Mattie T’s Week 14 Predictions of the 2006 NFL Season

After watching a ton of upsets last weekend, i have countered with some MAJOR upset picks for Week 14.

Week 13: 8-8

Overall: 108-68 (.613)

vs.
Cleveland Browns (4-8) vs. Pittsburgh Steelers (5-7) from Heinz Field in Pittsburgh, PA.

8:00 PM EST on Thursday.

Steelers head coach Bill Cowher is 20-5 in his career against the Browns, for whom he played from 1980 through 1983 and served as an assistant from 1985 through 1988.

Mattie T’s Prediction: I’m picking the Browns to upset the Steelers on Thursday.

Browns QB Charlie Frye (wrist) is questionable for Thursday’s game.

“It’s sore and I’m just doing whatever I can to get ready to play,” Frye said.

“This is a game I definitely had circled.”

If Frye is unable to go, 2nd yr QB Derek Anderson will get his first NFL start.

Anderson led the Browns to a comeback win over the Chiefs by tossing 2 touchdown passes in the 4th quarter after replacing the injured Frye on Sunday.

“I don’t know where he came from but he showed up and did a good job for us,” coach Romeo Crennel told the Browns’ official website.

“Having never thrown a pass in an NFL game to be able to drive down and get two scores and have the game-winning drive, that’s big for a guy.

“He’s confident. He was excited about having the opportunity to play, and then being able to make plays helped his confidence.”

The Steelers will be missing 4 starters for Thursday’s game.

WR’s Hines Ward, Cedrick Wilson, S Troy Polamalu & Ryan Clark have all been ruled out by Steelers head coach Bill Cowher.

The Browns will try to snap a 6 game skid against the Steelers, but their last win did come at Heinz Field during the 2003 season.

Steelers RB Willie Parker is 24 yards shy of his second consecutive 1,000-yard season.

Parker is the NFL’s 7th leading rusher with 976 yards.

Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger leads the NFL with 20 interceptions thrown this season.

The Browns & Steelers are tied with the Raiders for the NFL lead in turnovers with 31.

The Browns are tied for the NFL lead in fumbles lost with 14.

Browns TE Kellen Winslow leads all tight ends in receptions with 67.

vs.
N.Y. Giants (6-6) vs. Carolina Panthers (6-6) from Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, NC.

1:00 PM EST

Panthers have won last 3 meetings, including January’s 23-0 win during NFC Wild Card Weekend.

Mattie T’s Prediction: I’m picking the Giants to beat the Panthers.

Both teams have been struggling as of late.

The Giants have lost 4 in a row & haven’t won on the road since their 36-22 win over the Cowboys in Week 7.

The Panthers have lost 4 of their last 6, blowing fourth-quarter leads in every single loss.

3 of their recent 4 losses were by a combined 11 points.

The Giants could welcome the return of DE Michael Strahan on Sunday. Strahan has missed the team’s last 4 games (all losses) with a foot injury.

Giants LB Brandon Short will return to Carolina to face his former team.

Short was a member of the Panthers for the past 2 seasons before signing with the Giants in the offseason.

Panthers RB DeShaun Foster could return to the lineup on Sunday after missing the team’s previous 2 games (both losses) with an elbow injury.

Carolina is a league-worst 29.6% on third-down conversions.

Panthers QB Jake Delhomme missed practice on Wednesday with a thumb injury.

“It’s sore,” Delhomme said.

“If I played any other position, there would be no question I’d play, but it’s a pretty important part of the throwing process of holding on, so we’ll see.”

If Delhomme can’t go, then QB Chris Weinke will make his 1st start in nearly 5 years.

“I’ve said all along I come in every week and prepare to be ready to play if something happens to Jake,” Weinke said.

“Obviously, not knowing the situation this week, I’ll continue to prepare, and if he’s not ready to go, I’ll be ready to go. If I get that opportunity, I’ll be excited.”
Weinke did relieve an injured Delhomme early last season in Detroit and threw the winning touchdown pass to Ricky Proel with 2:41 left.

Panthers DE Julius Peppers leads the NFL in sacks with 11.

vs.
Oakland Raiders (2-10) vs. Cincinnati Bengals (7-5) from Paul Brown Stadium in Cincinnati, OH.

1:00 PM EST

Raiders won last meeting 23-20 in 2003 & will make first trip to Cincinnati since ‘95.

Mattie T’s Prediction: I’m picking the Bengals to blow out the Raiders.

The Bengals’ defense has allowed 23 points during their current 3 game win streak. (7.6 PPG)

“We’ve been talking about controlling our own destiny since the second half of the season has been here,” Bengals WR Chad Johnson said.

“If we win these next four, we’re going to be in there anyway.”

The Raiders’ offense is averaging just 12.2 PPG this season, last in the AFC.

Oakland committed 5 turnovers in their first game since John Shoop replaced Tom Walsh as offensive coordinator.

The Raiders are last in the league in total offense (245 yards per game), touchdowns scored (15), passing touchdowns (6), sacks allowed (58), turnover margin (-13), and are tied for the league lead in turnovers (31) and fumbles lost (14).

Oakland leads the NFL in passing defense (143 yards per game), but has faced nine fewer passing attempts than any other team in the league.

Cincinnati is last in NFL passing defense (243.6 yards per game), but has faced more passing attempts than every team in the league except Minnesota.

The first postseason victory in the head coaching career of Oakland’s Art Shell was a 20-10 win over the Bengals in a 1990 AFC Divisional Playoff Game.

vs.
Minnesota Vikings (5-7) vs. Detroit Lions (2-10) from Ford Field in Detroit, MI.

1:00 PM EST

Vikings have won last 9 meetings.

Mattie T’s Prediction: I’m picking the Lions to upset the Vikings.

Even though Vikings head coach Brad Childress won’t announce who will start Sunday’s game between 13 year veteran QB Brad Johnson & rookie QB Tarvaris Jackson, all signs point to Jackson making his first career NFL start against Detroit after Johnson’s benching during Minnesota’s 23-13 loss to Chicago.

“I’m probably not going to share that with you just because I’m not competitively going to do that,” said Childress. He said he has informed the quarterback he’s chosen.

2nd string QB Brooks Bollinger is doubtful for Sunday’s game with a shoulder injury.

Lions WR Roy Williams went over the 1,000-yard mark for the first time in his career in last week’s 28-21 loss to the Patriots.

Williams is averaging 113.3 receiving yards at home this season.

Vikings RB Chester Taylor became the team’s first 1,000-yard rusher since Michael Bennett did it during the 2002 season.

Mike McMahon (Detroit) and Todd Bouman (Minnesota) were the starting quarterbacks the last time the Lions defeated the Vikings, on Dec. 16th, 2001.

vs.
Tennessee Titans (5-7) vs. Houston Texans (4-8) from Reliant Stadium in Houston, TX.

1:00 PM EST

Titans head coach Jeff Fisher is 7-2 in his career against the Texans.

Mattie T’s Prediction: I’m picking the Titans to beat the Texans.

Titans QB Vince Young will make his first pro appearance in his hometown of Houston.

The Texans snubbed Young with the 1st overall pick of April NFL’s Draft, instead choosing to select DE Mario Williams from N.C. State.

Titans RB Travis Henry is 151 yards away from his third 1,000-yard season, and rushed for 159 in his only career game in Houston.

Houston will attempt to win consecutive games on Sunday for the first time since 2004.

vs.
Indianapolis Colts (10-2) vs. Jacksonville Jaguars (7-5) from Alltel Stadium in Jacksonville, FL.

1:00 PM EST

Colts are 9-2 all-time at Jacksonville.

Mattie T’s Prediction: I’m picking the Jaguars to upset the Colts.

Indianapolis will attempt to celebrated their third straight AFC South title & second in a row on the Jaguars’ home field.

“Jacksonville makes everybody play better,” Colts head coach Tony Dungy said. His team hasn’t lost three in a row on the road since closing out the 2001 season with four straight defeats away from the RCA Dome.

Colts WR Marvin Harrison needs five receptions to become the fourth player in league history with 1,000 for his career, joining Jerry Rice, Cris Carter and Tim Brown.

“It’s something you don’t come into your career thinking about. But it is something special,” said Harrison, who had seven catches for a season-high 172 yards in the loss to Tennessee.

Jaguars QB David Garrard started in last season’s home loss to the Colts and had one of his best outings of the season, going 26 of 35 for 250 yards and a touchdown.

“Everybody knows what’s at stake. It’s beat the Colts,” Garrard said on the jaguars.com Web site.

Jacksonville’s running attack, led by Fred Taylor and rookie Maurice Jones-Drew, is averaging 143.0 yards this season and will face a Colts’ run defense that’s allowed a league-worst 5.1 yards per carry.

“We’re not interested in winning the statistical battle. We’re interested in winning the game,” coach Jack Del Rio said on the Jags’ Web site.

Taylor, who’s yet to make the Pro Bowl, needs just 48 yards to reach 1,000 for the sixth time in his nine-year career.

Jones-Drew has scored in four straight games and leads all rookies with nine total scores.

vs.
Baltimore Ravens (9-3) vs. Kansas City Chiefs (7-5) from Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, MO.

1:00 PM EST

Chiefs have won 18 straight home games during month of December.

Mattie T’s Prediction: I’m picking the Chiefs to upset the Ravens.

Baltimore will have to play the rest of the season without return specialist B.J. Sams, who broke his fibula during Thursday’s loss at Cincinnati.

Sams ranks sixth in the league with an average of 10.6 yards on punt returns and was averaging 25.7 yards on kick returns.

“Huge, huge. You’re talking about one of the great return guys in the game right now,” Ravens head coach Brian Billick said.

“We’ll adapt.”

Undrafted rookie Cory Ross will primarily handle kickoff returns, and starting WR Mark Clayton will fill in as a punt returner behind CB Corey Ivy.

The Chiefs will try to regroup after they blew a two-touchdown lead during Sunday’s overtime loss to the Browns.

“You figure when you’re playing with a 14-point lead, you find a way to stop them,” Chiefs head coach Herm Edwards said.

“If they’re going to score, you can’t let them score fast. In other words, we gave up some big plays defensively, which is uncharacteristic of the way we’ve played in the last four weeks.”

Chiefs TE Tony Gonzalez is one TD reception shy of Shannon Sharpe’s (played w/Baltimore from ‘00-01) record of 62 by a tight end.

Chiefs RB Larry Johnson has gone over 100 yards in six of his last seven games.

vs.
New England Patriots (9-3) vs. Miami Dolphins (5-7) from Dolphin Stadium in Miami, FL.

1:00 PM EST

Dolphins have won 6 of past 8 home meetings against Patriots.

Mattie T’s Prediction: I’m picking the Dolphins to upset the Patriots.

Miami usually gives New England a tough time. The Patriots have only lost two regular season games in December and January over the last four seasons, but both defeats came to the Dolphins.

Miami’s six wins over the Patriots since head coach Bill Belichick’s arrival in 2000 are the most of any opponent during that span.

Against the Dolphins at home Oct. 8, New England gained a season-low 213 yards of offense but managed to win 20-10 — a result Patriots coach Bill Belichick downplayed this week.

“What difference does it make what happened last week or last month or how many games somebody else won or how many games you won?” Belichick said.

“It’s about this week, how to maximize that opportunity.”

New England has not beaten an AFC opponent since their 28-6 road win at Buffalo on October 22nd.

Dating back to the 2001 season, the Patriots are a league-best 35-6 in games played after Thanksgiving, which leads the NFL.

New England will try to avoid making several mistakes on Sunday, something that they haven’t been able to avoid from doing lately.

The team has 18 giveaways over their last six games — tied with Chicago and Minnesota for the most in the NFL over that span. New England has also been penalized for 153 yards over the past two contests, with defensive penalties resulting in seven first downs for opponents.

Patriots RB Corey Dillon may need to carry a heavier load on Sunday.

Patriots RB Laurence Maroney left last week’s game in the first quarter after the Patriots said he had the wind knocked out of him. He did not return, and his status for this week is uncertain.

vs.
Atlanta Falcons (6-6) vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3-9) from Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, FL.

1:00 PM EST

Buccaneers are 4-1 against Falcons at home since 1999.

Mattie T’s Prediction: I’m picking the Falcons to beat the Buccaneers.

Falcons QB Michael Vick needs 40 yards to become the NFL’s single-season leader for rushing yards by a quarterback, surpassing Bobby Douglass, who had 968 for Chicago in 1972.

Atlanta’s star QB is third with 929 yards, trailing Douglass and Randall Cunningham, who had 942 in 1990. There’s a chance Vick could reach the 1,000-yard mark, but the Falcons will be happy just to see Vick — or any of their playmakers — gaining yards on the ground Sunday after they snapped a four-game losing streak by pounding the ball.

“I felt like we got back to what we’ve done, what we did at the beginning of the year,” Falcons RB Warrick Dunn said.

“As backs, we like it when we can throw the football. But our bread-and-butter is setting it up with the run.”

Tampa Bay is last in the league in scoring offense (12.1 points per game), have scored a total of 60 points in their past six games, and are 1-5 over that stretch.

vs.
Philadelphia Eagles (6-6) vs. Washington Redskins (4-8) from FedEx Field in Landover, MD.

1:00 PM EST

Eagles RB Brian Westbrook was held to just 24 yards on 17 during Philadelphia’s trip to Washington last season, his worst single-game per-carry average (1.4) in 48 career NFL starts.

Mattie T’s Prediction: I’m picking the Eagles to beat the Redskins.

The Eagles’ playoff hopes appeared to fade Nov. 19 when five-time Pro Bowl quarterback Donovan McNabb was lost for the season with a torn knee ligament. Philadelphia lost that game to Tennessee and dropped its next game to Indianapolis before rallying to defeat the Panthers 27-24 on Sunday.

Backup QB Jeff Garcia lifted Philadelphia to the badly needed victory, throwing for 312 yards and three touchdowns as the Eagles won for just the second time in seven games. Their only other win in that span was a 27-3 victory over Washington on Nov. 12.

“We have not lost focus of what our goal is — to be a playoff team,” Garcia said.

“Nobody has been discouraged, nobody has hung their head, it’s a really positive atmosphere in the locker room considering what we’ve gone through over the last two months. This is a great way to come together; I think we can put some things together.”

Garcia has thrown six touchdowns and no interceptions since replacing McNabb, displaying his form of 2001-03 with San Francisco, when he was named to three straight Pro Bowls.

“I really believe that I can still battle with the best of them,” Garcia said. “I don’t think like I have lost it. I don’t think like I am holding this team back in any sort of way.”

Washington led 14-0 in the first quarter Sunday, but once again wasted a first-half lead.

The Redskins have led at the half in four losses this season, but have been outscored 141-90 after halftime on the year.

“These next four weeks, we’ve got to finish ball games,” coach Joe Gibbs said.

“It’s not only got to be Redskins football for a half, we’ve got to finish an entire game.”

Philadelphia has given up 909 rushing yards in the last six weeks, the third-highest total allowed in the league in that span.

vs.
Seattle Seahawks (8-4) vs. Arizona Cardinals (3-9) from University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, AZ.

4:05 EST

Arizona will try to win back-to-back games since November of 2004.

Mattie T’s Prediction: I’m picking the Seahawks to blowout the Cardinals.

Seattle will use its’ final 4 regular-season games to get their offense back in gear.

The Seahawks have totaled more than 300 yards only five other times this season after surpassing the 300-yard mark in 13 games last season with the top offense in the NFC.

Seattle has been without QB Matt Hasselbeck and RB Shaun Alexander for stretches of this season due to injuries, but the duo has been back for the last two games, and coach Mike Holmgren has still been troubled with the team’s results despite Seattle going 5-0 this season when both Hasselbeck & Alexander are in the lineup.

“I trust and hope that our best offensive football is ahead of us,” Holmgren said.

“We have a ways to go. … This is a work in progress. It’s been a season like that. And there’s no reason to think it’s not going to be one of those years.

“And if we can ever get there, then we will have something good going.”

Since Arizona joined the NFC West in the division’s realignment in 2002, the Seahawks have won seven of nine over the Cardinals. Seattle has 18 rushing touchdowns in those nine matchups, compared to just two by Arizona.

The Cardinals are allowing the sixth-most points in the league (23.7 points per game), and the fourth-most yards (371.3). In their last seven losses to Seattle, they gave up an average of 29.7 points and 361.1 yards.

Alexander rushed for 89 yards and a touchdown against the Cardinals earlier this season, and has 556 yards and 10 TDs during the four-game win streak over Arizona.

The Cardinals defeated St. Louis 34-20 on Sunday and have won two of their last three after starting 1-8.

Cardinals RB Edgerrin James (810 rushing yards) needs to average 72.5 rushing yards over his final four games to become the Cardinals’ first 1,100-yard rusher since the franchise relocated to Arizona in 1988.

vs.
Green Bay Packers (4-8) vs. San Francisco 49ers (5-7) from Monster Park in San Francisco, CA.

4:05 PM EST

Since Packers QB Brett Favre took over as Green Bay’s starter in 1992, he is 6-0 in the regular season against San Francisco, throwing for 1,515 yards and 10 touchdowns.

Mattie T’s Prediction: I’m picking the Packers to upset the 49ers on Sunday.

Favre, who recently said that he needs left ankle surgery after the season to clean out bone spurs, has only 12 interceptions this season after throwing a career-high 29 in 2005.

He needs 10 touchdowns to pass Dan Marino for the all-time record.

He says he made the right decision to come back, but this latest skid has likely ended Green Bay’s chances of reaching the playoffs.

With that in mind, Packers head coach Mike McCarthy, who was San Francisco’s offensive coordinator last season, says he plans on making changes.

“We will be looking at opportunities,” McCarthy said.

“You have only so many options, and we are looking into them. I’m not trying to be naive. I’m not trying to skirt the issue here. But I’m also not getting pinned down in ‘You said this,’ OK? So that’s where we are right now.”

The 49ers are 4-2 at home this season, but have lost their last four December games in San Francisco after winning 37 of the previous 46 games there in the month.

The 49ers are learning to deal with heightened expectations, even though they finished 4-12 last year.

“Our expectations have changed from a year ago, but I would say a year ago, there was a little more dreaming involved,” said 49ers head coach Mike Nolan, whose team is 5-1 when allowing 20 points or less.

“This year, there’s a little less dreaming. There’s no problem in dreaming, believe me. That puts those expectations out there. Then you start to believe that you can do something.”

The 49ers will be without LB Derek Smith, who strained a hamstring against the Saints. Smith leads San Francisco with 67 tackles and has been the 49ers’ leading tackler in each of his first five years with the team.

vs.
Denver Broncos (7-5) vs. San Diego Chargers (10-2) from Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego, CA.

4:15 PM EST

Broncos have won 2 of previous 3 meetings at San Diego.

Mattie T’s Prediction: I’m picking the Chargers to beat the Broncos.

San Diego is getting closer to clinching just their 2nd playoff berth in the past 11 seasons.

The Chargers can win the AFC West Sunday with a win & a Chiefs loss.

“We certainly can’t overlook Denver,” Chargers RB LaDainian Tomlinson said.

“These are big weeks we’ve got coming up, so there’s no need for us to look toward the playoffs yet.”

San Diego is averaging a league-leading 31.4 points per game and 34.8 during its last six games.

That’s due in large part to Tomlinson, who leads the NFL with 1,324 rushing yards and 1,794 yards from scrimmage.

“His achievements, I’ve run out of superlatives,” Chargers head coach Marty Schottenheimer said.

“It’s what he does. I’m going to tell you what — I stand on the sideline and I watch him like a fan. It’s amazing.”

If Tomlinson performs like he did in the last meeting between these teams, Schottenheimer will have another stellar performance to watch. Tomlinson scored four touchdowns and rushed four 105 yards, and caught three passes for 74 yards, as San Diego rallied to defeat Denver 35-27 on Nov. 19 after trailing 24-7.

That loss started Denver (7-5) on its current three-game skid.

The Broncos, who last dropped four straight to open the 1999 season, were tied for the AFC West lead going into that game but are now in a five-way tie for the two AFC wild-card spots.

vs.
Buffalo Bills (5-7) vs. N.Y. Jets (7-5) from Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ.

4:15 PM EST

Jets have won last 4 meetings.

Mattie T’s Prediction: I’m picking the Jets to beat the Bills.

The Jets are one of five teams in the conference entering this weekend with a 7-5 record, and sit two games behind New England in the East.

While first-year coach Eric Mangini has already exceeded expectations for this team simply by having it contend for a postseason spot, he refuses to allow himself to get caught up in the Jets’ success.

“We’re excited about the progress we’re making, but there’s still a quarter of the season left and that’s the way we’re approaching it,” Mangini said Monday.

“I appreciate the excitement, I appreciate the fans’ excitement — I think that’s great.

“But if we lose track of the next game and get caught up in the other things that are happening, then that’s when you let a game slip away.”

Mangini said one of the reasons the Jets have been so successful offensively the past two weeks has been the decision-making of QB Chad Pennington, who has completed 74.2 percent (49-of-66) of his passes for 549 yards and three touchdowns over that span.

“Chad’s capacity for information is very high, so that helps too because you don’t have to come up with the same thing multiple times to get it right,” Mangini said. “He has that ability, that presence on the field to direct traffic and when traffic is not exactly flowing the way you’d like it to, to be able to settle everything down and go.”

Buffalo enters needing a win to strengthen its fading playoff hopes after a 24-21 home loss to San Diego last week. The Bills scored two third-quarter touchdowns to nearly erase a 17-0 deficit, but failed to get a key defensive stop in the fourth quarter as the Chargers marched 80 yards on a touchdown drive that consumed more than eight minutes.

“We’re just not there yet,” LB London Fletcher said.

“We don’t make enough plays to beat the elite teams. We haven’t done that yet. Today was an example.”

Fletcher is going to be under more pressure than normal this week as the Bills try to replace weak side linebacker Angelo Crowell, who suffered a broken leg in last Sunday’s loss and will miss the rest of the season.

Crowell, who was in his first full year as a starter, is second on the team behind Fletcher with 83 tackles.

“It’s tough for him and tough for us,” head coach Dick Jauron said.

“He was playing well and getting more and more comfortable in the scheme. It’s a tough one and very disappointing.”

Coy Wire, who plays primarily on special teams, likely will start in Crowell’s spot.
“I had an incredible sense of comfort and confidence and even a sense a peace about it when I was out there,” said Wire, who has started just five games the past four years after starting 15 as a rookie in 2002.

“Obviously, it’s a big loss for our defense. Angelo’s one of our best players. I’m going to take all I can do to fill his shoes the best as I can.”

vs.
New Orleans Saints (8-4) vs. Dallas Cowboys (8-4) from Texas Stadium in Irving, TX.

8:15 PM EST

Saints have won last 4 meetings.

Mattie T’s Prediction: I’m picking the Cowboys to win in what could be a possible NFC title game preview.

Saints head coach Sean Payton will return to Dallas, who was an offensive assistant under the Cowboys head coach Bill Parcells from 2003-05.

“He was an important part of my coaching career,” Payton said.

“So, I am able to lean on him and my experiences with him. It’s been valuable for me and it’s not a new story and it’s happened throughout the years, a coach going back to coach against a coach who was a big influence on his life.

“The whole matching wits thing sounds like ‘Madden 07′. We are getting a team ready to play a game and a lot goes into that. What’s most important is that you have two teams that are 8-4. Two teams that have put themselves in a position, and I emphasize that, put themselves in position to play for a ninth win.”

The NFC East-leading Cowboys will try for a fifth straight victory Sunday, which would match their longest win streak since 2003.

Parcells’ decision to release struggling kicker Mike Vanderjagt last week and sign veteran Martin Gramatica paid off when Gramatica kicked a 46-yard field goal with one second remaining to give Dallas a 23-20 win over the New York Giants.

“I don’t really look at it as a gamble because it was something I felt needed to be done,” Parcells said of cutting Vanderjagt.

Dallas’ offense has been getting it done behind QB Tony Romo, the NFL’s top-rated passer at 102.4.

Romo wasn’t spectacular against the Giants, going 20-for-34 for 257 yards and two interceptions, but played well in the second half.

Cowboys RB Marion Barber III needs two touchdowns to become the third player in franchise history to score 15 in a season.

Saints QB Drew Brees leads the NFL with 3,649 passing yards and is 7-1 with 13 touchdowns against the NFC this season, including back-to-back victories over Atlanta and San Francisco.

Saints RB Reggie Bush, who has 73 receptions, needs 11 more to break the NFL rookie record by a running back set by San Francisco’s Earl Cooper in 1980.

The Saints could be without rookie WR Marques Colston (sprained left ankle) for a third straight week, and veteran WR Joe Horn (groin) for Sunday.

vs.
Chicago Bears (10-2) vs. St. Louis Rams (5-7) from Edward Jones Dome in St. Louis, MO.

8:30 PM EST

Rams have won last 5 Monday Night home games, including a 21-16 win over the Bears in November of ‘02.

Mattie T’s Prediction: I’m picking the Rams to upset the Bears.

The hot talk around Chicago is about the slumping play of QB Rex Grossman despite Chicago’s NFC leading 10-2 record.

The Bears, though, will stick with Grossman as they try to move closer to securing a first-round bye in the playoffs when they visit the St. Louis Rams on Monday night.

Chicago became the first team in the NFL to clinch a playoff berth by defeating Minnesota 23-13 last Sunday to win its second straight NFC North Division title, but Grossman had another poor performance.

He completed 6 of 19 passes for 34 yards and threw three interceptions for a 1.3 quarterback rating, but Bears coach Lovie Smith is adamant that Grossman will remain his starter, despite numerous calls for veteran Brian Griese.

Everything changed for Grossman on Oct. 16 in a Monday night game against Arizona.

He threw four interceptions and lost two fumbles, and needed Chicago’s defense and special teams to bail him out in a 24-23 victory — snapping the Bears’ four-game losing streak on Monday night.

Since that contest, Grossman has passed for 1,181 yards with eight TDs and 14 picks in seven games, and the Bears have the worst passing offense in the league over that span.

“I never really got anything going, and that is something I need to fix,” Grossman said after last week’s win.

“It’s definitely a situation that I don’t want to be in. It’s unfortunate. But it just feels weird. I feel like we lost and (I’m) wearing a division championship (hat).”

The Bears have won the division title in back-to-back seasons for the first time since winning five in a row from 1984-88, and can earn a first-round bye for the second straight year with a win over the Rams (5-7) and losses by Dallas and Seattle on Sunday.

After the Rams lost to the Cardinals on Sunday , the normally soft-spoken QB Marc Bulger called out some of his teammates for not caring as the Rams were penalized for a season-high 126 yards.

“I’ve made a hundred mistakes and I want to reiterate, I’m not perfect,” Bulger said.

“But I care, and there’s definitely more than one person I think in this locker room that could not care less.

“But they get their paycheck on Monday and it’s OK.”

After starting the year 4-1, St. Louis has lost six of seven, but coach Scott Linehan said it’s far too early to give up on the season.

“You can make the playoffs in this league at 8-8,” Linehan said.

“Our season is not over. No way are we approaching it that way.”

The Bears are 0-4 in St. Louis since last winning there in 1997.

That’s a wrap with the Week 14 Predictions!

Before i sign off, i must address an upcoming event that i am really looking forward to.

Saturday will be my 1 year anniversary with my girlfriend Melanie (pictured above).

We plan on dining at Red Lobster for dinner before heading downtown to take an hour long horse carriage ride along the Magnificent Mile.

Baby if you’re reading this, we have just more 2 days & i promise that Saturday will be a day that you will never forget.

Until then,
Mattie T

Sports Writer for BMS Radio Chicago

www.bmsradio.com & myspace.com/bmsradiosports