Mattie T’s Week 10 Predictions of the 2007 NFL Season

Week 9: 8-5

Overall: 85-45 (.653)

Currently tied with Yahoo Sports’ NFL analyst & former Minnesota Vikings WR Cris Carter.

vs.
(2-6) Atlanta Falcons vs. (4-4) Carolina Panthers from Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, NC.

12:00 PM CST on

Did you know? Carolina has won 4 of the last 5 meetings.

Falcons QB Joey Harrington posted a 55.1 rating during the team’s Week 9 win over San Francisco. Harrington is now just 4-16 in his career when totaling a QB rating of 56 or less.

Falcons RB Warrick Dunn rushed for 100 yards during the team’s week 9 win over San Francisco. Atlanta is 8-1 since ‘05 when Dunn rushes for 100 yards or more.

Panthers WR Steve Smith has combined to catch just 5 receptions for 33 yards over his last 2 games combined. (both losses)

Mattie T’s Prediction: This could end up becoming a low-scoring affair. Carolina has averaged just 11.7 PPG during their 3 home games (1-2 record), while Atlanta has averaged just 9.8 PPG during their 4 road games (0-4 record).

I trust John Kasay (who already has hit 1 game-winning FG this season) over a 37 year-old Morten Andersen if this game goes down to the wire.

I’m taking Carolina here.

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(3-5) Minnesota Vikings vs. (7-1) Green Bay Packers from Lambeau Field in Green Bay, WI.

12:00 PM CST on

Did you know? Green Bay has won 7 of the last 10 meetings.

Vikings RB Adrian Peterson set a new NFL record with 296 rushing yards during the team’s Week 9 win over San Diego & is now the first rookie in league history to have a pair of 200 yard games in the same season.

Vikings QB Tarvaris Jackson is questionable for Sunday’s game with a concussion. If Jackson cannot play, then Brooks Bollinger will receive his 1st start since January of 2006

Bollinger has lost 14 of the 18 games he has appeared in during his 4 year career.

Packers QB Brett Favre won for the 1st time ever against the Chiefs during Week 9 & is now one of only 3 quarterbacks (Peyton Manning & Tom Brady) to beat every team in the NFL.

Packers WR Greg Jennings’ 19.7 yards per catch leads the NFL. Jennings is currently on pace to have the highest yards-per-catch average since Walter Stanley’s 20.7 ypc in 1986.

Mattie T’s Prediction:

Pop quiz time! Can you name the last NFL player to record back-to-back 200 yard rushing performances?

If you guessed Ricky Williams, then you are correct! (Williams rushed for 228 yards on December 1st of 2002 against Buffalo & rushed for 216 yards on December 9th against Chicago.)

That’s the task Adrian Peterson will have at hand this weekend, as he trys to put on another amazing performance after his career day against San Diego.

That will be tough to do against a Green Bay run defense that ranks 8th in the NFL (allowing 93.8 YPG).

Brett Favre should have himself a big day against Minnesota’s 31st ranked pass defense (allowing 275.6 YPG). Look for another long TD bomb to Greg Jennings, who is quickly becoming Favre’s favorite deep threat down the field.

I’m picking Green Bay to win this one.

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(3-5) Denver Broncos vs. (4-4) Kansas City Chiefs from Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, MO.

12:00 PM CST on

Did you know? Kansas City has won 7 of their last 8 home meetings against Denver.

Broncos QB Jay Cutler is questionable for Sunday’s game with a leg injury that was suffered during the team’s Week 9 loss to Detroit.

If Cutler cannot play, then Patrick Ramsey will receive his 1st start since January of 2005.

Chiefs RB Larry Johnson suffered a foot injury during his team’s Week 9 loss against Green Bay & is doubtful for Sunday’s game.

Priest Holmes will receive additional carries & will look to score his 1st TD at Arrowhead Stadium since October of 2005.

Chiefs TE Tony Gonzalez has recorded three 100 yard receiving games over his last 4 contests.

Mattie T’s Prediction: Denver’s defense is really starting to become an embarassment. After allowing just 14 points to Buffalo during their Week 1 road win, Mike Shanahan’s team has allowed a whopping 82 points over their last 2 road games. (both losses)

The Chiefs should have no problems running the ball effectively against Denver’s league-worst run defense, who is allowing 161.5 YPG.

I like Kansas City in this one.

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(4-4) Buffalo Bills vs. (0-8) Miami Dolphins from Dolphin Stadium in Miami, FL.

12:00 PM CST on

Did you know? Buffalo has won 5 of the last 6 meetings.

Bills RB Marshawn Lynch rushed for a career-high 153 yards during the team’s Week 9 win over Cincinnati & also threw a touchdown pass to Robert Royal.

Lynch now becomes the first Bills running back to throw a touchdown pass in a game since Joe Cribbs did it in 1981.

Dolphins DE Jason Taylor has 16 sacks & 6 forced fumbles for his career against Buffalo, which are his highest totals against any opposing team.

Mattie T’s Prediction: The Bills are on a roll with 4 wins in their last 5 games. They have also played better recently on the road, allowing a season-low 3 points to the Jets after giving up a combined 64 points to the Steelers & Patriots.

Too bad that the Dolphins don’t get to play any more games outside of North America, because Miami has lost by a margin of 18.7 PPG in 3 games at Dolphin Stadium this season.

I’m picking Buffalo to win big here.

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(0-8) St. Louis Rams vs. (4-4) New Orleans Saints from Superdome in New Orleans, LA.

12:00 PM CST on

Did you know? St. Louis has won the last 3 road meetings.

Saints QB Drew Brees threw for a season-high 445 yards during the team’s Week 9 win over Jacksonville. Brees has now combined to throw for 11 touchdowns & 1 interception in his last 4 games. (QB rating of 115.1)

Saints WR Marques Colston has caught 18 receptions for 244 yards & scored 3 touchdowns in his last 2 games after combining to catch 26 receptions for 263 yards & 1 touchdown over his first 6 games.

Rams WR Isaac Bruce (13,701 yards) needs 76 receiving yards on Sunday to tie Henry Ellard for 6th place on the NFL’s all-time list.

Bruce has 11 career receiving touchdowns against New Orleans, which is his highest total against any opposing team.

Mattie T’s Prediction: The New Orleans Saints have turned it around on both sides of the ball during their current 4 game winning streak.

In their first 4 games (all losses), the Saints averaged just 12.8 PPG offensively while allowing 29.8 PPG on defense.

During their last 4 games (all wins), the Saints have averaged 30.5 PPG offensively while allowing just 16.8 PPG on defense.

This game could become a shootout with the Rams’ 25th ranked run defense (allowing 129.9 YPG) matched up against the Saints’ 27th ranked pass defense (allowing 248.1 yards).

But as long as Drew Brees remains hot, there’s not too many teams that can match the Saints point for point.

I’m picking New Orleans to win this one.

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(5-3) Cleveland Browns vs. (6-2) Pittsburgh Steelers from Heinz Field in Pittsburgh, PA.

12:00 PM CST on

Did you know? Pittsburgh has won the last 8 meetings.

Browns RB Jamal Lewis scored 4 rushing touchdowns during the team’s week 9 win over Seattle for the 1st time in his career.

Lewis also became the 1st Browns player to run for 4 touchdowns in the same game since Leroy Kelly did it in 1968.

Browns K Phil Dawson hit his 9th career game-winning field goal in Week 9. Dawson is the only player remaining from Cleveland’s expansion team that re-entered the league in 1999.

Steelers LB James Harrison will try to repeat his dominating performance from Week 9, in which he recorded 9 tackles, 3.5 sacks, 1 interception, 2 forced fumbles & a fumble recovery.

Mattie T’s Prediction: I wouldn’t be surprised if this game turned into a shootout, since it will feature 2 of the NFL’s top 5 offenses (Cleveland #4 with 28.4 PPG & Pittsburgh #5 with 27.8 PPG.)

However, the Browns will be hard-pressed to find any open running lanes against the Steelers’ 4th ranked run defense (allowing 76 YPG). Cleveland’s defensive front four has done a poor job at putting pressure on the opposing team’s quarterback, so look for Ben Roethlisberger to follow up his 5 touchdown game against Baltimore with another strong outing on Sunday.

I like for Pittsburgh to win this game.

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(5-3) Jacksonville Jaguars vs. (6-2) Tennessee Titans from LP Field in Nashville, TN.

12:00 PM CST on

Did you know? Tennessee has won 12 of their last 15 regular-season games.

Titans QB Vince Young enters Sunday’s game without a touchdown pass thrown over his last 4 games.

However, Young’s 9 rushing touchdowns since 2006 leads all NFL quarterbacks.

Titans RB LenDale White needs to run for 100 yards or more on Sunday to become the 1st back in franchise history to record 4 straight 100 yard games since Eddie George did it in 1998.

Jaguars QB David Garrard (ankle) will be a game-time decision for Sunday. If Garrard can’t play, then Quinn Gray will make his 3rd start of the season.

Garrard did have 1 of his worst performances of 2006 against the Titans at LP Field. Not only did Garrard throw 3 interceptions in that game, but 2 of those picks were returned for touchdowns.

Jaguars RB Fred Taylor needs 13 yards on Sunday to become the 21st player in NFL history to reach the 10,000 yard mark for his career.

Mattie T’s Prediction: Even if David Garrard is healthy enough to play on Sunday, he will have a hard time getting Jacksonville’s offense in gear against Tennessee’s 2nd ranked defense (allowing 15.5 PPG).

The only way Jacksonville wins this game is by running the football with Maurice Jones-Drew & Fred Taylor, which is the strength of their offense. But even that will be a tough task against the Titans’ top-ranked run defense (allowing 68 YPG).

The way Jacksonville’s defense got exposed last weekend in New Orleans, i don’t think 1 week will be enough time for them to recover over their embarassing blowout loss.

I like for Tennessee to win this game big.

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(3-5) Philadelphia Eagles vs. (5-3) Washington Redskins from FedEx Field in Landover, MD.

12:00 PM CST on

Did you know? Philadelphia has won 6 of the last 7 road meetings.

Eagles RB Brian Westbrook caught a career-high 14 receptions during the team’s Week 9 loss to Dallas.

Eagles QB Donovan McNabb (2,070 career completions) needs 18 pass completions on Sunday to tie Ron Jaworski for the most in franchise history.

Redskins K Shaun Suisham made a career-high 5 field goals during the team’s Week 9 win over the N.Y. Jets.

Redskins RB Clinton Portis rushed for 196 yards during Week 9 (Portis’ highest total since 2004).

Washington has now won 7 straight games when Portis rushes for 100 yards & is 14-2 all-time when Portis reaches the century mark.

Eagles DE Trent Cole has 9 sacks this season, which ties him alongside Green Bay’s Aaron Kampman for the league lead.

Mattie T’s Prediction: Philadephia moved the ball well (340 total yards of offense) during their Week 2 loss to Washington, but only managed to score 4 field goals out of it.

I think things will be different on Sunday. The Redskins have been up & down for the past month after starting the season 3-1.

Outside of their blowout win over Detroit, Washington actually has a minus 2 margin of victory at home this season.

I’m thinking upset here & am picking Philadelphia to win.

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(2-6) Cincinnati Bengals vs. (4-4) Baltimore Ravens from M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore, MD.

3:05 PM CST on

Did you know? Baltimore has won 8 straight home games.

Bengals RB Rudi Johnson has played 6 consecutive games without rushing for a touchdown, which is his longest streak since 2004.

Bengals WR Chad Johnson could play on Sunday after leaving on a stretcher with a neck injury during the team’s Week 9 loss to Buffalo.

Bengals WR Chris Henry will make his 2007 season debut on Sunday after missing the team’s previous 9 games from an NFL suspension for violating the league’s conduct policy.

Henry averaged a season-high 39.5 yards-per-reception during Cincinnati’s 26-20 loss to Baltimore last season.

Bengals WR T.J. Houshmandzadeh caught a 15 yard touchdown reception in Week 9 & now has caught 1 touchdown in 8 straight games, which ties Buddy Dial (1960) for the 2nd longest streak in NFL history.

Ravens QB Steve McNair set an NFL record during the team’s Week 9 loss to Pittsburgh by throwing for 63 yards despite completing 13 passes. That’s the fewest number of yards gained by a quarterback in league history with 13 or more pass completions.

Mattie T’s Prediction: I don’t know what’s uglier, Cincinnati’s defense (tied for last allowing 30.5 PPG), or Baltimore’s offense (26th averaging 16.4 PPG).

Something has gotta give, right?

1 thing the Ravens do very well is stop the run (ranked 3rd allowing 74.1 YPG) which was evidenced on Monday night when they held the Steelers’ Willie Parker to just 42 yards on 23 carries.

But their pass defense has been shaky at times this season, so Carson Palmer should be able to make big plays downfield.

However, the Bengals defense is far from unstoppable. After allowing a respectable 20 points to the Ravens during their Week 1 win, Cincinnati has given up an average of 32 PPG & a 1-6 record with the only win coming against the 1-8 Jets.

This has truly been a season from hell for the Bengals, which will continue on Sunday afternoon.

I like for Baltimore to win this one.

vs.
(6-2) Detroit Lions vs. (3-5) Arizona Cardinals from University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, AZ.

3:15 PM CST on

Did you know? Arizona has won the last 4 of 6 home meetings.

Lions DT Shaun Rogers recorded an interception & returned it 66 yards for a touchdown during the team’s Week 9 win over Denver.

At 340 pounds, Rogers is the heaviest player to score a touchdown since Buffalo’s Jason Peters did it against Houston in 2005.

Cardinals QB Kurt Warner completed just 33% of his passes during the team’s Week 9 loss to Tampa Bay, which is the lowest single-game completion percentage of his 10 year career.

Mattie T’s Prediction:

This could be a trap game for Detroit with a big showdown looming next weekend against the N.Y. Giants.

The Lions have been up & down on the road this season (wins against Oakland & Chicago, blowout losses to Philadephia & Washington), but they should be able to take advantage of a Cardinals defense that has only forced 11 takeaways all season.

Arizona will need a strong performance from Edgerrin James to win this game. If Kurt Warner has to throw the ball 30 times or more on Sunday, that is not a good sign for the home team.
I am going with the upset here & picking Arizona to win.

vs.
(7-1) Dallas Cowboys vs. (6-2) N.Y. Giants from Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J.

3:15 PM CST on

Did you know? The Giants are 4-14 all-time following a bye week.

Cowboys WR Terrell Owens totaled a season-high 174 receiving yards during the team’s Week 9 win over Philadelphia, which is his highest total since a 191 yard performance against Oakland in 2002 as a member of the San Francisco 49ers.

Giants RB Brandon Jacobs rushed for a season-high 131 yards & has gone over the 100 yard mark in 3 of his last 4 games.

Mattie T’s Prediction:

Since their embarrasing Week 1 loss to Dallas, the N.Y. Giants have picked it up quite nicely on defense.

If it wasn’t for the Patriots’ dazzling 9-0 start, then the Giants could very well be the hottest team in football.

Since allowing a combined 80 points during their first 2 lossses of the season to the Cowboys & Packers, the Giants have combined to allow just 13.2 PPG during their current 6 game winning streak.

I have a feelings the Giants’ defensive front four (leads NFL with 30 sacks) will wreck havoc all afternoon on Tony Romo, who has thrown 7 of his 10 interceptions this season on the road.

Should be a great game to watch, but the Giants are playing with major confidence right now & i don’t think the Cowboys will be able to slow it down. Plus historically, these two teams have split the season series for the past 5 years. Tom Coughlin’s team needs this game more with a possible 1st place tie looming in the NFC East with a Giants win on Sunday.

I’m picking the N.Y. Giants to win this one.

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(3-5) Chicago Bears vs. (2-6) Oakland Raiders from McAfee Coliseum in Oakland, CA.

3:15 PM CST on

Did you know? Chicago is 11-7 all-time following a bye week.

Raiders RB Justin Fargas rushed for 104 yards during the team’s Week 9 loss to Houston & now has two 100 yard games in just 8 career starts.

Raiders K Sebastian Janikowski missed what would’ve been an NFL record 64 yard field goal during the team’s Week 9 loss.

Janikowski has made 5 field goals from 50 yards or more since the beginning of the 2006 season, which ties him among the league lead.

Meanwhile, Bears K Robbie Gould has never made a field goal of 50 yards or more in his NFL career.

Mattie T’s Prediction:

If Chicago wants to return to the playoffs to try & compete for a 2nd straight Super Bowl apperance, they will have to improve on several areas entering Sunday’s game.

The defense has been disappointing this season, recording just 5 interceptions (2nd lowest total in football). In 2006, the Bears led the NFL with 24 interceptions.

A lot of this could be due to the absence of Nathan Vasher, who has missed the Bears’ last 5 games with a groin injury & is doubtful for Sunday.

Chicago must get a stronger & more consistent run game going from Cedric Benson, who is averaging just 58.3 yards per game (3rd lowest average among NFL’s top 30 rushers) & 3.1 yards per carry. (lowest average among NFL’s top 30 rushers)

The Bears’ defense should be able to get back on track against a Raider offense that has averaged just 12.5 PPG over their last 4 games (all losses).

I’m picking Chicago to win here.

vs.
(7-1) Indianapolis Colts vs. (4-4) San Diego Chargers from Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego, CA.

7:15 PM CST.

Did you know? Colts QB Peyton Manning is 3-1 in his career against San Diego.

Colts WR Marvin Harrison could be a game-time decision for Sunday. Harrison has seen little to no action in each of Indianapolis’ last 5 games with a knee injury that was suffered during their Week 4 win over Denver.

Colts RB Joseph Addai rushed for 112 yards during the team’s Week 9 loss to New England & now has back-to-back 100 yard games for the 1st time in his career.

Chargers RB LaDainian Tomlinson needs 3 rushing touchdowns on Sunday night to tie Walter Payton for 3rd on the NFL’s all-time list.

Chargers CB Antonio Cromartie will make his 1st NFL pro start, replacing the injured Quentin Jammer (hamstring).

Cromartie returned a missed 57 yard field goal by Minnesota’s Ryan Longwell for an NFL-record 109 yard touchdown during the team’s Week 9 loss.

Mattie T’s Prediction: With a banged-up offense (Anthony Gonzalez out 3-4 weeks with thumb injury, Marvin Harrison game-time decision with knee injury & Dallas Clark questionable with concussion), Indianapolis will most likely rely more on the ground game this week with Joseph Addai.

That necessarily is not a bad thing to do after witnesssing the amazing performance by Minnesota’s Adrian Peterson, who ran all over San Diego for an NFL record 296 rushing yards last Sunday in Minneapolis.

Even though Reggie Wayne looks to be the only dangerous (and healthy) receiving threat for the Colts entering Sunday’s game, look for Peyton Manning to work Joseph Addai with some screen passes to try & open up their offense.

San Diego has been very disappointing to watch this season & simply does not have that same swagger from a team that went an NFL-best 14-2 in 2006. The Chargers have allowed just 7.5 PPG during their 4 wins this season, but the combined record of the 4 teams they have beaten (Chicago, Oakland, Denver & Houston) is 12-21.

Not impressive at all.

I like for Indianapolis to win this game.

vs.
(2-6) San Francisco 49ers vs. (4-4) Seattle Seahawks from Qwest Field in Seattle, WA.

7:30 PM CST.

Did you know? Seattle has won 7 of the last 9 meetings.

49ers RB Frank Gore is expected to play on Monday night after missing the team’s Week 9 loss to Atlanta with an ankle injury.

Gore has yet to run for 100 yards this season, but is averaging 145 YPG in 3 career starts against Seattle.

Seahawks K Josh Brown has made 16 of 17 field goal attempts this season for a 94.1% successful conversion percentage, which leads the NFL.

Seahawks RB Shaun Alexander (knee/ankle) will be a game-time decision on Monday night.

If Alexander can’t play, then Maurice Morris will receive his 1st start since November of 2006, when he ran 21 times for 124 yards against St. Louis.

Mattie T’s Prediction:

I don’t think people realize how big of an effect that Mack Strong’s retirement has on Seattle’s run offense.

Strong retired after the team’s Week 5 to Pittsburgh with a spinal cord injury. Since then, Shaun Alexander has rushed for just 114 yards on 47 carries (2.4 YPC).

But with that being said, Matt Hasselbeck is more than capable of carrying Seattle’s offense with a wide receiver corp who might get Deion Branch (foot) back for Monday’s game.

The only way that San Francisco wins this game is if Frank Gore runs like the back who finished 3rd in the NFL last season with 1,695 rushing yards.

Gore does have some favorable matchups down the stretch against which includes St. Louis, Cincinnati, Tampa Bay, Arizona, Carolina & Cleveland, who are all ranked either in the middle or the lower part of the league in stopping the run.

This big question is, will his ankle be healthy enough to make a late-season burst?

He could do it, but not this week against the Seahawks.

I like for Seattle to win this game.

Bulls weekly update coming later tonight! I am absolutely shocked at Ben Wallace’s poor start (averaging just 4.8 rebounds per game).

Big Ben needs to step it up as well as Luol Deng & Kirk Hinrich if Chicago wants to turn their poor start around!

Before i sign-off, gotta send a lovely shoutout to Neatrice Holmes, who will be re-locating back to North Carolina. I worked with Neatrice for 4+ years at my current job & will miss her very much!!!

I will be heading over to 10 Pin Lounge in downtown Chicago later tonight to attend her bowl-a-thon farewell party & will probably have some pictures up on Myspace early next week from it.

That is all for now! Enjoy your Saturday everyone!!

Until then,

Mattie T

Sports Writer for BMS Radio Chicago

www.BMSRadio.com

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