Week 5 – Games to Watch

Washington Redskins vs. Philadelphia Eagles
NFLBig divisional game, that could have a major impact on the outcome of the year. Washington wasn’t thought to be a favorite in the division, but they are off to a 3 -1 start and coming off a big victory over Dallas. Philadelphia is 2 – 2, but have hade a tough schedule to start off the year. The key to this game might be the health of Philly’s all pro half back Brian Westbrook, they need him to have success and win this game. Jason Campbell is starting to look good as the QB in Washington and he will need to be poised for the Redskins to win. The Eagles defense has been playing very well against the run and Clinton Portis will have to figure out how to gain some yards. The Eagles defense will come after Campbell with blitz’s and try to force some turnovers. If Westbrook and McNabb are healthy I think Philadelphia wins this game. The Eagles defense will force mistakes and not allow Portis to run over them. This will be a close and exciting game, look for the score deferential to be less then 7.

Pittsburgh Steelers vs Jacksonville Jaguars
These are two of the most physical teams in the NFL and you should look forward to a smash mouth game. Defense will be the name of the game and the game will be one by the QB who manages to move the ball in key situations. The Steelers are banged up in the back field, which will force Rothlisberger to beat the Jags through the air. The Jags win games with defense and a solid running game, and they will have to follow that game plan to win this week. Both these teams have had a tough start playing a lot of close games and being in stressful situations. This will be a low  scoring game and if you like to watch good defense this will be he game for you this week. I am concerned about the running game in Pittsburgh and I think if Jags QB David Garrard can avoid big mistakes the Jaguars will win this game. The game will be low scoring and will be won in the fourth quarter. My pick is the Jags, by maybe just a field goal.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs Denver Broncos
An NFC South match up, both team are 3- 1 and will be looking to be first in the division at weeks end. This is a game about momentum, the Bucs are coming off a big win against Green Bay while the Broncos had a surprising loss last week. Both the teams QB’s have been playing very well and they will be looked at lead there respective teams to victory this week. Denver is off to a good start, but not because of there defense who are near last in almost every category. Denver will have to be extremely better then they were last week, if they want to have a chance on Sunday. Look for the Bucs to run the ball with Graham and Dunn all day, and make Denver’s poor defense try to stop them. For Denver to win they will need a big game out of Cutler and some turnovers on defense. I am not sold on Denver and think Tampa will win this game easily. Look for Ernest Graham to have a big game, but the key for the Bucs will be whether or not Griese can take care of the ball at QB. The Buccaneers will win and take control of the NFC South for the rest of the year.

Tennessee Titans vs Baltimore Ravens
The Titans are off to a 4 -0 start and will be looking to prove to the league that they are real contenders. Baltimore is 2  – 1 and are led by one of the leagues best defenses. The Titans defense is also very good, and this game looks like it will be low scoring affair. The Titans get a lot of pressure on the QB led by Albert Haynesworth, which might mean trouble for Ravens rookie Joe Flacco. To get some pressure off Flacco look for the Ravens to run a lot and if they do throw look for short passes and bootlegs. I don’t think the Ravens will score a lot of points so the key there success will be stop the Titans on offense. The Titans will also look to run the ball a lot, but they will take some deep chances to stretch the field. I think the Titans will be 5 -0 after this week, I just don’t like Flacco playing against the Tennessee defense. There won’t be a lot of points in this one and the team that runs the ball the best will win the game.

Minnesota Vikings vs New Orleans Saints
Monday night game this week and it should be a high scoring affair. The Saints lead the league in passing yards and attempts. The Vikings defense is 17th against the pass and the Saints QB Drew Brees will look to take advantage of that. Minnesota will try and slow this game down by running the ball a lot with Adrian Peterson. Peterson should be able to have a big game, the Saints defense is 20th against the run so far. These team have contrasting styles on offense and the winner will have to figure the other one out to win. The Saints will throw the ball all over the field and Peterson will have a great day. Look for Peterson to have a fantastic day along with Brees from the Saints. My pick is the Saints to win in a shoot out, if you like offense you will like this game. If the Saints want to win they cannot allow Minnesota to have any success throwing the ball, Peterson is going to get his yards, but do not let them get big plays threw the air.

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Pittsburgh win feels like a loss

Shawn AlexanderThe Pittsburgh Steelers beat the Baltimore Ravens on Monday Night by the score of 23-20 in overtime.  The key divisional win for the Steelers was bitter sweet, because the Steelers lost their best offensive lineman in Kendall Simmons (Achilles); and their number one draft pick of this year in running back Rashard Mendenhall (with a shoulder fracture).  You kind of figured that Rashard Mendenhall was going to be a targeted player when reports about him sending a text message to Ray Rice about having a big game against the Baltimore Ravens, but I don’t think anyone expected him to have received a severe injury like a shoulder fracture.  That just sounds painful.

Both players Simmons and Mendenhall have been put on the IR and will be lost for the rest of the year.  With Willie Parker already on the sideline for an extended period of time, the Steelers might have the worst running back situation in the NFL with their top two backs on the shelf.  There are running back free agents out their like Shawn Alexander, but the pickings are very slim.  The Steelers will be starting running back Mewelde Moore- who the Steelers signed as a free agent during the summer.  This year Big Ben Roethlisberger’s arm will be counted on more than ever for a team that has been known forever as a running team.  Which why the the loss of Kendall Simmons will be even more devastating to an offensive line that has played mediocre to say the least.  Whoever Pittsburgh picks to replace Simmons won’t matter if the offensive line as a whole doesn’t step up and play better than they have.  Their franchise quarterback Big Ben already has 3 nagging injuries that he is going to have to play with for the rest of the season-including his throwing hand.  If this offensive line continues to struggle, then the Steelers will have to air it out a lot often then they have in the past or more than Coach Mike Tomlin would like to.   The teams wide receivers and tight ends will have to get ready to become a whole lot more integral to the overall offensive scheme.  Offensive coordinator Bruce Arians will earn his paycheck as he will be forced to make huge adjustments to the offensive play calling and might have to make numerous changes to the play book.

There will be tremendous pressure on the Pittsburgh Steelers defense because they are the current strength of the team, and will be asked to do more than the already outstanding performance that they have displayed during their first four games.  The biggest key for the defense is to stay healthy, especially to keep superstar safety Troy Polamalu.  Polamalu has had injury problems in the past and he is the one player the Steelers can least afford to lose on defense.  The defensive line has been hit hard already by a couple of injuries including run stopper Casy Hampton.

Every team in the NFL has to deal with injuries, so you won’t hear anyone crying for the Steelers-especially the New England Patriots.

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Baltimore Ravens

Ray LewisEleven years after the Colts moved to Indianapolis, Baltimore once again was granted with an NFL team.The name “Ravens” was inspired by famous poet and Baltimore native Edgar Allen Poe after his “The Raven” poem. The Ravens first game took place on September 1, 1996 as they defeated the Oakland Raiders 19-14. In the Ravens inaugural season produced a 4-12 record last in the then AFC Central.The Baltimore Raven would continue to improve faster then most people had anticipated. In only four season the Ravens improved every year making their way to Super Bowl XXXV as a wild card team needing to win every playoff game on the road. Brian Bellick took over the ravens head coaching position in 1999 and would take the raven to the next level in a very short time. The Ravens built there 2000 team on solid defense, allowing the fewest amount of points in the history of the NFL and became one of the all-time great defensive teams dominating the New York Giants 35-7. Leading the way on the Ravens rock solid defense was Ray Lewis who earned Super Bowl XXXV Most Valuable Player. Lewis, who is currently on the Ravens, will surely represent the Baltimore Ravens when he is inducted in the Football Hall of Fame when he retires. Other notable defenders who contributed to the 2000 Ravens defense was Tony Siragusa, James Trapp, Rod Woodson, and Sam Adams.

Not only was a great defense apart of their winning but a solid running game which included Jamal Lewis. Lewis’s impact was felt in his rookie season when he rushed for over a 1,000 yards. In 2003, Lewis nearly set the all-time rushing record for a season with 2,066 yards, which is held by Eric Dickerson with 2,105 yards in 1984.

During the Ravens very brief history they have three AFC Central/North Division titles in 2000, 2003, 2006 and one Super Bowl victory. Since their Super Bowl win the Ravens have only made the playoffs three times with disappointing playoff loses which include a Ravens team who went 13-3 in 2006.

The Ravens play in the AFC North with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Cleveland Browns, and Cincinnati Bengals which is a winnable division. The Ravens have a history of a productive defense but a lack luster offense which has been their problem since there inception.

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