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After throwing two interceptions in their match with Baltimore, Donavan McNabb was taken out of the game at halftime and replaced with back-up Kevin Kolb.  Because of what was, obviously, a very controversial move, Philly is now in the position of needing to put Kolb through the paces.  This morning Head Coach Andy Reid stated that McNabb will start against the Cardinals this Thursday.  Statistically Kolb’s performance was virtually an identical match to McNabb’s first half and he has an 0-2-1 record overall as QB for the Eagles.  Realistically, Philadelphia has five weeks to see if Kolb is ready for primetime, and, if Sunday was any indication, he has a long way to go.  

Personally, I think this is simply a bad way to do business.  From now on every week it will be a question of who will start each game and who will finish it.  It doesn’t give McNabb a real shot at fixing his problems and it doesn’t give Kolb a shot at getting his bearings.  Flip-flopping your line-up in the final weeks of the season is a sign of desperation and poor management.  It destabilizes the team, and the fans, and I think it will ultimately be a season-ender for the Eagles.  During the off-season Philly needs to do some heavy lifting with their leadership if they want to make it back on top.

I will try to refrain from too much gloating in discussing the Jets defeat of the Titans, but I can make no promises.  NY totally dominated every aspect of that game on Sunday.  Brett Farve was explosive and seems to be completely in sync with his new offensive line.  The pocket rarely broke down, giving Brett time to methodically pick apart the Tennessee defense.  NY held possession for more than 40 minutes, and when you give Brett Farve that kind of time there is no way he’s not coming up with the ‘W’.  On the other side of the ball the Jets defense locked up Tennessee holding them to two field goals until midway through the fourth quarter. 

Tennessee is a well put-together team, but this was their first real test to see how they stand up to a serious contender.  There has been much debate about this, but I am in the camp that believes the Titans have just skated their way through the regular season.  They will still most likely take the top seed in the AFC South, but I don’t think they have it in them to make it past round one of the playoffs.

As for the Jets, they have a pretty easy run left and hold a narrow lead over New England for the top spot in the AFC East.  They are by far the better team and may even be the best team in the AFC right now.  I put them up with the Steelers as the biggest AFC threats currently. 

The Colts went to SoCal Sunday night to face their nemesis, the San Diego Chargers.  Indy has lost three out of the last four with these guys, including their divisional playoff match last season.  This was a nail-biter up to the last second when Adam Vinateiri redeemed himself, after a botched field goal attempt in said divisional match, with a 51-yd winning field goal.  The first half was a struggle for the Colts and Peyton Manning was visibly frustrated throughout.  Statistically it was a pretty evenly matched game, except for two points.  The Chargers averaged more total yardage than the Colts, but fewer 3^rd down conversions.  San Diego could drive down the field, but fell apart once they got into the red zone.  The second difference was in penalties.  San Diego had 5 and gave the Colts 37 yards as a result.  Personally, I think they could have been penalized more.  ILB Stephen Cooper got away with a bad hit on Joseph Addai, picking up his legs and tossing him to the ground after the play had been whistled dead– very uncool. 

Indy has to be feeling pretty good after beating all three of the teams who usually are thorns in their sides – San Diego, Pittsburgh, and New England.  So what do the Colts have to do to stay in it for the rest of the season and beyond?  First, they need to improve their rushing game, which is terrible right now.  They have a pretty easy next three weeks, but in the final two games they meet Jacksonville and Tennessee again.  They aren’t going to come out on top against those defensively minded teams unless they improve their time of possession and the rush.  The second thing is that they need to stay healthy.  Bob Sanders didn’t even make trip west this weekend, due to his swollen knee issue, and Jeff Saturday left the game early with a calf injury.  They need their all-stars on deck to make a legitimate stand.  If Indy can make those adjustments I think they have a good shot at challenging the current two best teams in the AFC (the Jets and the Steelers) during the playoffs.

As for the Chargers, I think they have a better shot at getting into the playoffs as a divisional leader than a wildcard contender, simply because they’re division sucks (ooh, did I say that out loud?).  Seriously, though San Diego has a pretty easy remaining schedule and Denver has been ridiculously sporadic of late.  So even though the Chargers are 4-7, I think that top spot in the AFC West is up for grabs.

On this 12^th week of the NFL regular season we have a doozy of a line-up to discuss.

First up,

Indianapolis (6-4) @ San Diego (4-6)

This is an extremely important game for both teams in the wildcard race.  If Indy wins they will have the advantage in the tie-breaker.  The Chargers will have to win four more games than Indy in the next five to get the advantage back, so Indy will virtually have a lock.  

In recent weeks Indianapolis has been looking more like the team we’re used to.  If they’re going to beat the Chargers their offense needs to convert on 3^rd downs and, more importantly, prevent turnovers.  This will be easier with Shawne Merriman still out.  On the defensive end they must prevent long passes and tie up LT.  Bob Sanders will be crucial to this effort.

What San Diego has going for it their ability to keep the home-fires burning.  They are 18-2 and average 13 more points per game at home.  On the other hand, the Colts have a bone to pick having lost their play-off bid to them last year.  You can bet Peyton Manning and co. are making a list and checking it twice for their Sunday night prep.

New England (6-4) @ Miami (6-4) 

The Patriots head to Miami for a rematch with their divisional competitors, the Dolphins on Sunday.  Miami handed New England a surprising loss in Week 3 and is hoping for a re-run.  The two are tied for 2^nd in the AFC East and another Miami win will give them possession of the head-to-head tie-breaker.  Back in Week 3 Miami busted out its “wildcat” offense and caught the Pats unawares.  Will Belichick let this happen again?  I tend to think not.  However, you can color me happy if Miami pulls of a “Patriotic” sweep.

NY Jets (7-3) @ Tennessee (10-0) 

I’m throwing this game in only because I really, really want the Titans to lose.  The Jets are on a roll right now, winning four straight and leading their division.  Other than that there is no reason to think Tennessee won’t stay perfect.  Just a gut feeling (or maybe wishful thinking) that this one may surprise us.

Carolina (8-2) @ Atlanta (6-4) 

This NFC South divisional game is another re-match, but features two very different versions of the teams they were in Week 4.  Steve Smith’s yardage has been abysmal in recent weeks, meanwhile the Falcons have ramped up, losing only one home game this year.  It’s hard for me to get really excited about the NFC until the playoffs, however, I do appreciate Atlanta’s focus over the last few weeks and always like to see good effort rewarded.

First off allow me to express my extreme joy at watching the Patriots lose to the Jets on Thursday night.  A New England loss is always a thing to celebrate, but it was especially enjoyable to see them scramble into OT and then lose in one drive by Farve and Co.  

Now onto the games this Sunday.  First up;

Baltimore @ NY Giants

This should be a fairly interesting match-up of the best rushing defense in the NFL (the Ravens) and the 2^nd best passing defense (the Giants).  NY has struggled in their last few wins, but the key point is that they were indeed wins.  I tend to think they will rack up another one this weekend.  The Ravens showed some spark against the Texans, but they haven’t been up against a team like NY since week 5 when they hosted, and were beat down by, the Titans. I take NY on this one, but I don’t feel it will be a massacre. 

Tennessee @ Jacksonville and Indianapolis @ Houston

The AFC South has it’s own civil war this Sunday, with all four teams squaring off against one another.  First up the Jags host the undefeated Titans.  This should be another W in Tennessee’s column.  Jacksonville has allowed an average of 121 rushing yards per game this season.  And you can’t expect to win against the explosive offense of the Titans with stats like that. 

Next, Indy goes to Houston to face the 3-6 Texans.  Like in the previous match, this should be a no brainer for the Colts.  Bob Sanders is back on the field and has been a major contributor to Indy’s last 2 come-from-behind wins.  Hopefully, this week we can start off in the lead.

The interesting thing about these two games is how it plays into the wild card race.  Right now Indy and Jacksonville are essentially neck-and-neck, but if the scenarios above carry through then the Colts pull ahead by two games.  The rest of the schedules for these teams are a mix of tough and weak teams with Indy encountering most of the tough ones earlier and then easing up towards the end before the final divisional deciders.  Obviously, it is still too early to call wild card picks, but interesting to speculate none-the-less. 

After a computer related hiatus, I am back with my picks for Week 10.  Starting with…

Tennessee at Chicago

I’m sorry to say that I don’t believe the Titans perfect season is going to end on Sunday.  The Bears can give them a run for their money if they can keep from turning over the ball.  With Grossman likely starting tomorrow, that task may be more difficult than usual.  However, Chicago is only surpassed by one team in the NFL for interceptions – the Tennessee Titans.

I’m taking Tennessee on this one, but I will be cheering for the Bears to prove me wrong.

Indianapolis at Pittsburgh

The last time these teams met it was one of my top five worst days of all time.  It was the 2005 divisional playoffs.  After a 14-2 season and a bye the first week of the playoffs for the Colts, the game came down to a 46-yd field goal attempt by, then kicker, Mike Vanderjagt, which was so far to the right it could have applied for membership to the Christian Coalition.  Needless to say this game holds particular interest for me.  I think my Colts are going to have their work cut out for them.  The Steelers have an impressive 5-0 record in the AFC this season and currently lead the league in sacks.  If Indy’s offensive line can continue to protect Peyton Manning, as they have for the past 3 games, they may be able to pull it off. 

It should be no surprise that I gotta support my team on this one.

New York Giants at Philadelphia

This should be in the bag for the Giants, however the inconsistent Eagles have been pulling it together over the last few weeks.  The Giants are still second in the league for sacks, but the Eagles have been doing a better job of protecting McNabb this season.  He has been sacked a total of 13 times this season, compared to the 15 times in just two games against the Giants last season.  If the Eagles keep up their offensive line protection they have a chance of capitalizing on their home field advantage.  Also Philly is giving up only 89 yards on average per game, which may damper the Giants explosive offense. History, however, is on the side of New York winning 5 out of the last 6 match ups.  And these NY Giants are road warriors, seeming to play their best games away from the Meadowlands.  I’m betting on them in this one, they aren’t ready to give up that championship title yet.