2008 Week Four NFL Football Picks Game Previews
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Sunday, September 28, 2008
Cleveland Browns
(0-3) @ Cincinnati Bengals(0-3)
Time: 1:00pm ET
Spread: Cincinnati –3.5
Over/Under: 46.5
Preview: Something has got to give in Ohio on
Sunday. In a match-up of arguably two of the most disappointing teams to start
the season, the state of Ohio will get a win. The Browns problems have come
offensively, as they have only scored 26 points in three games. Their defense
has allowed 66, for a 22.0-8.33 differential. Quarterback Derek Anderson has
been under fire this week, while completing just 43 of 93 passes, for 405 yards
and two touchdowns. Top receiver Braylon Edwards has yet to catch a touchdown,
catching just eight passes for 73 yards. Running back Jamal Lewis has also been
held out of the end zone, carrying the ball 44 times for 156 yards. For the
Bengals, after two poor performances, Sunday was a sign of life, despite the
overtime loss to the defending champion New York Giants. The Bengals had their
chances late, but poor clock management led to Cincinnati being forced to
kicking a 21 yard field goal to tie the game at the end of regulation. In
overtime, John Carney nailed a 22-yard field goal to win the game for the
Giants. Carson Palmer had his best performance of the year completing 27 of 39
passes for 286 yards and a touchdown, while not throwing a single interception.
Wide receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh also had a breakout game, catching 12 passes
for 146 yards and a touchdown. The Bengals have scored 40 points on the year,
while allowing 67.
Minnesota Vikings (1-2) @ Tennessee Titans (3-0)
Time: 1:00pm ET
Spread: Tennessee -3
Over/Under: 36
Preview: Minnesota is able to breathe of sigh of
relief after getting inside the win column on Sunday. Gus Frerotte, who threw
for 204 yards and a touchdown, led the Vikings. Second year running back Adrian
Peterson carried the ball 17 times for 77 yards, and was not able to get into
the end zone. On the year Peterson has ran the ball 65 times for 340 yards and a
touchdown. The Vikings lost their first two games of the year to Green Bay and
Indianapolis. The Vikings have scored 54 points, while allowing 52. On the other
side, the Tennessee Titans come into Sunday’s game with a perfect 3-0 record,
and lead the AFC South. With wins over Jacksonville, Cincinnati, and Houston the
Titans have put up 72 points, while yielding just 29. Running back LenDale White
has scored four touchdowns on 49 carries and 148 yards. Kerry Collins has taken
over for the injured Vince Young at quarterback for the Titans, and in two games
has put up two touchdowns on 30 of 49 passing, and 382 yards.
Denver Broncos (3-0) @ Kansas City Chiefs (0-3)
Time: 1:00pm ET
Spread:
Over/Under:
Preview: The Denver Broncos look to stay perfect
Sunday afternoon at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City. On the flip side, the
Chiefs will attempt to get in the win column for the first time on the year. For
Denver, quarterback Jay Cutler has put up MVP type numbers in their three wins.
Completing 73 of 108 passes for 914 yards and 8 touchdowns, while throwing just
2 interceptions; Cutler has plenty of weapons behind him. One of his top options
is receiver Brandon Marshall, who in just two games played this season as caught
24 passes for 321 yards and two touchdowns. Eddie Royal has also been a top
target, also putting up two touchdowns in three games. The Broncos have put up
114 points in just three games, which ranks at the top in all of football.
Denver’s three wins have been over Oakland, San Diego, and New Orleans. For
Kansas City, quite the opposite has ensued. The Chiefs have been downed by the
Patriots, Raiders and Falcons; and in those three games they have only put up a
measly 32 points. That offensive number ranks only ahead of Cleveland, St.
Louis, and Houston. Running back Larry Johnson had his best game of the year on
Sunday picking up 121 yards for the Chiefs.
San Francisco 49ers
(2-1) @ New Orleans Saints (1-2)
Time: 1:00pm ET
Spread: New Orleans -6
Over/Under: 48
Preview: The San Francisco 49ers currently lead the
NFC West. With their wins over Seattle, and Detroit, their 2-1 record puts them
in a tie with Arizona, who beat San Francisco in week one 23-13. The 49ers have
got a surprising start from quarterback J.T. O’ Sullivan, who has thrown for 705
yards and three touchdowns on 50 of 75 passing. Running back Frank Gore has
carried the ball 60 times in three games, accumulating 287 yards and three
touchdowns. The 49ers top receivers have been Issac Bruce and Bryant Johnson,
who have both caught a touchdown and gained over 150 yards each. For New
Orleans, after a week one win at home over Tampa Bay, they have dropped two
straight games, both in which they could have and maybe should have won. Week
two Washington defeated the Saints 29-24, and week three Denver knocked them off
34-32. Quarterback Drew Brees has gained 980 yards and thrown for five
touchdowns in the first three games. Running back Reggie Bush has gotten off to
a solid start running 42 times, and catching 26 passes, accumulating over 400
yards and three touchdowns. The Saints have scored 80 points, and allowing 83 in
three games.
Green Bay Packers
(2-1) @ Tampa Bay Bucs (2-1)
Time: 1:00pm ET
Spread: Tampa Bay -1
Over/Under: 42.5
Preview: The Green Bay Packers are coming off a
loss Sunday night at home to Dallas. In that loss, the Cowboys defense limited
the Packers offense to just 16 points, despite quarterback Aaron Rodgers
throwing for 290 yards. The Packers defense allowed 453 total yards on offense,
including 217 on the ground. Green Bay running back Ryan Grant has been limited
with an early season injury- carrying the ball 40 times for 166 yards, but has
been left out of the end zone in the first three games. For Tampa Bay, the Bucs
feel very fortunate to be 2-1, after sneaking out of Chicago with a field goal
in overtime to win 27-24. Tampa Bay trailed by 10 points with nearly 3:00 to go,
but were led by quarterback Brian Griese. Griese on the night threw an
astonishing 67 times, completing 38 passes, and gaining 407 passing yards, with
two touchdowns. Tampa Bay will look to garner more rushing yards on Sunday, as
in the win over Chicago, the Bucs only came up with 47 total yards on the
ground.
Atlanta Falcons (2-1)
@ Carolina Panthers (2-1)
Time: 1:00pm ET
Spread: Carolina -7
Over/Under: 39.5
Preview: The Atlanta Falcons have been a force on
the ground so far in 2008. Running backs Michael Turner and Jerious Norwood have
put up nearly 550 yards in three games, getting in the end zone six times.
Quarterback Matt Ryan has played fairly well for Atlanta completing 34 of 64
passes for 511 yards and two touchdowns. In the three games, the Falcons have
scored 81 points, while allowing just 59. The two wins for Atlanta have been
against Detroit and Kansas City, while their one loss has come at the hands of
Tampa Bay. For Carolina, after two wins without Steve Smith, the return of their
top receiver turned sour, as they dropped a 20-10 decision to Minnesota.
Jonathan Stewart has carried the ball 31 times for the Panthers, garnering 145
yards and three touchdowns. Jake Delhomme has thrown just one touchdown thus far
for Carolina.
Arizona Cardinals
(2-1) @ NY Jets (1-2)
Time: 1:00pm ET
Spread: NY Jets –1.5
Over/Under: 45.5
Preview: The Arizona Cardinals will make the
cross-country travel to take on Brett Favre and his New York Jets. The
Cardinals, after getting off to a quick 2-0 start fell on Sunday to Washington
24-17. Quarterback Kurt Warner has thrown for 750 yards and six touchdowns in
the first three games. His top receiver has been Anquan Boldin, who has caught
17 passes, four for touchdowns. Running back Edgerrin James has carried the ball
62 times, gaining 248 yards, but has yet to score a touchdown. For the Jets,
after a week one win the Jets have lost two straight. In week two, to New
England the offense was the problem, scoring just 10 points; where in week
three, against San Diego, the defense allowed 48 points. Brett Favre has thrown
for 646 yards and six touchdowns in his first three games, but has also thrown
three interceptions.
Houston Texans (0-2) @ Jacksonville Jaguars (1-2)
Time: 1:00pm ET
Spread: Jacksonville –7.5
Over/Under: 41.5
Preview: The Houston Texans look to take their name
off the list of winless teams on Sunday, as they travel to Jacksonville to face
AFC South rival; the Jacksonville Jaguars. In their first two games, Houston has
dropped a 38-17 decision at Pittsburgh and a 31-12 game at Tennessee. The Texans
week two matchup against Baltimore was postponed due to Hurricane Ike. Houston
has scored just 29 points in two games, while allowing 69. The defense hopes to
improve, and shut down the Jaguars on Sunday. Jacksonville is coming off a huge
win, in which kicker Josh Scobee kicked a game winning field goal as the clock
expired to defeat the Indianapolis Colts 23-21 on Sunday. Running back Fred
Taylor ran for 121 yards on Sunday. The Jaguars look to get better results from
quarterback David Garrard who has completed just 56 of 85 passes in his first
three games.
San Diego Chargers
(1-2) @ Oakland Raiders (1-2)
Time: 4:05pm ET
Spread: San Diego –7.5
Over/Under: 45
Preview: The Broncos were able to get off the 0 for
the season on Monday night, and are now looking to move up the AFC West ladder.
Sitting two games behind Denver, who is 3-0, the Chargers look for one game at a
time. This week the Chargers will travel to division foe Oakland, to take on the
1-2 Raiders. The Chargers dropped week one on the last possession to Carolina,
and then were defeated at Denver in the last minute on a Eddie Royal two point
conversion. Monday night the Chargers put no doubt in the minds of their
opponent; the Jets scoring 48 points en route to a 48-29 win. For Oakland, Lane
Kiffin’s days may be numbered as head coach of the Raiders. After a last second
defeat at the hands of Buffalo, owner Al Davis continued to talk about the
future of his head coach. Part of Oakland’s problems have lied within their
young quarterback JaMarcus Russell. Russell has completed just 32 of 62 passes
for 391 yards. Running back Darren McFadden has carried the ball 44 times in
three games for Oakland.
Buffalo Bills (3-0) @ St. Louis Rams(0-3)
Time: 4:05pm ET
Spread: Buffalo –8.5
Over/Under: 42
Preview: For the fourth straight week the St.
Louis Rams will search for their first win of the 2008 season. The Rams have
scored just 29 points, which ranks second worse in all of football, while
allowing 116, which is worst in all of football. The Rams have now benched
starting quarterback Marc Bulger in favor of Trent Green in week four. Running
back Stephen Jackson has ran 50 times for 133 yards, but has yet to reach the
end zone. Tory Holt has caught 11 passes for 122 yards, for one touchdown on the
season. The Rams losses have been to Philadelphia, NY Giants, and Seattle. For
Buffalo, an early 3-0 start has got the fans in upper New York excited about
their teams chances. With wins over Seattle, Jacksonville, and Oakland the Bills
have scored 78 points, and allowed 49. With New England’s loss the Bills now sit
atop the AFC East division all by themselves. Quarterback Trent Edwards has been
sharp to start the year completing 63 of 94 passes for 733 yards and three
touchdowns. Marshawn Lynch has ran for four touchdowns for the Bills.
Washington Redskins(2-1) @ Dallas Cowboys (3-0)
Time: 4:15pm ET
Spread: Dallas -11
Over/Under: 46
Preview: An early season NFC East battle pits the
2-1 Washington Redskins with the 3-0 Dallas Cowboys. Many people consider the
best three teams in all of football from within the NFC East. Washington wants
something to say about that, and wants their name put with the rest. In
Washington’s lone loss, the Giants limited the Redskins offense to just 7
points. In their last two games the Redskins have downed New Orleans 29-24, and
slid past Arizona 24-17. Running back Clinton Portis has reached the end zone
three tams in as many games to start the season. For Dallas, wins over
Cleveland, Philadelphia and Green Bay have put the Cowboys in the early season
drivers’ seat. Quarterback Tony Romo has thrown for 892 yards in completing 62
of 92 passes, while throwing 5 touchdowns. Running back Marion Barber has ran
for four touchdowns, while backup running back Felix Jones has scampered into
the end zone twice. Dallas has scored 96 points (32 a game), while allowing
63(21 a game) in the early going.
Philadelphia Eagles (2-1) @ Chicago Bears (1-2)
Time: 8:15pm ET
Spread: Philadelphia -6
Over/Under: N/A
Preview: The Chicago Bears come into Sunday night's affair 1-2, but they also feel they could easily be 3-0. With a week one win on the road at Indianapolis, the Bears are coming off two very tough losses at Carolina and then at home to Tampa Bay. Penalties, and the ability to hold a late lead marred Chicago in last Sunday’s loss. Former quarterback Brian Griese was able to defeat Kyle Orton in the battle of Bears backups for the starting job. The Bears have scored 70 points on the year, and allowed 60. One problem for the Bears is their ability to move the ball through the air in the early going. Orton has thrown for 567 yards, but has thrown for just two touchdowns. Rookie running back Matt Forte has been a bright spot for the Bears, running for 300 yards while catching for over 100. For Philadelphia, part of their problem is the challenging division that they play in. A team many consider one of the best in all of football sits in a tie at the bottom of the NFC East. With wins over St. Louis and Pittsburgh, and a loss to Dallas, the Eagles come in to the Sunday night matchup 2-1. Donovan McNabb is a little banged up and Brian Westbrook is questionable with an ankle injury. So, the big factor for Philadelphia will be the health of their skill players and the backbone of their team. The Eagles have scored 90 points in just three games, while allowing only 50.
Monday September 29, 2008
Baltimore Ravens (2-0) @ Pittsburgh Steelers (2-1)
Time: 8:30pm ET
Spread: Pittsburgh –2.5
Over/Under: 24
Preview: The Monday Night game that past two weeks have been offensive explosions. In games between Dallas and Philadelphia, and then San Diego and the New York Jets offenses have put up big time numbers. That looks to cease this Monday with two teams that are more notorious for their defenses. Baltimore comes in a surprising 2-0 with wins over Cincinnati and Cleveland. In those two games the Ravens have allowed just 20 points, while scoring 45. In week one the Ravens held the Bengals to just 10 points, while then again matching that total in week three over Cleveland. The Ravens week two game with Houston was postponed due to Hurricane Ike. Quarterback Joe Flacco has completed 28 of 48 passes for 258 yards but has yet to throw a touchdown pass. For Pittsburgh, after two straight wins, over Houston and Cleveland, the Steelers were downed on Sunday 12-3 to inter state rivals Philadelphia. In the loss, Pittsburgh quarterback Ben Roethlisberger was held to just 131 passing yards, while running back Willie Parker was limited to just 20 yards on the ground. In three games the Steelers have scored 54 points while allowing just 38. This will be a battle for supremacy in the top of the AFC North Division. The winner of this Monday Night Football matchup will take over sole possession of the division.
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