Mattie T’s Week 9 NFL Predictions

There are two unbeaten teams left, and i think one of them will lose on Sunday. Who will it be, New Orleans or Indianapolis? Read on my friends…

Before i begin though, gotta send a big shoutout to my sports radio host buddy Brian Sizemore, who got engaged earlier today to his gf Samantha! Congrats to the both of you!

Now, let’s get it goin…

Week 8:  7-6

Overall: 75-41 (.646)

Washington at Atlanta.

The Redskins begin life without Chris Cooley on Sunday afternoon against a Falcons team that has yet in lose in the Georgia Dome this season.

Fred Davis will step in to replace Cooley & could have himself a productive game against an Atlanta defense that has struggled defending the tight end at times this season.

Despite the Monday Night loss, Michael Turner finally broke out with a huge game as he rumbled for 151 yards & averaged nearly 8 yards per carry.

Washington is pretty solid against the pass, so look for Turner to have another big game on the ground & lead the Falcons to a home win.

Arizona at Chicago.

Good matchup from the Windy City, as Arizona sports a 3-0 road record while Chicago has gone 3-0 at home.

This figures to be a close game with a lot of big plays coming from Kurt Warner & Jay Cutler, but the Cardinals’ shaky secondary could determine the fate of this one.

Look for the Bears to maximize their speedy wideouts, as i think both Devin Hester & Johnny Knox will have big games on Sunday.

I expect sharper execution from Chicago in the red zone, which will lead them to a nailbiting win.

Baltimore at Cincinnati.

Big, big AFC North clash. Should Baltimore win, then it will possibly create a 3-way tie in the division with a Pittsburgh loss on Monday night.

If Cincinnati wins, then they create themselves a 2-game lead & figure to be in good position to make the playoffs.

The Ravens’ defense was nasty against Denver last week, and i expect a similiar effort as they will try to prevent Cedric Benson from reeling off consecutive 100-yard games on them.

Ray Rice has been absolutely sensational for Baltimore, so i think his all-around game will lead the road team to a critical road win on Sunday.

Houston at Indianapolis.

Earlier this week, i figured this game to be a walk in the park for the Colts. But a few days later, my stance has changed.

Indianapolis received some devastating news, as two members of their secondary (cornerback Marlin Jackson & safety Bob Sanders) are now done for the season with injuries.

Houston has injury woes of their own with the season-ending loss to Owen Daniels, but they may have a new running back who can create all types of mismatches on defense.

Ryan Moats exploded for 126 yards & scored 3 touchdowns Sunday after coming in to replace an ineffective Steve Slaton, but head coach Gary Kubiak says that both men along with goal-line back Chris Brown will be used.

Look for the Texans to run the ball down the Colts threats, and providing they put the same type of pressure on Peyton Manning that San Francisco did last week, i believe they will have enough juice to pull off the upset.

Kansas City at Jacksonville.

Jacksonville is the type of team that confuses me. One week they can look really good, and the next week they’ll put up a complete stinker.

Maurice Jones-Drew will look to stay hot on Sunday, as the Jaguars’ lead back has exploded for 310 rushing yards in his past 2 games & has scored 5 touchdowns.

Another monster game from Jones-Drew could be enough to top Kansas City, who have only topped the 20-point mark twice in 7 games this season.

I could see this becoming a shootout, but David Garrard will top Matt Cassel as Jacksonville wins to get even at the .500 mark.

Miami at New England.

This time around, the Patriots should be ready to handle the wildcat.

It was Week 3 of the 2008 season at Foxboro when Miami decided to unveil the league’s popular offensive craze, as Ronnie Brown exploded for 5 touchdowns during the Dolphins’ 38-14 rout.

However, that game was played without Tom Brady. who hasn’t lost a home regular-season contest to Miami since 2005 (in which he appeared in sparingly).

The Dolphins know that they’ll have to do more offensively to beat the Patriots on Sunday, as they got 3 touchdowns from their special teams (2 by Ted Ginn Jr.) & their defense (fumble return for TD by Jason Taylor) to key their 30-25 win over the Jets.

Look for New England to also shut down Ginn Jr, as they will win to remain atop the AFC East.

Green Bay at Tampa Bay.

Now that the Brett Favre Bowl I & II is officially over, Green Bay can resume with their season.

Luckily they will play the hapless Buccaneers on Sunday, who is now the only remaining winless team in the NFL.

To tell you how bad Tampa Bay’s season has been so far, they are going to start their third different quarterback as rookie Josh Freeman is set to go.

It could be quite awhile before the Buccaneers win a game, but it won’t be this week. Look for the Packers to win big here.

Carolina at New Orleans.

This is how scary the Saints have been offensively. In the past two weeks, their offense has had 4 turnovers in BOTH games, yet have still put up 81 points!!! Imagine how higher that point total would be had they been turnover-free? Scary, just scary.

Possible trap game though on Sunday, especially with the short week & a juicy Week 10 matchup against the lowly Rams.

The only way i can see Carolina winning this game is if DeAngelo Williams & Jonathan Stewart have the same type of success they did last weekend in Arizona, as they absolutely punished the Cardinals’ top-ranked run defense.

But as you know, Jake Delhomme is a turnover waiting to happen. Not good when he’s about to go up against a revamped Saints secondary that is a speedy group & is physical as well.

Close game, but i like for the Saints to win & remain unbeaten.

Detroit at Seattle.

I don’t like either of those teams, but let’s face it. Seattle has looked pretty damn good in their two wins at home this season, which were both shutouts.

Detroit could make some noise if former Seahawk Maurice Morris continues to run well, as he figures to split some carries with Kevin Smith on Sunday.

The Lions will welcome the return of wide receiver Calvin Johnson, as he missed the team’s last 2 games with a knee injury.

Detroit is going to have to show more offensive pop (just 10 points over their last 2 games) to win & i don’t think they will do it, so look for Seattle to notch a 3rd home victory on Sunday.

San Diego at N.Y. Giants.

It’s Eli Manning against the team he never wanted to play for.

Both teams have to be pleased with the end result, as both Manning & Philip Rivers are profilic signal careers who can certainly lead their teams to big wins with their rocket arms.

Difference is though, the Giants can actually run the ball. Brandon Jacobs is dying to have a big game & i think he will do so on Sunday, as i expect for him to reach the 100-yard plateau for the first time all season.

The Chargers have been OK so far, but have yet to beat a team with a winning record. This 3-game stretch will prove if they’re for real or not. On Sunday though, they will be frauds as the Giants will notch a big home win before they head into their Week 10 bye.

Tennessee at San Francisco.

The Titans took six weeks of frustration out on the Jaguars last weekend, as Chris Johnson exploded for 228 yards to lead Tennessee to a convincing blowout win.

Things figure to be a bit tougher for the Titans’ running game on Sunday, as Mike Singletary’s defense will be ready to try & contain Johnson & also keep the mobile Vince Young from making any big plays with his feet.

Alex Smith could have his best game as a pro in this one, as Michael Crabtree could very well score his first ever NFL touchdown in front of the 49ers home crowd.

Singletary knows how important this game is, so look for San Francisco to win a close one before a big Thursday clash with his former team, the Chicago Bears.

Dallas at Philadelphia.

Dallas hopes their trip to the Linc will not resemble their last visit.

In week 17 of the 2008 season with the Cowboys’ playoff hopes on the line, they went into Philadelphia & got dismantled 44-6 by the Eagles, as that loss kept them from making the postseason.

This game figures to be even bigger, as the winner will move into 1st place in the NFC East.

Donovan McNabb has been superb so far, as the Eagles quarterback has thrown just one interception in his first 5 games & currently has a rating of over 100 for just the 2nd time in his entire career.

He will also welcome the return of Brian Westbrook, who missed last weekend’s 40-17 rout over the Giants with a concussion.

Philadelphia’s defense has looked very impressive so far, as they are ranked 2nd in the NFC with 23 sacks & are ranked 3rd in the NFL with 14 interceptions.

This game could turn into a possible shootout, but i just think the Eagles have too many weapons on offense for the Cowboys to account for defensively.

Look for Philadelphia to record a big home win on Sunday & take sole possesion of 1st place in the division.

Pittsburgh at Denver.

This is without a doubt, the biggest test yet for these 6-1 Broncos in a nationally televised home game against the defending champion Steelers.

Pittsburgh will try & take a blueprint from their AFC North rival Baltimore, who totally shut down Kyle Orton & the Denver offense in a 30-7 romp last weekend to end their unbeaten season.

The extra week of rest should also benefit the Steelers, as they need a win to at least remain tied with Cincinnati in the division.

Denver should keep this game close with their defense, but look for Ben Roethlisberger to deliver yet another clutch late scoring drive to lead Pittsburgh to a Monday Night victory.