Fraser's Favorites Week 7

Washington at Carolina

You really gotta love the NFL. Last week we’re talking about the Redskins being the best team in the NFC East, now we’re talking quarterback controversy and the worst team in the division. Meanwhile, the talk about Cam Newton is slowly starting to calm down. There’s no doubting how good he has been for a rookie, but “experts” need to simmer down on the talks of the best rookie ever. The Panthers have been able to keep every game close despite the inferior talent on their team. Here, the talent is close enough where the Panthers will get their second win of the season.

Washington- 23
Carolina- 31

Seattle at Cleveland

Traveling is an overlooked disadvantage. Teams that have to fly hundreds of miles, changing time zones to play a game is really detrimental. The Seahawks are a victim of being a West Coast team. Even though the Seahawks were able to travel to New York and beat the Giants before their bye, they will not be able to put together a win streak on the road. The Browns offense will finally find some form of identity, and knock off the Seahawks at home.

Seattle- 22

Cleveland- 27

Atlanta at Detroit

Mike Smith might blow this game on purpose. He doesn’t want to be pushed and shoved and chased after like Jim Harbaugh was following the 49ers-Lions game. Harbaugh was excited and got carried away, but I put all the blame on Schwartz. Be a man, suck it up, accept your loss, put your head down and walk off the field. Don’t go chasing the guy who just beat you! The Lions finally played a team that did not hand the game to them or a team with inferior talent and look what happened; they lost. And now that the Lions have that losing feeling back again, they will make it two in a row as they play the Falcons in week 7. The type of running plays where Frank Gore gashed the Lions defense is exactly the type of running plays that Michael Turner loves. Michael Turner starts strong on the ground, opening up more opportunities for the play-action, mid-range throw where Matt Ryan excels.

Atlanta-30
Detroit- 20

Denver at Miami

This is great. All of the Tebow followers finally get their chance to watch him and they get to play the doormat of the NFL in the Dolphins. Tebow will look spectacular (spectacular for Tim Tebow) and alllll of his fans will get to say how he should have been playing sooner and how great he is. This decision to start Tebow shows the negative side of the NFL. It’s not all about winning, but it’s about money and pleasing the fans. Scouts and even coaches within the Broncos organization said how poorly Tebow played in practice and the pre-season. Tebow might ignite this team for a little while, and his style of play might confuse the Dolphins enough to get this win, but once teams watch film and figure him out he won’t win another game. The Broncos will win this game because of their defensive play, and because of the running abilities of Tebow.

Denver- 24
Miami- 17

San Diego at N.Y. Jets

When Forrest Gump said “Life is like a box of chocolates you never know what you’re gonna get”, I think he was talking about the Chargers and the Jets. You really never know which team you’ll get. The Good Jets or the Bad Jets. The Good Chargers or the Bad Chargers. We always know which Mark Sanchez we will get and that is one who overthrows multiple receivers a game and pouts as he walks toward the sideline after the offenses repeated three and out possessions. Fortunately for Sanchez, Darrelle Revis is on his team or Revis would be feasting off of his errant throws. The return of Antonio Gates for the Chargers makes the difference in this game against the Jets as Rivers puts up 30 points in a San Diego victory.

San Diego- 31
New York Jets-20

Chicago at Tampa Bay

Both of these teams had key wins last week against division opponents. The Bears beat up on the Vikings and the Buccaneers squeezed out a win against the Saints. Surprisingly, the Bears managed to keep Jay Cutler off the ground against the Vikings, and it looked like their offensive line played much better than previous weeks. If they want to beat the Buccaneers the line will have to repeat its performance. Expect that trend to continue and the Bears to get back on track like the 13-3 team they were last year.

Chicago- 24
Tampa Bay- 19

Houston at Tennessee

You have to feel bad for these Texans. No Peyton Manning this year and they should have had the AFC South locked up. Then they lose Mario Williams for the season and Andre Johnson goes out with a leg injury and their playoff hopes start to dwindle. This is a competitive team though despite all of the unfortunate injuries. Meanwhile, the Titans are 3-2 and in first place in the division. The Titans are one of the more overrated teams in the NFL. Hasselback was playing great, but against the Browns and the Broncos. The Texans talent trumps the Titans talent. That shows in this game and the Texans take over first place.

Houston- 27
Tennessee- 24

Pittsburgh at Arizona

A rematch of Superbowl XLII. The Cardinals try to return back to a playoff caliber team but have been struggling under the leadership of Kevin Kolb. We can start to question the trade for a 2nd round draft pick and pro-bowler Dominque Rodgers-Cromartie if things don’t turn around quickly in Arizona. They are returning from a bye and should have had time to gel, but this may take more than two weeks. For a struggling offense, the last thing you want to see right now is this Steelers defense. They were called “old” and they might have struggled early, but this defense is back to form and will force multiple turnovers from Kolb.

Pittsburgh- 27
Arizona- 20

Kansas City at Oakland

Despite losing Jamaal Charles to a season-ending leg injury, the Chiefs are still 6th in the league in rushing behind Thomas Jones, Dexter McCluster, and Jackie “It’s a Boys Name too” Battle. The Raiders have also won two in a row and recently sprung a trade for much-maligned quarterback Carson Palmer. Even if Palmer starts this week, he will have practiced with the offense for 3 days. Although Hue Jackson and Palmer do have a past as Jackson scouted Palmer in high school and recruited Palmer to go to USC, three days will not be enough time for Palmer to truly feel comfortable in the offense. This game comes down to which team runs the ball better, and which teams makes the least amount of mistakes. Kansas City continues its win streak.

Kansas City- 25
Oakland- 20

St. Louis at Dallas

The Rams have been a huge disappointment so far this season. The failures of this team prove how important protecting your quarterback is. Sam Bradford has been beat up every single game, and suffered a high ankle sprain on the final play of Sunday’s game. Although he will be playing, his performance will suffer because of that injury. An injured Bradford going up against a Cowboys defense that was able to shut down Brady is not a good combination for the Rams. Cowboys big.

St. Louis- 17
Dallas- 33



Green Bay at Minnesota

Donovan McNabb is not the same quarterback he was in Philadelphia… Well that’s stating the obvious. But he’s not even close. How many times have we seen him throw the ball in the ground 5 yards before his receiver this year? Not just underthrowing his receiver, but missing by yards. Now it is time for Christian Ponder to take over. That’s even scarier. The Vikings would be better off with a terrible McNabb, than Ponder on his best day. I don’t understand why they drafted Ponder in the first round. Do they really think this is a guy who can bring them to a Superbowl? I don’t think so. Now they get the Packers who are virtually unstoppable. Aaron Rodgers and this Packers offense is something you would see in a video game. Packers by three touchdowns.

Green Bay- 38
Minnesota- 17

Indianapolis at New Orleans

How will Sean Payton’s injury affect the Saints? Comee onnn mann. This is getting ridiculous. You have to feel bad for Payton because that looked like a nasty injury, but let’s not get carried away. He can do the same things with one or no legs, or in the “coaches” box. The Colts will be outmatched offensively in this game. Don’t be surprised if Pat Angerer, who leads the league in tackles, Robert Mathis, and Dwight Freeney disrupt Brees and the Saints offense to keep this game close for a little while.

Indianapolis- 20

New Orleans- 30

Baltimore at Jacksonville

I know Jack Del Rio is on the hot seat and will most likely be one of the coaches fired this season, but he does not deserve the blame. He has actually kept this inferior Jaguars team competitive in most games they have played. He has a rookie quarterback and limited weapons on offense minus Maurice Jones-Drew. After getting the Steelers last week, Blaine Gabbert gets to face the fierce Ravens defense this week. That is tough for any seasoned quarterback in the NFL, never mind rookies. However, the Jaguars do play well at home and the Jaguars defense has been keeping games close.

Baltimore- 24
Jacksonville- 15

Fraser’s Favorites Week 6

Carolina at Atlanta

The reason the Falcons were able to manage a 13-3 mark last year was because they controlled the ball and limited their mistakes. So far this season, they have been awful at doing both of these things. Pathetic, even. Against the Packers they killed themselves committing several penalties on key possessions and plays. They also can’t control the ball consistently as one possession is a 12 play 80 yard drive, the next 5 possessions are 3 and outs. Forget about the long plays. Forget about the quick attack offense. Play to your strengths as a team. Matt Ryan does not have the ability to throw the ball downfield like Rodgers or Manning or Rivers. Play to his strengths, run a ball control play-action offense…The keys for the Falcons for the rest of the season are consistency, discipline, and finding their personality. It needs to start this week or they are in trouble. If this game was in Carolina, the outcome would be different.

Carolina- 28
Atlanta- 35


Indianapolis at Cincinnati

Marvin Lewis has my vote as coach of the year so far. He has kept the Bengals focused despite myriad offseason distractions and has coached the 4th youngest team in the NFL to a 3 and 2 record thus far. If you have not jumped on already you better hurry because the Bengals Bandwagon is filling up fast! Don’t get too excited about the Bengals though. You can’t expect a team this young and this inexperienced to keep this same intensity for 16 games. I expect the Colts to come into Cincinnati scratching and clawing for their first victory, but coming up short. Bengals by a field goal.

Indianapolis- 20
Cincinnati- 23


San Francisco at Detroit

No one could have predicted the Lions and 49ers to have a combined 9 and 1 record after week 5. No one. Now we need to consider whether these teams are contenders or pretenders for the playoffs. The 49ers are contenders. In the weak NFC West though, the 2008 Lions would be serious contenders. That’s not taking anything away from what the 49ers have already accomplished this season, it’s only pointing out the weakness of the division they are fortunate enough to be in. The Lions are contenders as well. I am still not completely sold though. I need to see the Lions beat a team with a winning record before I consider them a SuperBowl contender. Their opponents this season have a combined 8-16 record and two of their wins were miraculous comebacks. The difference in this contest comes down to the 49ers ability to limit the big plays of the Lions offense.

San Francisco- 28
Detroit-24


St. Louis at Green Bay

Instead of Albert Pujols doing the ESPN “Machine” commercials, it should be Aaron Rodgers. He really is a machine. There is no time when he seems uncomfortable. He even completed a pass last week against the Falcons with a player wrapped around his legs. The comparisons to Brett Favre at the beginning of the season might have seemed ridiculous, but after a short five weeks he has me convinced. Rodgers is the best player in the NFL right now.

Green Bay- 42
St. Louis- 24




Buffalo at N.Y. Giants

Two New York teams meet in New Jersey to play this Sunday. What a disaster for the Giants losing to backup quarterback Charlie Whitehurst and the Seahawks. The Giants cannot consider themselves an elite team if they can’t beat a weaker opponent. However, football is a game of inches. If Eli throws the pass to Victor Cruz inches closer, that ball does not find the open arms of Brandon Browner. Meanwhile, the Bills have been on the other end of some fortuitous bounces. They beat the Patriots on two tipped passes, and beat the Eagles because a ball bounces off Jason Avant’s feet. The Giants will be led by their defense this week. Jason Pierre-Paul, Osi Umenyora, Mathias Kiwanuka will be relentless in their pass rush against Fitzpatrick. The Bills lose the first of 4 in a row, and will end the season with a losing record.

Buffalo- 14
NY Giants-24

Jacksonville at Pittsburgh

The Jaguars will simply be outmatched in this contest. Blaine Gabbert going up against the Steelers defense won’t be pretty. Steelers big.

Jacksonville- 13

Pittsburgh- 38

Philadelphia at Washington

This could be the most disappointing start in sports history. A team that was destined to easily win the NFC East is now struggling to win its 2nd game and arguably the most-hyped team in football history is now sitting at 1 and 4 and last place in its division. But let’s look at what the hype was all about. Pro-Bowler Nnamdi Asomugha is having the worst season of his career, Pro-Bowler Ronnie Brown is throwing passes backward at the one yard line, and Mike Vick has thrown 7 interceptions in 4 games. Fortunately for the Eagles, the key word here is start. This team is way too talented to be this bad and their rebound starts with Mike Vick. The focus will be there against the Redskins and their journey uphill to the postseason begins here. We will be watching these Eagles play in the playoffs this year.

Philadelphia- 30
Washington- 17


Houston at Baltimore

It’s too bad the Texans will be without their two best players in Andre Johnson and Mario Williams. This would be a game if those two players were playing. Without them, the Texans do not stand a chance against the Ravens. Although I would not be surprised to see one of the Ravens patented hiccup games they usually have when they are supposed to win.

Houston- 17
Baltimore- 26




Cleveland at Oakland

It sounds like a typical Raiders mistake. Last play of the game in a one score game and they have ten players on the field. Come on. Maybe they were too nervous to have 12 men on the field…This was not the typical Raiders outcome. This will not be the typical Raiders season that we have gotten used to over the last decade. The Raiders are not a playoff team, but they are not far from being a contender for years to come. I don’t doubt that the Browns will make this a close game. Colt McCoy is a winner. He might not have the strongest arm, but this guy knows how to win football games. Can’t win them all though.

Cleveland- 20
Oakland- 27




Dallas at New England

Talk about Jekyll and Hyde. Will the real Tony Romo please stand up? It’s not even like you know if you have the good or bad Romo after the first quarter. His play can transform in one possession. These are some of the differences that make you an above average quarterback or an elite quarterback. Romo is simply above average while Brady is elite. The ability of a quarterback to stay consistent each possession, each week, and each season will identify what tier quarterback he is. The elite quarterback leads his team to victory in this contest. However, this will be a closer game than expected as the much improved Cowboys defense is playing well under Rob Ryan.

Dallas-30
New England- 38


New Orleans at Tampa Bay

It’s amazing how quickly the critic’s impressions of a player can change each week. Josh Freeman was considered one of the better Quarterbacks in the league before week 5 or at least top 15. He was on the rise and was going to lead the Buccaneers to the playoffs. Now…Freeman’s stock is on the decline and the Buccaneers offense stinks. After getting crushed last week in San Francisco, the Bucs welcome the 4-1 Saints. Divisional game. Rivalry game. Doesn’t matter. The Saints are too good for the Bucs. They get dominated the second week in a row.

New Orleans- 35
Tampa Bay- 21


Minnesota at Chicago

We forget that this is the same Bears team that went 13-3 last season and nearly beat the defending champions in the Conference championship game with their backup quarterback. We also forget that this is a Vikings team that won this division two years ago and nearly beat the Saints to win the NFC Conference championship game. What a difference two years can make in the NFL. The Bears defense was inept at stopping Jahvid Best last week. Best was averaging 3 yards a carry before he played the Bears. Now this defense gets Adrian Peterson. Peterson will run wild for the second week in a row.

Minnesota- 27
Chicago- 17




Miami at N.Y. Jets

I would love to know whose idea it was to name the Miami football team the Dolphins. “Let’s strike fear into our opponents each week, let’s name our team….. The Dolphins”. Ridiculous.. But these same intimidating Dolphins travel North to play New York this week. The Jets defense has surrendered at least 30 points in each of its last three games. The Jets simply can’t win when their defense is not playing well. Mark Sanchez will be too busy daydreaming about being on a Miami beach…This is my upset pick of the week.

Miami- 20
NY Jets-17