Week 9 Predictions

     Last Sunday was no different for the Atlanta Falcons, who dominated Michael Vick and the Eagles to earn their seventh straight win. Matt Ryan and the Falcons have hit a bump in the road against both Carolina and Oakland back to back, but their dominant win over Philadelphia proves they are not ready to give up their perfect season. Dallas will be matched up against this dominant force tomorrow, but they have a decent shot at handing them their first loss of the season. Finally, we are beginning to get an idea of who are the contenders for this winter's playoffs. However, several talented teams have not started the first half of the season very well (New England, Green Bay, New Orleans), and will need to step up their game if they wish to have a shot at the Super Bowl.

Reggie Wayne

Game to Watch: Steelers @ Giants: Once again, New York had trouble putting away the Dallas Cowboys late in the game. The Giants lost in Week 1 to the Cowboys, but have been almost flawless up until Week 8. Then, last Sunday, they gave up a 23-0 lead in the 2nd quarter, and at one point was losing late in the fourth quarter. As usual though, Eli Manning was able march up the field and set up Tynes for what turned out to be the game winning field goal. Though the defense has struggled slightly, this high flying offense makes up for it. Sunday brings the number one pass defense in the NFL in the Pittsburgh Steelers. Even with the large amount of injuries this Steelers team has suffered, New York will have to plan accordingly if they wish to dominate this game. The Pittsburgh offense has not been able to score as often as New York, but the yards per attempt is almost identical. Defense is key in this Sunday matchup, but it will be extremely difficult for Pittsburgh to snap New York's hot streak.
Giants over Steelers 20-10


Stand Out Performance: RB Arian Foster: The front runner for this season's Offensive Player of the Year without a doubt has been Arian Foster, the highest scoring running back so far. Foster's statistic have been fantasy gold, and he is one rushing touchdown away from matching last year's numbers. His yardage may not be number one in the league, but Foster is able to consistently put up elite numbers. The Buffalo Bills run defense has been absolutely atrocious, something Mario Williams was supposed to fix. Foster should be able to run over this defense all game long, and we may even see some record setting numbers.
Arian Foster: 120 rushing yards, 3 rushing TDs


Player to Watch: DE Jared Allen: After an extremely disappointing start to his 2012 season, reigning sack champion Jared Allen has picked up the pace, and has posted at least one sack in every single game since Week 3. Allen was just one sack away from breaking Michael Strahan's single season record in 2011, and had high standards entering the new year. This year's competition for the title is extremely close, as he competes against two other talented defenders in Clay Mathews and JJ Watt. Both were able to start off the season with a bang, and have begun to fade as of late. Now, Allen has the chance to jump ahead in this race if the other two contenders can't be more effective. As he faces  the Seattle offense line, Allen will look to bring down rookie quarterback Ryan Wilson and regain his spot as the number one pass rusher.
Jared Allen: 4 tackles, 0.5 sacks


Week 9 Predictions:

Chargers over Chiefs

Broncos over Bengals

Ravens over Browns

Packers over Cardinals

Texans over Bills

Colts over Dolphins

Lions over Jaguars

Bears over Titans

Redskins over Panthers

Buccaneers over Raiders

Seahawks over Vikings

Giants over Steelers

Falcons over Cowboys

Eagles over Saints (OT)


Last Week: 11-3
2012 Predictions: 72-43 (63%)