The Chiefs and Packers playoff hopes may be dwindling due to crucial injuries to their quarterbacks.
The combination of Philip Rivers and Vincent Jackson was too much for the 49ers to handle in the Chargers 34-7 win Thursday night. Jackson caught three touchdowns and Rivers is now 21-1 in games played after Dec. 1. The win by the Chargers puts immense pressure on the Chiefs in the battle for the AFC West. More on that later, now it's time to take a look at the big games in Week 15.
The possible changing of the guard game
Jaguars vs. Colts
This is arguably the biggest game of the week. A win by the Jaguars and they will end the Colts seemingly endless run of AFC South titles. Peyton Manning and the Colts have won the AFC South in six of the last seven seasons. But this year, a rash of injuries have called into doubt whether or not Manning and the Colts can hang onto the division lead as the diminutive and powerful Maurice Jones-Drew and the Jags simply refuse to go away. MJD has six straight 100 yard games and the Jags are on a 5-1 run. The Colts are not as invincible as they once were; they are ranked 29th in the NFL in stopping the run and Manning has thrown 15 interceptions. Manning and the Colts will receive a big boost this week with the expected return of receiver Austin Collie to the line-up. If David Garrard can compliment their running game with some safe and smart throws, the Jags are more than capable of beating the Colts and winning the division.
The scariest team in the NFL game
Packers vs. Patriots
Ever since their loss to the Browns in week nine, the Patriots have become a seemingly unstoppable juggernaut. During their current five-game winning streak, Tom Brady and the Patriots have scored a remarkable 196 points. The Carolina Panthers haven't scored that much for the entire season. What makes the Patriots even scarier is the way their defence is playing. In the last two weeks, the Pats have only given up 10 points to the Jets and the Bears. The Packers are coming off of a very disheartening loss to the Lions where they lost quarterback Aaron Rodgers with a concussion. Barring a last-second medical miracle, Rodgers will likely miss Sunday's game as result of suffering his second concussion this season. That means Matt Flynn will attempt to out duel Tom Brady in a game the Packers need to win to solidify their playoff status. About the only way the Packers can beat the Patriots with Flynn as their starting quarterback is hope their defence scores four touchdowns and Tom Brady gets lost on the way to the stadium.
The talk is cheap game
Jets vs. Steelers
The Jets offence has scored a total of nine points in their last two games. Now, Mark Sanchez and the Jets will attempt to revive their struggling offence against the vaunted Steelers defence. Good luck with that Rex Ryan, and enjoy your snack. The Steelers don't talk about themselves the way the Jets do; that just isn't how it's done in Pittsburgh. The Jets need to rediscover their running game and that won't be easy this week against a Steelers defence that is only giving up an average of 2.9 yards per carry. The key to the Steelers defence, safety Troy Polamalu, has an ankle injury and is listed as questionable for Sunday's game. Needless to say it would be a big loss for the Steelers if he s unable to play. I asked coordinator Dick LeBeau about the impact Polamalu has on his defence. "Troy is one of the most unique players I have ever had the pleasure of coaching. So much of what he does is not apparent unless you actually knew our game plan." The Jets are also dealing with the stigma of "tripgate" and a lot of people around the league are taking pleasure in seeing them struggle. Win or lose, the Jets need Mark Sanchez to have a productive game so he can rebuild his fragile confidence.
The battle between power and speed game
Eagles vs. Giants
Coming off a bizarre weekend of travel, the Giants will host the Eagles in a game with huge playoff implications in the NFC East. During their current three-game winning streak, the Giants running game is averaging just over six yards a carry. The combination of Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw running behind that big offensive line has been wearing down the opposition. The success of the ground attack has also taken a lot of pressure off of Eli Manning. Where the Giants rely on brute strength, the Eagles offence is all about speed and explosive plays. I e-mailed Michael Vick this week and asked him about the impact receiver DeSean Jackson has on the Eagles offence.
"DeSean is able to stretch the field and he's able to do so many things that a lot of other players can't do. He's a freak of nature. It's funny because 90 per cent of the time when I throw the ball to him deep and I think I overthrow him, and he just goes to get it."
The Giants are second in the NFL with 39 sacks. In order to slow down the Eagles offence, Osi Umenyiora and the front four will need to get pressure on Vick so he doesn't have the time to sit in the pocket and pick his targets. Stopping Jackson in the open field will fall mainly on the shoulders of cornerbacks Corey Webster and Terrell Thomas.
The battle of Missouri game
Chiefs vs. Rams
It's only fitting that both of these teams reside in the "Show Me" state. Both the Chiefs and the Rams have bounced back from an awful 2009 season (combined five wins) and they are both in a position to win their respective divisions. After getting pounded in San Diego, the Chiefs are praying that Matt Cassel has recovered enough from his appendectomy to get back in the line-up. With the Chargers win Thursday night, the pressure is on the Chiefs, they need to run the table to win the AFC West. Led by super rookie Sam Bradford, the Rams will grab the inside track to winning the NFC West with a win over the Chiefs.. These teams are close in many ways, so much so that both defences have given up exactly 268 points. One of the key members of the Rams defence is safety O.J. Atogwe. A native of Windsor, Atogwe has 62 tackles, two sacks and two interceptions. Meanwhile Kingston's Cory Greenwood is a back-up linebacker for the Chiefs.
The return of the high-powered Saints offence game
Saints vs. Ravens
It looks like Drew Brees and the Saints offence have rediscovered their swagger from 2009. Through the first five games of the season, the Saints were suffering from a post Super Bowl hangover and the offence was only averaging 19.8 points per game. In their current six-game winning streak, the Saints are averaging 30.5 points per game. The Ravens are a proud team with a very proud defence. That proud defence seemed helpless to stop Matt Schaub on Monday as the Texans put together two late fourth-quarter scoring drives that totalled 194 yards. Working on a short week, the Ravens need to find a way to stop Brees and the Saints high-powered offence. Equally impressive is the fact that Jahri Evans and the Saints offensive line have only given up 19 sacks on 525 pass attempts. For all the talk about the greatness of the Ravens defence, they have only given up 11 fewer points than the Saints.
The aftermath of the massive snowstorm that hammered Minnesota is still being felt. One week after being forced to play a home game at Ford Field in Detroit, the Vikings will have to play the Bears at the University of Minnesota's open air TCF Bank Stadium on Monday night. The forecast in Minneapolis for Monday night is calling for temperatures around minus-13 without the wind chill. It gets worse, because this is an NCAA facility, they don't have beer taps in the stadium.
