NFL Predictions - Week Nine

WEEK NINE PREDICTIONS

XENA AND TANNER CHEW ON THE WEEK’S BIG GAME

The Doggies earned little extra Kong time after a perfect week last week.  Not many compelling games this week from a pure "two good teams" meeting up point of view -- but some  interesting match ups are on tap.

Steelers@Giants - Probably the one marquee game this weekend.  Both teams are playing well.  The Steelers will fly in game day morning due to the complexities of finding a place to stay in the aftermath of Sandy.  Steelers may be down to one healthy back.  I don't like the Steelers O line against the giant D line.  I think this will be hard hitting and more of an old school game.  I like Eli to make the plays he needs to win this one.

Dolphins @ Colts -- I know, who would have thought that week nine Dolphins and Colts would mean something.  Both teams are a surprising 4-3 and in the thick of the playoff picture in a rather lame AFC.  The Dolphins are being coy as to whether rookie QB Tannehill is healthy enough to play against fellow rookie QB Andrew Luck.  I think the Dolphins should play Matt Moore in place of Tannehill who will not be 100% if he does play.  This feels like one of those 20-16 or 23-14 kind of games.  I like Miami if Moore plays and Indy if Tannehill does.  OK, I can't have it both ways - -so let's go 

with the Dolphins in an interesting game.

Panthers@Redskins -- What? You wonder why anybody cares about a 3-5 team playing a 1-6 team?  It is the QB s of course -- the last two Heisman winners - Cam Newton and RG3.  RG3's receivers let him down last weeks with double digit drops.  Newton played well at times but his pick six let Chicago back in the game.  I like the Redskins primarily because I think Washington has more varied offensive game plans and Cam has not shown the poise this year to play within himself.

Cowboys@Falcons - Many people like the Cowboys in kind of a sexy upset here.  Still a ton of sentiment that the Cowboys are not as bad as their 3-4 record and the Falcons are not as good as their 7-0 record.  I say the Cowboys are that bad and the Falcons don't have to be that good to beat a 3-4 team.  I like the Falcons in a game where both teams put 20+ points on the board.