Week 4 in the NFL is almost upon us and Sportsnet.ca's Chris Morrison will take a closer look at the two games on the network this week; the Eagles and the Redskins and the Colts and the Jaguars. So with that in mind, let us take a look at some of the other interesting games that are on tap.
The let's go out and play some football and then have a god%$#& snack game
Bills vs. Jets at Ralph Wilson Stadium
In the last two weeks, Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez has undergone an amazing transformation. After a brutal performance in the Jets opening-game loss to the Ravens, Sanchez has been lights out. A big reason the Jets come into this game riding a two-game winning streak is the fact Sanchez has thrown six touchdowns and zero interceptions over the last two weeks. Even Rex Ryan stopped dropping 'F' bombs long enough to admit that Sanchez and the Jets offence picked up his beloved defence in their win over the Dolphins. Under Ryan Fitzpatrick, the Bills racked up 30 points against the Patriots last week. A big part of that scoring outburst was thanks to C.J. Spiller and the Bills special teams. Scoring 30 points against the Jets will be a whole lot tougher than it was against New England.
The CJ2K prepare to launch game
Titans vs. Broncos at LP Field
After three games Titans running back Chris Johnson has a pedestrian, by his standards, 301 yards. Even more curious is the fact that CJ2K is averaging well below his lofty standards of 2009. Under defensive coordinator Don "Wink" Martindale, the Broncos rank a very respectable 10th in the NFL against the run. So if Chris Johnson and the Titans are going to establish the run, they are going to have to be persistent. For all his faults, Titans coach Jeff Fisher has never been shy about sticking with the running game, even if they struggle early in the game. Josh McDaniels and the Broncos have an excellent passing game but those numbers can be a bit deceiving. In last week's loss to the Colts, the Broncos made five trips to the red zone and were only able to come away with two field goals. Learning how to finish is vital if the Broncos want to start winning games. One of the other issues facing Kyle Orton and the Broncos offence is that fact with the Titans running the ball so much, they are going to spend a lot of time sitting on the sidelines waiting their turn.
The mother of all streetfights game
Steelers vs. Ravens at Heinz Field
I am deadly serious when I say this -- I am really worried that someone in this game is going to get carted off the field with a nasty injury. This is going to be one of those games where ever tackle is going to echo throughout the confluence of the Ohio, Allegheny and Monongahela Rivers. Coming off of his best game of the season, Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco better have his internal clock working Sunday or he's going to take a beating. Dick LeBeau's vaunted zone-blitz defence looks better than ever. Troy Polamalu and James Harrison look downright unstoppable. I would think that John Harbaugh is confident the Ravens defence can contain Charlie Batch and the Steelers offence. The big question is if the Ravens offence will be able to score enough points against the Steelers defence to have a shot at winning the game. Joe Flacco finally had a solid game last week against the Browns. However having a good game against the Browns is one thing, having a good game against this Steelers defence will be a lot tougher.
The what will the Giants do next game
Giants vs. Bears at New Meadowlands
Two weeks ago, Brandon Jacobs used his helmet as a shot put and launched it into the crowd. Last week the Giants took six personal foul penalties. If Jay Cutler is able to get into a groove early in the game, Tom Coughlin might freak out and slap a figure-four leg lock on Eli Manning to relieve his frustrations. Of course Manning needs avoid another instance where he decides to throw a pass with his left hand. After watching the way they practiced with such discipline and purpose in training camp, it is shocking to see the Giants turn the last two games into a running gong show. Amid all of this lack of discipline is the fact Jerome Bettis has been dropping hints that the Giants are looking to hire Bill Cowher to replace Coughlin. The state of the Bears is the total opposite to the Giants. The Bears are coming off a big win over their division rivals, the Packers, on Monday night and they are the only undefeated team remaining in the NFC. After watching the Packers take so many holding penalties, the Giants offensive line are already having bad dreams about finding a way to stop Bears defensive end Julius Peppers.
The if a Raider falls in Oakland will anyone care game?
Raiders vs. Texans at Oakland Coliseum
As a lifelong Raiders fan this is painful for me to even write this. But facts are facts. Since Al Davis decided to move the Raiders franchise back to Oakland, 78 of their 122 home games have been blacked out due to a lack of ticket sales. After watching Sebastian Janikowski shank that potential game winning 32-yard field goal; I am beginning to think the Raiders nation is reaching their breaking point. For those fans who did buy tickets, they will see running back Darren McFadden represent the Raiders Nation with pride. This is going to be one of the classic game-within-a-game showdowns between Raiders cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha and Texas receiver Andre Johnson. Now Johnson has a bad ankle and looks like he will be a game-time decision. If Johnson can't suit up Sunday, the Raiders might have a chance to win this game. Even if the game isn't sold out, the Black Hole will still do Oakland and the Silver and Black Nation proud.
The with a defence like this Tom Brady should grow a mullet game.
Dolphins vs. Patriots at Sun Life Stadium (Monday night)
The Patriots rank a very un-Bill Belichickian 27th in defence. Even Ryan Fitzpatrick and the Bills were able to hang 30 points on the Patriots last week. At this rate, Brady will have to throw 60 touchdowns this year in order to compensate for the Patriots defence. Here is the issue that has been plaguing Belichick's defence: his two starting cornerbacks are young and inexperienced. Kyle Arrington is in his second year and Devin McCourty is a raw rookie. It doesn't help the Patriots and their young corner when the defence only has two sacks in the first three games. Those young corners will get a real education Sunday when they go up against Dolphins receiver Brandon Marshall. Now the Dolphins secondary had their own issues last week against the Jets. Now they have to find a way to slow down Randy Moss, Wes Welker and the Patriots impressive rookie tight end; Aaron Hernandez.
Fantasy player alert:
Kansas Chiefs wide receiver Dexter McCluster
A second-round pick out of Ole Miss, the small but very fast McCluster has made an immediate impact with the Chiefs. While he is an emerging receiver, McCluster is an outstanding punt returner. After three weeks, McCluster is averaging 23.7 yards for every punt return and has scored a 94-yard touchdown.
I asked Todd Haley this week about the thought process behind why he decided to throw McCluster back there to return punts instead of his other returnman, Javier Arenas.
"I wanted to get him involved a little bit before I did that to him, which I think we were able to get him a few snaps and felt comfortable. That's the good thing about having those two guys is it's clear that there is some good competition there and they're feeding off of that. It's exciting when you see Dexter score and Javier is coming off the bench or is the first one down there."
The Chiefs are enjoying their bye week right now. Next week McCluster and the Chiefs will put their undefeated record on the line when they take on the Colts.
Strange betting line of the week goes to the Giants being four-point favourites over the Bears. I know the Giants are at home but I will take the Bears to cover the spread please and thank you.
