Los Angeles Rams (3-5) at New York Jets (3-6)
KICKOFF: Sunday, 1 p.m. ET, MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, N.J. TV: CBS, Thom Brennaman, Charles Davis, Peter Schrager.
SERIES HISTORY: 14th regular-season meeting, Rams lead series 9-4. The Jets earned their second straight win in the series in the most recent game between the teams Nov. 18, 2012, when Bilal Powell rushed for two touchdowns and Nick Folkbooted a pair of 51-yard field goals in a 27-13 victory over the Rams in St. Louis. The Jets and Rams have played two overtime games, most recently on Jan. 2, 2005, when the Rams eked out a 32-29 win that left the Jets reliant on help from the Buffalo Bills — who lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers — to back into the playoffs as a wild-card team.
KEYS TO THE GAME:
With their quarterback situation unsettled — starter Ryan Fitzpatrick is listed as questionable with a knee injury and backup Bryce Petty attempted his first two regular-season passes last week — the Jets are going to have to rely more than ever on RBs Matt Forte and Bilal Powell. In a 27-23 loss to the Dolphins last Sunday, Forte inexplicably got just 12 carries, a total he likely will have to double in order for the Jets to beat the Rams. Petty’s first completion was to Powell, who should be a big part of the game as a pass catcher. Forte and Powell will be doubly valuable Sunday, considering WR Brandon Marshall may not get much going against Rams shutdown CB Trumaine Johnson.
On defense, the Jets need to roll the dice and make mistake-prone QB Case Keenumtry to beat them through the air. The Rams actually put more on Keenum’s shoulders the last three weeks, during which All-Pro RB Todd Gurley failed to reach 20 carries in a game or score a touchdown. Even after allowing Dolphins RB Jay Ajayi to rush for 111 yards last Sunday, the Jets are limiting opposing ballcarriers to 3.5 yards per attempt. If the Jets can shut down Gurley and give CB Darrelle Revis some safety help on WR Kenny Britt, they would be positioned to win a low-scoring game.
MATCHUPS TO WATCH:
–Rams WR Kenny Britt vs. Jets CB Darrelle Revis. Revis didn’t get beat once last week against the Miami Dolphins. Of course, the Dolphins also didn’t throw at him a single time. Still, Revis will take confidence-boosters where he can find them. A resurgent Britt — on pace for his first 1,000-yard season in his eighth NFL campaign — should provide a better barometer for Revis. The Rams have been unusually aggressive through the air with mediocre QB Case Keenum and are unlikely to get much going on the ground against the Jets’ stout run defense.
–Jets WR Brandon Marshall vs. Rams CB Trumaine Johnson. Marshall has 40 catches for 585 yards and two touchdowns. Johnson has totaled 28 tackles and one interception through six games while sitting out three with an ankle injury.
PREDICTION:
These two teams continue to have issues at quarterback, which means this game doesn’t figure to feature many points.
OUR PICK: Rams, 16-12.
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Miami Dolphins (4-4) at San Diego Chargers (4-5)
KICKOFF: Sunday, 4:05 p.m. ET, Qualcomm Stadium, San Diego. TV: CBS, Greg Gumbel, Trent Green, Jamie Erdahl.
SERIES HISTORY: 28th meeting. The Dolphins lead the series, 14-13.
The Chargers are glad to see the Dolphins — at home. San Diego beat Miami in their last visit, 30-14, in 2015. When the Chargers battle the Dolphins in Miami trouble starts: six straight losses there for the Chargers. Any time these teams match up, the epic game from the 1981 playoffs comes to mind. The Chargers won in overtime. It remains one of the top contests in team, and league history, with the image of a spent Kellen Winslow being assisted off the field a hot, humid night. In the 1994 playoffs, the Chargers edged the visiting Dolphins, 22-21, in an AFC divisional game on their way to their lone Super Bowl.
KEYS TO THE GAME: After this week’s elections, Chargers fans could be in a foul mood regardless of what they think about president-elect Donald Trump. A measure failed that would raise hotel occupancy taxes to help pay for a new stadium for the Chargers in San Diego and the future home of the franchise remains in doubt.
Getting back to football, both teams are on the run this season, Miami with Jay Ajayi and San Diego with Melvin Gordon. Ajayi has 646 yards rushing with 529 as a key in the Dolphins three straight wins. The Chargers counter with Melvin Gordon, who has 768 yards and nine TDs rushing and last week amassed 261 yards from scrimmage, 196 rushing, 65 receiving, second most in the history of this offensive-crazy franchise history.
Ajayi’s success will be most important to help the Dolphins maintain ball control, meaning keep the ball away from Philip Rivers, the most under-appreciated QB in the NFL. He consistently leads an inconsistent Chargers lineup, this year completing 63.4 percent with 2,560 yards passing and a rating of 96.2.
San Diego is No. 5 in the NFL in run defense (85.3 yards per game), but Ajayi just gained 111 yards on the previous No. 1 (New York Jets). Conversely, the Dolphins are 30th in the league in run defense (136.1 yards per game).
Watch for the Chargers to be aggressive with Rivers early in attempt to get an early lead that forces the ball out of Ajayi’s hands and into those of Dolphins QB Ryan Tannehill, whose passing game is 29th in the NFL with an 87.4 rating, eight TD passes and seven interceptions.
MATCHUPS TO WATCH: Chargers DE Joey Bosa vs. Dolphins RT Ja’Wuan James. Bosa, the No. 3 draft, has been outstanding. He has four sacks, 16 quarterback pressures, 16 tackles, six for losses in four games and could be a top candidate for Defensive Rookie of the Year. James struggled early in the season, partly due to technique changes, and was benched for overtime of the Cleveland victory. He allowed at least two strip-sacks although he’s been better recently. Still, this is a huge matchup. If James can’t protect QB Ryan Tannehill the passing game becomes a major problem concern.
–Chargers running game vs. Dolphins run defense. Gordon was sensational in Sunday’s win over the Titans, rushing for 196 yards and a score. Any offense with Philip Rivers at quarterback is apt to lean on the passing attack. But Rivers and others are more than happy to have Gordon shoulder his share in the name of balance and preventing hits to Rivers. Miami’s defense against the rush is 30th in yards allowed per game. The matchup between Miami DT Ndamukong Suh and the Chargers’ interior line, especially C Matt Slauson, will be worth watching. Suh must keep Chargers blockers busy so they can’t get to the second level where the Dolphins linebackers include former Charger Donald Butler.
PREDICTION: Winners of three out of last four — including a split with Denver — the Chargers are a nightmare for any NFL team but are in last place in the AFC West, best division in the league. They scored 30-plus points in six games and 43 last week. Four of their five losses were by less than a TD — 6, 4, 1, 3 and 8 points.
OUR PICK: Chargers, 42-24.
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Seattle Seahawks (5-2-1) at New England Patriots (7-1)
KICKOFF: Sunday, 8:30 p.m. ET, Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, Mass. TV: NBC, Al Michaels, Cris Collinsworth, Michele Tafoya.
SERIES HISTORY: 17th regular-season meeting. Series tied, 8-8. Seahawks won last regular season meeting, 24-23, in Seattle in 2012. Seahawks have not played in New England since 2004, a 30-20 Pats win. This is first meeting between the two teams since Patriots won Super Bowl XLIX 28-24 ikn a game highlighted by an infamous play-call by Seattle af the end of the game.
KEYS TO THE GAME: There may be some irony in the fact that the Seahawks don’t have a tough running game to ignore this time against the Patriots. In Super Bowl XLIX, the Seahawks eschewed the run on the one-yard line with RB Marshawn Lynchall beast-moded and ready to take the ball. This was in the final minutes with a go-ahead TD on the line.
Instead, the Seahawks decided to pass and the result was one of the most dramatic moments in SB history as undrafted rookie CB Malcolm Butler intervened on a slant pattern and intercepted the ball at the goal line.
Butler is now thought to be one of the best in the game and Lynch is in retirement and out of sight except for TV commercials and a joy ride around the Seahawks’ home field in a golf cart with mom.
Now the Seahawks have an ineffectual run game and that will put pressure on the offensive line to protect QB Russell Wilson, who is slowly regaining his mobility after being slowed by a series of injuries.
The absence of Seahawks DE Michael Bennett (knee scope) is a plus for a Patriots line that struggled to keep pressure off QB Tom Brady in the three games leading up to the bye week. Bennett tormented Brady in Super Bowl XLIX, registering four QB hits.
The Seahawks are solid against both the run and the pass, fielding the No. 9 defense in terms of yards and the No. 3 unit in points allowed. But the Patriots offense is rolling with QB Tom Brady all re-inflated. New England should try to throw early and set up the LeGarrette Blount run game.
Of note, three Pro Bowl tight ends will be on the field Sunday night — the Pats’ Rob Gronkowski and Martellus Bennett (Seattle DE Michael’s brother) as well as the Seahawks’ Jimmy Graham.
Patriots S Devin McCourty practices against the first two each day and will spend this week preparing for the last one. He explained the similarities among the three.
“When you combine all three of those guys, they’re all very good at going vertical, getting down the field,” McCourty said, before talking about Graham’s two scores on Monday to help beat the Bills. “Their size is really what makes it really tough to cover all three of those guys because once they get vertical and it’s any type of jump ball – you saw Monday night a ball that, for a corner, is just out of your reach.”
MATCHUPS TO WATCH:
–Patriots TE Rob Gronkowski vs. Seattle’s safeties and linebackers. Gronkowski hit the Patriots bye week healthy and producing like never before, leading the NFL with a 22.0 yards-per-catch average. He’s the centerpiece of the deep New England passing attack, teams either forced to use multiple bodies to deal with the All-Pro to open things up for others or take their chances with Gronkowski in one-on-one battles that he so often wins. Kam Chancellor’s health will be key as the Seahawks decide how to deal with Gronk. Both times New England managed to get Gronkowski matched up on LB K. J. Wright in one-on-one matchups in the Super Bowl, the Seahawks paid. He caught a 22-yard touchdown and a 13-yarder from Brady. Seattle will try to limit the chances Gronkowski will get in similar circumstances.
–Seahawks WR Jermaine Kearse vs. Patriots CB Malcolm Butler. Kearse made an incredible juggling one-handed catch on the final drive of Super Bowl XLIX against Butler. Butler came back and intercepted Russell Wilson at the goal line to preserve a victory for New England. The two will likely line up against each other frequently on Sunday night.
PREDICTION: The Seahawks have benefitted from interesting officiating calls and non-calls in three wins, most recently an infamous off-sides penalty against that should have been a personal foul, followed by more screw-ups by the officials that culminated with Buffalo missing a FG. Most the strange calls and non-calls involve physical CB Richard Sherman. Don’t expect him to get the benefit of doubt in New England. The Patriots have more balance and it should decide this one.
OUR PICK: Patriots, 32-21.
From: http://www.upi.com/Sports_News/NFL/
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