Thursday Night
Thursday we saw currently one of the best teams in the NFL, the New Orleans Saints take on the Dallas Cowboys in AT&T Stadium. At a glance the records of these two teams might show a one sided game. The Saints had won 10 straight games, while the Cowboys were on a little streak of their own, 3 games. The Cowboys pass rush defense payed no attention to the records, nor to the proficiency that Brees has shown this season.
The Cowboys held Brees to just 127 passing yards and a total team rushing yards of 65 on 19 carries. Brees was sacked 2 times for a loss of 16 yards and the stamp on the night was an INT with 2 minutes to go in the fourth quarter.
Dak Prescott had a better night going 24/28 and 248 yards passing however he did have two fumbles and one was lost. The Boys rushing game had a total of 100 yards in large part to E. Elliot’s 23 carries and 76 yards. The Cowboys upset the Saints winning 10-13, ending the Saints streak at and continuing the Cowboys winning ways at 4 in a row.
Sunday, Sunday, Sunday
With all the bye weeks behind us there is a full schedule of games this Sunday according to ESPN. There are 14 total games, 9 early and 4 afternoon, also we have the Sunday night match-up. We start off with the Ravens at the Falcons, followed by the Broncos at the Bengals. Next we have Rams at the Lions and the Cardinals at the Green Bay Packers. We will also see the Bills at the Miami Dolphins and the Bears at the New York Giants. The Panthers stalk their way in to Jacksonville to take on the Buccaneers, while the Colts prance into Jacksonville to face the Jaguars. Last of the early games we will see the Browns go against the Houston Texans.
In the afternoon match-ups the first on the list will be the Jets at the Titans followed by the Chiefs at the Oakland Raiders. The Seahawks are on the fringe of the playoffs so they host the 49ers for the first of two meetings in just a few weeks. To finish up the late games we will see maybe one of the best games of the weekend, the Vikings travel to Gillett Stadium to face the New England Patriots.
Monday Night
On Monday we are seeing two teams that have shown flashes of brilliance this season. One of the QB’s in this match-up is playing the best football of his career. Phillip Rivers and the Chargers travel to Pennsylvania to take on the Pittsburgh Steelers in Heinz Field. This game holds playoff potential for both teams, the Chargers look to keep pace with the Chiefs and the Steelers look to hold on to the top spot in the AFC North.
Bold Predictions
There are so many close teams as far records this week it is hard to pick teams so this week is going to be some of the biggest upsets of the year. First off we have the Rams taking on the Detroit Lions at home. I say the Lions beat the #1 Rams 24-28 in Motown.
How about the next to last place Cardinals facing the Packers in the “Frozen Tundra”? Do I dare predict that the Cards beat the Pack, “Yes I do”. I think that the Cards leave Green Bay with the big win 30-28.
The third prediction is going to be the Chiefs facing the Raiders in the “Black Hole”. The 9-2 Chiefs fall to be even with the Chargers after this week when they go against the Raiders at home. I say the Raiders by 10 points, sorry no score.
Next we have the Bears at the Giants. Although the Bears are without their leader Trubisky they are still favored to win this match-up in New York. I believe the other way, and say the Giants win over the Bears, stomping them 17-35.
Last on my list is the 2-9 49ers against the Seahawks. I think the 9ers go into the Pacific Northwest and silence the crowd by beating the Hawks 27-23.
Fantasy
Just a quick “I told you so”, on getting handcuffs for your star players. Last week I took my own advice and picked up Austin Ekeler to cover for Melvin Gordon on the Charger roster. Well it paid off as Gordon got hurt during the game and could be out for the remainder of the fantasy season. If you had Kareem Hunt of the KC Chiefs, I hope you got Spencer Ware. If you have not heard Hunt was released by the Chiefs on Friday night. I have not heard the details just the notification that came across my phone. I have Hunt on one of my fantasy teams and immediately tried to get Ware, but he was already taken. My fault for not trying to secure him earlier.
Super Bowl
Got a few good predictions on Thursday as to who you think will be in and who you might want to make it to the Super Bowl. Keep them coming, give me some Bold Predictions. I will share another one in the comments this Sunday.