When the Bears have the ball: How bout this for an idea: don't have Brian Griese throw it 52 times!!! That's how you wind up with three interceptions. Chicago's offense is towards the bottom of the league in rushing, passing, and as you could guess, points scored. While Griese was able to move the ball better than Rex Grossman, he still made too many mistakes last week. Cedric Benson has proven he's not a one-man show, resulting in Devin Hester being the only spark plug for the Bears. Considering Green Bay's rush defense has been better than its pass defense this year, the Bears will be in a bad spot Sunday.
When the Packers have the ball: They'll throw, throw, throw, and throw some more. Nathan Vasher is likely to miss the contest, and Charles Tillman is banged up, which will leave the Bears secondary exposed. The run defense should be shored up with Tommie Harris looking healthier, but it's not like the Packers have run the ball at all this year, ranking last in the league in rushing yardage. Greg Jennings was removed from the injury report, leaving Brett Favre with a full arsenal of passing weapons.
When the Browns have the ball: They will go to the air game in order to keep up with the potent Pats offense. To the surprise of many people, the Browns are actually 6th in the NFL with 109 points scored on the year. They're doing it because Derek Anderson has been able to locate his receivers and get the ball in the hands of his play makers. Asante Samuel has been a lock-down corner this year, and certainly kept Ocho Cinco in check on Monday night. That's bad news for Braylon Edwards, who ranks 6th in the NFL in receiving yards. As a result, Anderson will likely target Kellen Winslow Jr., who's right behind Edwards in receiving yards, and Joe Jurevicius, who's become a popular red zone target.
When the Patriots have the ball: There's no funny business about the Patriots gameplan -- they just execute well on the field. New England will continue to roll with the most lethal combination in all of football -- Tom Brady to Randy Moss. Leigh Bodden must have a death wish saying he's looking forward to covering Moss, since nobody else has been able to do it this year. With Brady leading the NFL in completion percentage, touchdown passes, and quarterback rating, the Pats passing game is nearly unstoppable. For that reason, it really doesn't even matter who starts between Laurence Maroney and Sammy Morris at running back.
When the Ravens have the ball: The Ravens average pretty much 20 points a game, but they just do it so boringly. I don't expect them to reach that number this week, not against an underrated 49ers defense that's 13th in points allowed. They've also got six turnovers in four games. The rankings are average, but the 49ers defense has held up remarkably well considering the situations they're placed in, and the Ravens aren't exactly an offensive juggernaut.
When the 49ers have the ball: Even if the 49ers hold the Ravens to 15 points, I still don't see it being enough. The Ravens' defense has been average lately, but I don't think losing to division doormat Cleveland is going to sit kindly in Ray Lewis' belly. Besides, this is a 49ers offense that is tainted by a terrible offensive line. The Ravens only have six sacks on the year, but they could get another six on Sunday. If Trent Dilfer thought the Seahawks were rough, he's going to have a long day.
When the Cardinals have the ball: Are the Cardinals going to actually get the ball, or is Matt Leinart going to take it home in a huff? In all fairness, if Leinart starts this game I don't think he's taking a seat. The Rams' defense is horrid. Not that Leinart will be putting up gaudy numbers like Tony Romo did last week -- the Cards should ride Edgerrin James to an easy victory -- but he'll find Bryant Johnson, I think more than Larry Fitzgerald, for the occasional explosive play. The Rams are getting corner Fahkir Brown back from a four-game suspension, but that shouldn't slow down a Cards team that is beginning to look confident (Leinart aside).
When the Rams have the ball: They're without their top running back, quarterback, and a few key linemen. They're only averaging 9.8 points a game. Gus Frerotte has thrown just nine passes in two years. The Cardinals are averaging three sacks a game, the Rams are giving up a hair under three. The Cardinals are giving up just 95.5 yards per game rushing and 209.2 through the air, good enough for the 12th-best defense. The Rams have the 29th-ranked offense. You know, sometimes the numbers do tell the whole story.
When the Saints have the ball: Expect a new look. Reggie Bush is going to get more carries, and the Aaron Stecker/Pierre Thomas backup duo will see increased gametime as well. Bush's increased role in the run game means less touches as a receiver and returner, but I think the move could turn out great for him. With two weeks to think about how awful this offense has been, maybe the maladies on the offensive line have been fixed. Or maybe not. Jammal Brown needs to play like a Pro Bowl tackle again for the offense to get back on track; luckily the Panthers defensive line has struggled to get pressure so far this year, and the Saints have always been surprisingly adept at nullifying Julius Peppers.
When the Panthers have the ball: On the other hand, the Saints have never been able to stop DeShaun Foster or Steve Smith. There's lots of frustration in Carolina right now, and Smith was bubbling last week as David Carr inepted the Panthers towards a loss. But the Saints defense is bad enough that this could be wonderful therapy for the Panthers. If they can't stop Foster (especially with Saints linebacker Scott Fujita questionable), it doesn't matter who's playing quarterback -- it could be the first domino in a high-scoring Panthers day.
When the Cowboys have the ball: What does a team that ranks first in points scored and total offense have to do when they get the ball? Well, that answer is very simple actually. They just have to do the same old thing: Avoid mistakes, use Julius Jones and Marion Barber III properly, and allow Tony Romo to hit Terrell Owens all day long. Seem simple? That's because it is.
As if slowing the Cowboys dynamic offense down wasn't difficult enough, the Bills will have to find a way to do it without a number of their regular starters. Due to an almost unrealistic amount of injuries, Buffalo has been forced to use reserves and street free agents. And while nothing in the NFL is impossible, it's certainly improbable.
If this were 2006 -- or if Ron Mexico didn't get caught up in this doggie-murdering scandal -- Sunday's Titans-Falcons matchup would be one of the weekend's marquee matchups. Instead, it's the new-and-improved Titans against a Vick-less, Falcons team featuring Joey Harrington.
Last Meeting: November 23, 2003. Tennessee 38, Atlanta 21. (You remember -- the Billy Volek-Doug Johnson barnburner. Good times.) When the Titans have the ball: There were some concerns heading into his sophomore season that quarterback Vince Young might regress. Partly because he enjoyed so much early success, and because opponents had a season's worth of film on him. So far, Young has looked even better than he did a year ago. He's completing 63 percent of his throws, and is third on the team in rushing behind the resurgent Chris Brown and '06 second-rounder, LenDale White. The Ttians lost Drew Bennett to free agency, but Brandon Jones, Roydell Williams and Bo Scaife have all picked up the slack.
This is likely going to be a game where we find out what is real and what is illusory about these teams.
Strength vs. Strength, Weakness vs. Weakness
The Dolphins have a good pass defense, but is that because the run defense is so atrocious? The Texans have a good run defense, but is that because their pass defense is non-existent?
The strength of the Dolphins offense is their running game with Ronnie Brown, and he is facing a Texans defense that is rated 5th against the run. The strength of the Texans offense is their improved quarterback play with Matt Schaub, and he is facing a Dolphins defense that is rated 2nd against the pass.
When the Chargers have the ball: Free advice to embattled Chargers coach Norv Turner - Keep it simple, stupid. The Broncos rank 31st in the league against the run and you have LaDainian Tomlinson. He had his first good game last week but you still went away from him in the second half and that resulted in a third straight loss because Philip Rivers is regressing right before our eyes. Last year it seemed crazy to suggest that the Giants got the better of the Rivers-Eli Manning trade but now Rivers is the one throwing off his back foot, getting intercepted like crazy and struggling to handle the pressure. The Broncos small, quick defensive ends struggle against the run but rush the passer quite well and Charger receivers Vincent Jackson and Craig Davis run poor routes and drop passes. How many more reasons do you need to ride Tomlinson as much as possible, Norv?
To get you ready for week 5, FanHouse is previewing all 14 NFL games. Here is the Chicago Bears/Green Bay Packers preview.
To get you ready for week 5, 
To get you ready for week 5, 
To get you ready for week 5, 
To get you ready for week 5, 
To get you ready for week 5, 
To get you ready for week 5, 
To get you ready for Week 5, 
To get you ready for week 5, 
