To get you ready for week 11, FanHouse is previewing all 16 NFL games. Here is the St. Louis Rams/San Francisco 49ers preview. 2007 Records: St. Louis Rams: 1-8 (4th in NFC West) San Francisco 49ers: 2-7 (3rd in NFC West) Last Week: Cowboys 31, Giants 20 Cardinals 31, Lions 21
Why We Care: Wait ... we care? Really? Well sorry, I've got nothing here. Maybe one of you can tell me why we care? When the Rams have the ball: With a somewhat healthy offense -- with the 2007 Rams, you've got to readjust your concept of the term "healthy" -- the Rams came out and dismantled the Saints defense. Granted, that's not that tough against the New Orleans secondary (read: Jason David), but the Rams also posted 133 yards on the ground against the Saints' 13-ranked rush defense. The unit finally appeared to find itself, though a winless team coming off a bye had everything to play for, perhaps a one-time performance only. The last time (and only other time) the Rams scored over 30 points in a game this season, they followed it up with three. Luckily, the 49ers rank in the bottom 10 across the board on defense.
To get you ready for week 11, FanHouse is previewing all 16 NFL games. Here is the New York Giants/Detroit Lions preview. 2007 Records: New York Giants: 6-3 (2nd in NFC East) Detroit Lions: 6-3 (2nd in NFC North) Last Week: Cowboys 31, Giants 20 Cardinals 31, Lions 21
Why We Care: NFL freaks everywhere are waiting for these two teams to collapse. The Giants started 6-2 last year before the wheels fell of on the season, and our very own Dan Benton sees it on the horizon again. Very few, meanwhile, see the Lions as a season-long threat in the NFC, and are expecting their glass slipper to shatter. Both are coming off of disappointing losses, and eyes are intently watching how they respond. When the Giants have the ball: The Lions have the league's 30th-ranked pass defense, but the Giants aren't exactly moving the ball through the air at will on opponents. On top of that, the Lions were leading the league in interceptions until last Sunday, when the Chargers took advantage of Bizarro Peyton. They're currently second in the league in interceptions with 15, and Eli Manning has thrown at least one interception in eight of the Giants' nine games. On top of that, Plaxico Burress (the recipient of eight of Manning's 14 touchdown passes) is questionable for the game and says his ankle is turning into dust.
Carolina Panthers 4-5 (t-2nd in NFC Sorth) Green Bay Packers 8-1 (1st in NFC North)
Last Game:
Falcons 20, Panthers 13 Packers 34, Vikings 0
When the Panthers have the ball: I'll defer to John Fox on this one, since I'm not really sure exactly what the Carolina offensive plan is. There isn't a whole lot you can do with Vinny Testaverde (pictured) as a quarterback, much less when he's banged up. To make matters worse, the Panthers' best playmaker on offense, Steve Smith, is hurting and might not even play. Good heavens, without him, how will the Panthers offense move the ball? They probably won't, and back-to-back shutouts isn't out of the question for Green Bay's defense.
When the Packers have the ball: They'll attack as they have the past month, but will probably look to run the ball more than they did in the beginning of the season. Ryan Grant seems to be the answer for the running game, going over the 100 yard plateau two of the last three games. Grant is just another option for the explosive Green Bay offense where Donald Driver, Donald Lee, and Greg Jennings have been lighting it up all year, catching passes from Brett Favre.
To get you ready for week 11, FanHouse is previewing all 16 NFL games. Here is the Minnesota Vikings/Oakland Raiders preview. 2007 Records: Oakland Raiders: 2-7 (4th in AFC West) Minnesota Vikings: 3-6 (4th in NFC North) Last Week: Packers 34, Vikings 0 Bears 17, Raiders 6
Why We Care: Hmmm, because we can see the NFL's most dynamic running back Chester Taylor. Because the Raiders are giving the NFL's No. 1 pick Daunte Culpepper another chance now that the season is lost. Well, maybe because we can see Brad Childress Lane Kiffin work some coaching magic. This is a game with two bad teams battling to see who is better.
Why We Care: No one in the NFC South is very good, but one thing that does mean is that every division game is an important one. The Panthers' season is circling the drain, the Saints may have taken a big step back with a loss to the Rams last week, and the Falcons are Team Disarray. But when the best team in the division has a 5-4 record, even the 3-6 Falcons still have a slight chance of winning the division, and a win over the Bucs would actually help them get into the thick of the division race.
Tennessee Titans: 6-3 (t-2nd in AFC South) Denver Broncos: 4-5 (t-2nd in AFC West) Last Week: Jaguars 28, Titans 13 Broncos 27, Chiefs 11 When the Titans have the ball: The Titans like to run the ball, control the clock and limit Vince Young's throws. It has worked well this season although the Jags shut them down last week by stacking the box and daring Young to throw. The Broncos did the same thing to the Chiefs for their best performance against the run all season. With Champ Bailey and Dre' Bly at the corners, they can afford to single the weak Titan wideouts and focus their energies on limiting LenDale White. Young has been really struggling. His decision making has been questionable and he hasn't been as much of a threat with his legs. Norm Chow has to find a way to get him moving and threatening defenses again because they are hip to the Titan ground game.
Washington Redskins: 5-4 (3rd in NFC East) Dallas Cowboys: 8-1 (1st in NFC East) Last Week:
Eagles 33, Redskins 25 Cowboys 31, Giants 20 When the Redskins have the ball: Washington has done a better job in the last two weeks of rushing the ball. Dallas is one of the better run defenses in the league. This should be the biggest matchup for the Redskins, being able to move the ball on the ground and keeping Clinton Portis active. Jason Campbell looked better last week, but the pass offense is still a work in progress. He's been affected by blitzes and pressure ... which is what Dallas is sure to do to him with their 3-4 set.
When the Browns have the ball: The Ravens are going to get an eyeful of a quarterback they couldn't find a place for after they drafted him in the sixth round in 2005. Derek Anderson has been a revelation this season. He gets the ball out quickly, maximizes the talents of Braylon Edwards and Kellen Winslow and keeps the Browns offense moving. The Ravens have been playing with a patchwork secondary for weeks and will be without Samari Rolle once again on Sunday. Chris McAlister may return but their trademark aggressiveness has been blunted by the inability to lock up receivers. A more conservative approach kept the Bengals from scoring touchdowns last week but didn't stop them from moving the ball through the air. The Browns hit several big plays in their 27-13 win against Baltimore earlier this season and, with the Ravens still stingy against the run, will look to do the same against the depleted secondary this time.
Bengals 21, Ravens 7 Cardinals 31, Lions 21 When the Cardinals have the ball: Well, we get to see those funny hand-offs that Kurt Warner does since he's got that bad left arm. Ooooh, we'll also get to see Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin against that slippery Bengals secondary (who actually played well last week). The key will be if Arizona can get Edgerrin James to move the ball for them. Zona isn't a running team, but wants the defense to respect it enough to bite on a play-action pass. Look for the Cardinals to try to find big plays against the Cincinnati D.
Pittsburgh Steelers: 7-2 (1st in AFC North) New York Jets: 1-8 (3rd in AFC East) Last Week: Steelers 31, Browns 28 Jets - bye When the Steelers have the ball: When we last saw the Jets they were getting steamrolled by Clinton Portis en route to a sixth straight loss. To avoid number seven they will have to avoid the same kind of performance by Willie Parker. With their lackluster front seven against the strong Steeler line, that's not a great bet. Making things that much harder this time around is Ben Roethlisberger. In years past the Steelers ran the ball until they had to pass but this year they've used Parker to set up Roethlisberger and it has paid off in a more explosive, less predictable and very successful offense. If the Jets slip an extra player into the box to stop Parker, Roethlisberger will kill them down the field but if they don't they won't be able to stop the run.
To get you ready for week 11, FanHouse is previewing all 16 NFL games. Here is the St. Louis Rams/San Francisco 49ers preview.
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