If you are not yet on the Denver Bronco bandwagon it is probably too late as I’m sure there aren’t any seats left after Monday night’s win. In a game that San Diego had to win, they still came up short against the undefeated Broncos. However, in this game it was not only Denver’s vaunted defense that got the job done, it was on special teams as well with Eddie Royal returning both a kick off and a punt for a touchdown to help the winning cause. You might as well go and circle December 13th on your calendar as that is when Denver travels to Indianapolis to play the only other undefeated team in the AFC. While this game is still several weeks away, it is looking like the potential AFC Championship game preview. Before we get too far ahead of ourselves, let’s not forget about 4-2 New England who trounced the Titans 59-0 and 4-2 Pittsburgh who are quietly back on top in the AFC North after a workman like win over the Browns, 27-14. If you add 4-2 Cincinnati to the mix, these five teams are starting to distance themselves from the rest of the conference. After 3-0 starts, the Jets and Ravens have each lost three in a row and no longer look as attractive as they once did, Houston and Jacksonville have evened their record at 3-3 but are still very much suspect as far as being a legitimate contender, and the rest of the teams in the AFC are just floundering along week after week.
With five AFC teams on their bye week, there are only two head to head match ups of conference teams this week; New York Jets@ Oakland and San Diego @ Kansas City.
New York Jets (-6) @ Oakland Raiders Current Over/Under 35
In New York, the Mark Franchise talk has quieted as in his last three games, Sanchez has thrown only 1 touchdown against 8 interceptions. It looks like the reality of being a rookie starting quarterback in the NFL is finally starting to sink in. You cannot blame all the Jets’ problems on Sanchez as there have been breakdowns in other phases of the game as well. Their defense, while still good has slipped a bit the past few weeks as they are now ranked 11th overall, 8th against the pass and 21st against the run. Injuries have also taken their toll as they have lost veteran NT Kris Jenkins for the year. Jenkins was considered the anchor of their defensive line. Despite the Raiders improbable win last week over the Eagles, they are still an all around bad team. This win was more about how bad Philadelphia played rather than how good Oakland looked. QB JaMarcus Russell had his best game of the season, but still only passed for 224 yards with 2 interceptions. The offense converted only 28% of its third down attempts and was only able to generate 13 points, 3 in the second half. The Jets are a better team than how they have played these past three weeks. I fully expect them to get back on track this week in Oakland easily covering the 6 points. Defense is still both these team’s strength so play the UNDER.
San Diego Chargers (-4) @ Kansas City Chiefs Current Over/Under 44
Before this season started there is probably no one that would have bet that the Chargers would not only start 2-3, but be 3 ½ games out of first place in only the seventh week of the year. They came up short on Monday night in a game they had to win. One of their main problems has been their inability to run the ball, thus creating an offense that is way out of balance. They are ranked 5th in passing; averaging 284 yards per game, while ranking dead last in rushing yards; averaging less than 58 yards per game. This has made them very one dimensional and easy to defend. Another week spot has been their passing defense as they are ranked 27th. There are only four other teams giving up more points than the Chargers, which doesn’t help as well. Kansas City got their first win of the season last week squeaking by Washington, 14-6. They are equally as bad on offense, ranked 30th as well as defense, ranked 29th so it is hard to know what to expect on any given week. The Chargers should win this game going away as -4 is a steal. There is no real defense on either team so take the OVER as well.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.