qbgirl

In a mostly humdrum Sunday line-up, there are a few games to keep an eye on. 

San Diego at Buffalo AND Denver at New England

Only in this tops-turvy season would these two games be worth paying attention to.  The Buffalo Bills still have a comfortable lead in the AFC East while the SD Chargers trail the Denver Broncos in their division by a game. 
The interesting part of this game is that the divisional line-up will likely change for both teams, but we won’t find out how until Monday night when the New England Patriots face the Broncos.  If the Pats and Bolts win then NE ties with Buffalo for first in the AFC East, as does SD with Denver in the AFC West.  If one or both lose then nothing really changes in the divisions.
I like New England vs. Denver (well, let me re-phrase, I don’t like New England, but I think they have a good shot at winning this game).  Denver has allowed 256 passing yards per game on average this season and that was the Pats’ key to their win against the 49ers.  For Denver to win they need to continue to not allow the pocket to break down so that Cutler can make completions.  My feeling is NE is going to win, but I would be very happy to be proven wrong on that.
In their match with San Diego, I like Buffalo.  For the Bills to pull out a win they need to put a hold on the Chargers secondary.  They need to lock up Antonio Cromartie and protect QB Trent Edwards who is playing his first game since suffering a concussion in Week 6.

Indy at Green Bay

Of course I am rooting for Blue in this match up.  It seems like Manning and Co may have finally gotten in sync and, frankly, the Packers have just been too inconsistent.  To make it happen the Colts offensive line must prevent sacks, which may lead to a truncated passing game.  If so the win will be equally dependent on their defense preventing GB from making big plays.

Cleveland at Washington

This is a match up of momentum vs. saving face.  The Browns are riding a wave of success, while the Redskins are coming off an embarrassing loss to the Rams.  Cleveland has a serious edge over Washington in the overall series.  However, the game will really come down to the performance of Derek Anderson, the Browns’ QB.  To say he has been sporadic this season would be an understatement.  It’s simple: when he’s been on the Browns have won, but when he’s been off we all wonder what was supposed to be so great about Cleveland’s 2008 season.
I tend to think Cleveland will win.  Their defeat of the defending champions, the Giants, last Monday has got be a huge confidence booster.  I think if they can stay confident without getting cocky they will come out victorious.