Everyone loves great matchups, why wouldn’t you? The Ravens and Broncos, Vikings and Packers and the Giants-Eagles game are all fantastic games on paper. But what about the weaker games? The bottom-rung teams playing here in midseason for well, jobs, pride, the lowly thread on which their playoff chances rest? There are some awful games out there, but still great football if you look close at each matchup. I would not suggest leaving your favorite team to peek at some of these hard-to-find matchups, but aside from fantasy football interest, there are many things to look for, even in those highlight packages or “game breaks” offered by the networks.

Oakland at San Diego-

Raiders (2-5) at Chargers (3-3):  The Raiders have been abysmal this year. Each week I look for some production out of their passing game, some progression from former top draft choice JaMarcus Russell, and each week I’m let down. Fortunately for Oakland, the team visit’s a Chargers team that I think is pretty bad themselves.  San Diego has a terrific quarterback in Philip Rivers and decent receivers in Vincent Jackson, Antonio Gates and Malcolm Floyd, but no running game to speak of and weaknesses on both lines.
I’m not saying that Oakland will pass for 300 yards or shut-out the Bolts, but it is an interesting contest.

Running back Ladanian (SD) Tomlinson vs. Oakland’s front-seven:
LT could stand for lousy and terrible this season, but he showed some nice flashes last week of returning to the quick and speedy runner we’ve all watched over the years. It should help that he faces one of the league’s worst run defenses. The Raiders give up and average of 4.6 yards per carry and have surrendered a whopping 11 touchdowns on the ground this season.

Cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha (Oak)vs., Wide receiver Vincent Jackson (SD):
Asomugha isn’t exactly an interception machine, with zero on the season and just 10 in his career, but he is a shutdown corner. In their week one matchup, Jackson hauled in just five catches for a meager 56 yards and one touchdown. San Diego won the game by just 4 points.


Rams (0-7) at Lions (1-5)-

Wide receiver Calvin Johnson (DET) and running back Stephen Jackson (STL) vs. weak defenses.
The records are ugly, but there are some interesting tidbits here. The Lions have one of the league’s most impressive specimens in 6’5’’ Calvin Johnson, a game-changer at wide receiver.
The Rams have, well, running back Stephen Jackson. These two won’t be matched up against each other but both  facing atrocious defenses and both are capable of putting up huge numbers. Last week, Jackson tallied 134 yards in a loss to the Colts, while Johnson racked up 133 yards two weeks ago in a loss to Chicago. The Rams are statistically the worst defense out there, they’ve given up 211 points (most in the NFL) this season. Look for Detroit’s passing game to surge this week. On the other hand St. Louis should find plenty of holes in a Lions line that’s surrendered nearly five yards per carry.

Thanks to Calvin Johnson for being out of today's game due to an injury and subsequently ruining my pick. Because of this, I'll have to ammend this pick from Johnson to Detriot running back Kevin Smith. The second year pro is an excellent runner and receiver. Without Johnson the offense will fall squarely on his shoulders. He's been productive so far in Detroit and should rack up substantial yardage against St. Louis.

 

As we all know, the NFL has become a passing league, the only problem is that certain passers can’t seem to get time to perform the simple task of the forward pass. It seemed evident last week during the early stages of Monday night’s Broncos-Chargers game that Philip Rivers was in for a long night. The Pro Bowl passer was under duress on nearly every snap (sacked 5 times, fumbled three times). Rivers for years had what many considered the best offensive line in football, well, no longer and he’s not alone. Some of the  leagues most prominent young stars are getting drilled into the field-turf at what seem to be alarming rates (they are definitely alarming if you’re a fan of these teams).

Pittsburgh

Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger has always enjoyed holding onto the ball for a very long time, but you’ve got to wonder what the offense could be if he were given some better protection. I believe that no matter how much time Big Ben gets he would be among the league’s most sacked quarterbacks, but last year and this year his offensive line has been pretty rough. He’s on pace  to be sacked 43 times this year, combine that with the previous three seasons, and you’re talking 182 sacks. I don’t care how BIG Ben may be, 6’5’’ 241 pounds can’t take that pounding forever. Pittsburgh’s gotten two titles from its brawny, big-armed gun-slinger, but if his protection continues to be porous, you have got to fear for the offense and his health.

Green Bay

Young stud passer Aaron Rodgers has all the tools to be an elite passer, but after getting rocked last year and eventually injured, his offensive line this time around has been down right offensive. He’s tops in the league, having been sacked 25 times. He’s on pace for well, death, no, more like 80 sacks. Rodgers’ numbers ( 8 touchdowns, just two interceptions, and a 65% completion rate) are very good, he’s on pace for a terrific year, but without more help along the line, cheeseheads are crossing their fingers he can survive. Injuries have ravaged the Packer line. The team has been forced to sign former lineman Mark Tauscher off the scrap heap. It’s top lineman, Chad Clifton has missed 2 out of the Packers five games this season (Rodgers was sacked 10 times during that stretch). Thankfully for Green Bay, Clifton returned last week against the Lions, a game GB won 26-0.

Both Green Bay and Pittsburgh have been good, I’m not trying to diminish their accomplishments for the early part of 2009, the issue is long-term. Can these and other habitual sack-takers survive the season, let along a decade in the league? The least sacked elite passers, Peyton Manning (2), Drew Brees (4) and Tom Brady (7) don’t have the most talented lineman or best running games in the world, but these guys have quick releases and evidently better schemes. Green Bay, Pittsburgh, and middle-tier teams, here’s to hoping your squads figure it out before the doomsday golf cart is wheeled to a quarterback near you.

The Jets’ acquisition of wide receiver Braylon Edwards was a brilliant move, but I’m not convinced it will work immediately. Consider the fact that Edwards, while familiar with several players on the current team, he hasn’t gone through enough practice to dominate mid-season the way Jets-Nation hopes he does. Within a few weeks I think he will progress greatly, but I see this as a move to set them up well better for 2010-2011. Timing,  play terminology, and familiarity with the Jets’ system are all things Edwards (who had no focus the last two years with players he KNEW) still must develop. Running backs and lineman can adjust quickly, but Edwards faces a huge uphill climb, and that is assuming once the ball arrives, he can actually hold onto it. An upgrade, no doubt, but give him a few weeks.

How can you not be excited to see Michael Vick in action today? It may aggravate you that he has received so much attention when the player hasn’t thrown a pass in two years, but just watching him take the field will be special. I don’t know if two years of hard time in prison truly helped reform a man who spent six years torturing and killing animals, but he did serve his time, subsequent suspension and I’m betting has some juice left. I am not expecting Mike Vick to regain his track meet speed from years ago, but he will be able to run, should give Philly a jolt of excitement and if he’s good enough to help them win one or two games, the gamble for the organization will have been worth it. He’s not going to replace Donovan McNabb unless McNabb is serious injured this year, but hopefully for the Eagles brass, Vick plays his brains out, doesn’t get hurt and is trade bait in 2010. Either way, it’ll be exciting.

It may be early but the Cowboys’ home game tonight against the Giants is a huge game for both teams. New York crushed Washington last week but tonight will prove to be a better test for a team picked by many for the Super Bowl. The reason is simple-Dallas is loaded with enough talent to take down the mighty Giants, nationally however, nobody will believe in this team until they knock off a super power like the Giants. Division rivalries are thrilling and seeing the ’Boys introduce the world to their new shiny stadium and actually play well in it will go a long way to determine what this team is made of.  

Dallas Offense:
Tony Romo had no problem whipping the ball around last week against Tampa’s weak defense, not the case with serious pass rushers and solid players at levels two and three. Dallas has to get running back Marion Barber going early, if they pound the ball inside it should help slow the pass rush. Tony Romo is good with play-action passes, running the ball is essential to doing just that. Get Barber the ball, don’t fall in love with big plays early.  If the ‘Boys can get a lead, look for Roy Williams to get more looks downfield.


New York Offense:
Eli Manning wasn’t impressive last week, but he’s also trying to break-in inexperienced receivers. Steve Smith and Mario Manningham had good games and should be able to do even more against Dallas’ weak defensive backfield.
Running backs Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw are important but I think it’s more vital for New York to establish a downfield threat. Dallas hasn’t been able to stop receivers deep downfield in recent memory.

Dallas Defense:
Outside linebacker DeMarcus Ware is the Dallas defense. He doesn’t have a dominant three in front of him, but if they can at least hold tackles off Ware, Eli Manning will have a long day. Ware may be the best pass rusher in football but I’m not confident that anyone else will be able to put pressure on Manning. New York’s offensive line is too good.
Dallas wasn’t great against the run last week and it won’t get any easier this week, but they certainly have a better shot at stopping the run than rushing the passer.

New York Defense:
Getting to Romo to the tune of 4 sacks and a pick or fumble-six should be pretty easy for this group. They forced Jason Campbell into the ground and many mistakes a week ago, Romo is better at reading and releasing the ball quickly, but this bears watching. New York’s deep defensive line is the strength of this team. Dallas can lean on the fact it’s offensive lineman are among the league’s heaviest and may be able to wear-down the Giants’ starters. We shall see.