Hurricane Sandy damaged much of New York and New Jersey, but football will still be played in the metropolis. This week in the NFL, the past two Heisman Trophy winners, who both happen to be black quarterbacks, will face off. The two most respectable franchises in the New York Giants and Pittsburgh Steelers will face off, and Philadelphia Eagles head coach Andy Reid and quarterback Michael Vick will be fighting for their jobs. Find out who VIBE.com likes for this week’s NFL games in Week 9.
Carolina Panthers vs. Washington Redskins
The past two Heisman Trophy winners have been black quarterbacks and this Sunday they face off in the Chocolate City. The Redskins’ Robert Griffin III and the Panthers’ Cam Newton finally face off this season.
All signs point to the Redskins winning this game. They are favored by three points, RGIII is fifth in NFL passing completion percentage, and Cam Newton has lost all confidence in his game. Even though all signs point to a Redskins victory, I’m calling an upset at home by the Panthers.
The Redskins defense is virtually made of second stringers with all of their starters being injured. Their defensive line has been overhauled and their safeties are also hurt. Football is won upfront and the Redskins depleted defensive line will give the Panthers a chance to win.
The Panthers played a very good Chicago Bears team to the final seconds on the road last week. Something has to give because the Panthers are 1 – 6, they’ve lost five games in a row, and of those five games, the last four they only lost by a total of 12 points. The Panthers will get their running game going and Cam Newton is going to have just one less turnover than normal and the Panthers’ losing streak will end.
Pittsburgh Steelers vs. New York Giants
A few years ago, Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger had a leg up on the 2004 quarterback class. He was the third quarterback drafted after Eli Manning and Philip Rivers but he was the first to win two Super Bowls. Eli has finally caught up to Big Ben and both quarterbacks have two Super Bowl rings to their name and legacy. The quarterbacks have faced off twice before, splitting both games.
The Giants struggled last week against the Dallas Cowboys’ highly ranked pass defense and they’ll continue to struggle against the Steelers top-rated pass defense. On the other side of the ball you saw what Tony Romo, Jason Witten, Dez Bryant and Miles Austin did to them last week. All three receivers had over 100 yards and almost led the Cowboys to victory after trailing by 23 points. Ben Roethlisberger is a much better quarterback than Tony Romo with a deadlier wide receiving corps also.
Philadelphia Eagles vs. New Orleans Saints
This game is going to look like an arena league football game. Neither the Eagles defense or the Saints defenses are very good at all. Last week, the Eagles allowed the undefeated Atlanta Falcons to score on their first six possessions. The Saints allowed Peyton Manning to toss three touchdowns against them also.
The game is going to come down to who has the better head coach/quarterback combo. If Sean Payton was not suspended for the year, then it’d be a no brainer that the Saints would win this game, but….he’s not. Look deep into the Saints’ eyes, they’re 2-5 and their season was over before it started. No matter how many rap songs Drew Brees chants before the game, the Saints ain’t going to anyone’s playoffs and their team knows it. Pride isn’t enough for the Who Dats to give full effort week in and week out. On the flip side, Eagles coach Andy Reid and quarterback Michael Vick are fighting for their jobs. If they don’t make a deep run in the playoffs this year both of them are out of Philly.
One team is motivated by unemployment, the other has no sense of urgency. The Eagles will win this game on the legs of running back LeSean McCoy who will have a big game against a terrible Saints defense.
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