Redskins, 8:30 p.m. (Monday)
The Steelers are another team that plays better away from home. The offense's home DVOA is 30th in the league, but on the road, the Steelers rank 14th; defensively, they're fifth on the road but best in the league away from Heinz Field.
The second half should be an epic battle when Washington gets the ball. Its offense has the best second-half DVOA in the league, while the Steelers' defense is third-best.
• More Steelers-Redskins: Intel Report | EA Simulation
On This Week
- The Packers haven't lost their big-play ability with Aaron Rodgers as QB. Cris Carter heads to Green Bay to talk to the Packers' WRs about Rodgers' deep ball.
- Believe it or not, Mike Ditka almost ran against Barack Obama for an Illinois Senate seat in 2004. How would history be different if Ditka versus Obama had happened?
- Tom Jackson opens up the EA Virtual Playbook to preview how the Giants' sack-happy defensive line will attack Cowboys QB Brad Johnson.
- Kenny Mayne turns into an investigative reporter to find out why NFL players need assistance in squeezing water bottles. This week's "Mayne Event" digs into why players can't drink water on their own.
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Horton's Film Room Notes
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| McNabb |
McNabb on the move
QB Donovan McNabb definitely doesn't scramble as much as he used to, but he has been effective when he has tucked and ran in recent weeks. He still has excellent run instincts, and don't be surprised to see more designed scrambles and draws in the future. The Seahawks' defense has played particularly soft lately and has done a poor job of tackling, so McNabb could run some quality scrambles. Plus, the Eagles' receivers are all starting to get healthy, and as they return to the field, the Eagles can spread the field. That will open up a lot more space for McNabb to run if he chooses to.
Chat Wrap
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| Campbell |
Trey (Virginia): Hey Chris, always enjoy the work and look forward to the Mort Report. I know the Redskins haven't been blowing people out on the scoreboard, but they've been dominating the stat lines. If, hopefully when, this team starts to click and finish those drives with TDs, are we looking at a dangerous team? Thanks.
Mort: The Redskins obviously have a better record than most experts forecast. A win is a win. If they can keep Clinton Portis healthy, I think they're really a candidate to win the NFC East. They do have a tough one vs. the Steelers, but then they get a bye to get healthy. Their second-half schedule: All three NFC East games at home (if that means anything), and they also play the Seahawks, Bengals and 49ers. But I look at Jason Campbell's improvement, the emergence of Santana Moss as a star and London Fletcher as a defensive MVP candidate. You should be happy.
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| Boldin |
Donnie (Leesburg, Va.): Where do you think Anquan Boldin's next football home will be? The Redskins have the money and need a big guy to help Moss out. What do you think?
Mort: The Cardinals don't have any real intention of letting Boldin go. They want to sign him to a new deal. If he ever were to go on the market, plenty of teams would have interest.
Week 9 Roundtable
Based on matchups, who will deliver a big performance in Week 9?
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| Tuck |
Gary Horton: Giants DEs Justin Tuck and Mathias Kiwanuka. Cowboys OTs Flozell Adams and Marc Colombo are really struggling with speed rushers off the edge. Dallas will try to move a tight end or defensive back to one side to help out, usually versus Tuck, but they can't help and chip on both. Last week, Pittsburgh doubled Tuck and blocked Kiwanuka one-on-one, and Kiwanuka responded with three sacks. The Giants are so smart that they will adjust their entire scheme to get their defensive ends in one-on-one situations. For example, if Tuck has a tight end and an offensive tackle assigned to him, the Giants will blitz a linebacker from the outside to force the tight end to go wide and block. That leaves Tuck one-on-one versus the right tackle. On the other side, the Giants will bring a linebacker through the B-gap to force the left tackle to step inside to pick up the blitz. That gives Kiwanuka a free shot at the QB -- unless a back stays in to block. This defense is great at devising schemes that create those matchups.
Keith Kidd: The Buccaneers' defense. For you fantasy lovers out there, play the Tampa Bay defense against Kansas City. If you haven't noticed, the Bucs' defense has played at very high level all season under coordinator Monte Kiffin. The Chiefs will have a very difficult time moving the ball against a fast and aggressive Buccaneers defense that plays very physically and will place a lot of pressure on the Chiefs' running game and QB Tyler Thigpen.