Four Games to Watch in Week 9 - Mparas1432's Blog

Arena Blog Dynasty Scores Sign Up ☰

Mparas1432's Blog

Four Games to Watch in Week 9 Stuck

Posted on November 4, 2012 at 07:14 AM.

(0)

Arizona Cardinals (4-4) at Green Bay Packers (5-3)

Why to Watch:

These two teams seemed to be headed in opposite directions at the moment. Arizona is reeling without Kevin Kolb -- seriously. John Skelton can�t seem to have the same handle on the offense and that is killing Larry Fitzgerald and the offense.

That said, the Packers have won three in a row and four of their last five. This is despite not having Greg Jennings, and potentially not having Jordy Nelson for the second week in a row. Green Bay is a ten-point favorite at home and it could be more. It will be interesting to see if both teams continue down their current path or if the Cardinals can reverse their course.

X-Factor:

Brendan - Green Bay WR Jordy Nelson

If Nelson can go, the Packers offense has an entirely different dimension that it is missing without him. He can run every route and beat most cornerbacks. Most importantly, without Greg Jennings, he is their big-play threat.

Matt � Offensive Line for either team

Both of these teams are ranked first in sacks and let up the most sacks. It will be up the offensive lines to stop the oncoming pass rush and finally give their man some time to throw. Luckily for Packer fans, Rodgers is much better than Skelton any day of the week.

Prediction:

Brendan - The Packers have gotten out of their early season funk and seem to have figured things out despite the absence of Jennings, something I wasn�t sure they could overcome. Meanwhile, Arizona looks awful without Kolb, something I never thought I would type. The Arizona run defense is more than capable of keeping Alex Green in check. I think Rodgers goes off though. Prediction: Packers 35, Cardinals 13

Matt � The Cardinals are in crisis mode. They have lost four in a row and there doesn�t seem to be any hope at turning it around. 30-7 Packers

Miami Dolphins (4-3) at Indianapolis Colts (4-3)

Why to Watch:

Two surprise teams who have come from out of nowhere to surprise the NFL. Andrew Luck and Ryan Tannehill have both surpassed expectations, and likely win totals in the their rookie campaigns.

X-Factor:

Brendan - Indianapolis Running Game

Whether it is Vick Ballard or Donald Brown, or both, whoever is toting the rock for the Colts will be counted on to have a big game and take some pressure off of Andrew Luck. Vick Ballard had one of the plays of the year so far for his corkscrew touchdown last week, and now that Donald Brown appears to be healthy, they form a solid 1-2 punch. Will it be enough to outpace Reggie Bush?

Matt � Ryan Tannehill, Miami Dolphins QB

Listed officially questionable, it�s unclear whether Tannehill will even be able to play or not. However if he does, Tannehill will have to play like the Tannehill that wins games for Miami. In his victories, Tannehill has a QB rating of 95.9 with three touchdowns and no interceptions. The numbers are quite a contrast to his numbers when they lose (59.8 QBR, 1 TD, 6 INT).

Predictions:

Brendan - Indianapolis is surprisingly tough at home, knocking off the Packers earlier this year. The Colts have more weapons on offense, which I think gives them the advantage. Prediction: Colts 24, Dolphins 20

Matt - I�ll actually take the Dolphins on this one. Their defense has played surprisingly well, even after trading their best cornerback. Reggie Bush has been a major reason the Dolphins have been winning as well. 23-20 Dolphins

Minnesota Vikings (5-3) at Seattle Seahawks (4-4)

X-Factor:

Brendan - CenturyLink Field
The ultimate x-factor for Seattle Seahawks is their home field advantage. The Seahawks are relentless at home, as are their fans. Seattle is 3-0 at home this season, and easily could improve to 4-0 at home this season as CenturyLink Field continues to be a fortress.

Matt - Adrian Peterson, Minnesota Vikings RB

With Christian Ponder not playing as well recently, Peterson needs to be the anchor to the Vikings offense. Can he do it to a team that only gives up 84.9 yards a game on the ground?

Predictions:

Brendan - Seattle is tough at home, but Minnesota is just tough in general. I don�t know how well Adrian Peterson will be able to run against that, at times, terrifying defensive front of Seattle. The same could be said for Marshawn Lynch against the Vikings defensive front. Ultimately, I like Russell Wilson at home just a little bit more than Christian Ponder. Prediction: Seahawks 20, Vikings 17

Matt - Like Brendan said, the Seahawks have the advantage with being at Century Link Field. 27-21 Seahawks

Pittsburgh Steelers (4-3) at New York Giants (6-2)

X-Factor:

Brendan - Steelers Secondary

Can the Steelers slow down the Giants? The secondary will need a big day in order to control Hakeem Nicks, Victor Cruz and the other Giant receivers. Pittsburgh was able to corral the Redskins receivers last week, although the double-digit drops helped, and make Robert Griffin III look human, can they do the same with Eli Manning?

Matt - Giants Pass Rush

This Superbowl winning squad has been proven to be a nightmare, but can they contain Big Ben? The Steelers offensive line has had troubles with injuries, although Big Ben has only been sacked 13 times on the season. They�ll need to disrupt the quarterback to force turnovers just like they did against Dallas.

Predictions:

Brendan - The Giants are on a roll right now, and I don�t see the Steelers ending that. The Giants pass rush is able to get to everyone, and it will be interesting to see if Big Ben is able to pull the magic out of his hat to elude them this week. I expect a big week from Eli Manning, and luckily for the Giants, if they stall out in the red zone Lawrence Tynes has been incredibly reliable and can bail them out. Prediction: Giants 30, Steelers 24

Matt - The Steelers already got torched by one Manning this year and will have another one do the same today. The Giants will continue to prove they are one of the best teams in Football right now. 35-17 Giants