Week 15: Preview all of today’s NFL games

Posted by Sabrina B. @gametimegirl – Let’s go GMENNNNNN!

Check all the games after the jump…

PHILADELPHIA AT N.Y. GIANTS, 1 P.M. ET

WHAT TO WATCH FOR: If it’s not a windy day, the Eagles and their high-powered passing game figure to have the edge. Wide receivers DeSean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin have combined for 27 catches, 433 yards and three touchdowns in the last three games against the Giants, who plan to have CB Corey Webster defending Jackson. The Giants will bring a ton of pressure on Michael Vick, hoping to force him to his right, hoping to make it uncomfortable throwing the football. The Giants figure to bring the pressure against RT King Dunlapwith Justin Tuck, and also against LG Todd Herremans with Barry Cofield and Chris Canty. New York also has several safety-blitz packages in the game in order to put some early shots on Vick. Despite their attention to Vick, the Giants don’t want RB LeSean McCoy to kill them like he did in the last game with a 50-yard go-ahead TD.

Both teams are running well right now and Giants RB Brandon Jacobs has averaged 102 rushing yards in the three games since he resumed his role as the starter. Jacobs is 307 yards shy of a thousand. Ahmad Bradshaw already has 1,116 yards rushing. Center Shaun O’Hara is back in the lineup after almost two months on the sidelines. The Eagles held the Giants to 61 rushing yards in the first meeting, but they need rookie MLB Jamar Chaney to play the game of his life as he replaces injured Stewart Bradley. If they can neutralize New York’s running game, then they can concentrate on QB Eli Manning, who has a league-high 19 interceptions — including 12 on third down. Eagles CBAsante Samuel returns after missing the last three games and leads the team with seven interceptions. Without Steve Smith, Manning will concentrate on TE Kevin Boss in the middle while hoping to get Hakeem Nicks open on deep outs and post routes against safety Quintin Mikell.

WASHINGTON AT DALLAS, 1 P.M. ET

WHAT TO WATCH FOR: With backup QB Rex Grossman replacing a benched Donovan McNabb, you can bet that the Redskins will pound the Cowboys with RB Ryan Torain, who gained 158 yards in the first half last week against Tampa Bay. Torain, who is a powerful runner, reminds many in Dallas of Stephen Davis. Washington would like to get TE Chris Cooleyand WR Anthony Armstrong (six catches, 52 yards against the Bucs) more involved to help Grossman, a favorite of Redskins offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan. The two were both in Houston last season. Of course, WR Santana Moss, who caught the tying touchdown last week, has always hurt the Cowboys. A lot of the success of Washington’s passing game will depend on how well rookie LTTrent Williams fares against Dallas pass rusher DeMarcus Ware.

The Cowboys may decide to run, too, with WR Roy Williams joining Dez Bryant on the sideline. QB Jon Kitna will be throwing a lot toward TE Jason Witten and WR Miles Austin as reservesJesse Holley and Sam Hurd get playing time opposite Austin. Marion Barber is still out, which means Felix Jones and Tashard Choice will be sharing the running load. Redskins CBCarlos Rogers returns to the starting lineup.

NEW ORLEANS AT BALTIMORE, 1 P.M. ET

WHAT TO WATCH FOR: Saints QBDrew Brees has played pretty well on the road and he’s catching the Ravens on a short week, plus they just surrendered a season-worst 378 yards to Houston on Monday night. The Ravens have given up over 300 yards passing four times this season. The Saints have been able to get some balance in the last couple of games with an improved running game that gained 146 and 132 yards in wins over Cincinnati and St. Louis. RB Chris Ivory is expected to play as well as Reggie Bush andPierre Thomas for the Saints. The Ravens, though, are allowing just 99 rushing yards a game. Play-action could be critical for Brees if the Saints can get the running game going. Brees, who has thrown 16 INTs in his last nine games, better keep an eye on Ravens FS Ed Reed, who has 50 career interceptions.

Baltimore QB Joe Flacco has the NFL’s second-best passer rating since Week 5, throwing 16 TDs and two interceptions during that time. In the same span, Ravens RB Ray Rice has the fifth-most net yards from scrimmage, averaging 118.9 total yards per game. But he has only scored three TDs in that span. Baltimore has again re-adjusted its offensive line, returning Chris Chester to right guard and moving Marshal Yanda back to right tackle. This unit has allowed 13 sacks in the last three games, 22 in the last five games. Ravens LT Michael Oher needs to contain Saints RDE Will Smith or Flacco could be running for his life again. With KR Courtney Roby out with a concussion, Thomas and Robert Meachem will share the role. Of course, it may not matter much with Baltimore kicker Billy Cundiff leading the NFL with 37 touchbacks.

ARIZONA AT CAROLINA, 1 P.M. ET

WHAT TO WATCH FOR: The Panthers have a horrible pass offense and will struggle if rookie Jimmy Clausen is forced to make plays. Look for the Panthers to feed Jonathan Stewart, who has averaged 107 yards rushing over the last three weeks. Mike Goodson has scored in three straight games. Defensively, theCardinals must concentrate on stopping the run. The Cardinals have been scoring defensive touchdowns in bunches this year, six off of fumbles, which is bad news for the Panthers, who have the second-highest giveaway total in the NFL (32) behind the Giants (33). Clausen has to protect the football. In many ways, he’s playing to keep his job next year. If the Panthers lose Sunday, they probably won’t win again this year, with road games upcoming against Pittsburgh and Atlanta. That means the Panthers would secure the No. 1 pick overall and probably take quarterback Andrew Luck from Stanford.

On offense, Arizona must protect QB John Skelton, who is making his second career start. The Panthers ought to pressure Skelton, who wasn’t tested by the Broncos last week. Defensively, the Panthers are pretty banged up. The Panthers now have 14 players on injured reserve. It looks like Panthers CB Chris Gamble will start and face Cardinals WR Larry Fitzgerald. Fitzgerald is as good as ever, but the Cards have trouble getting him the ball. He caught six passes last week despite being open a lot more than that. Cardinals LT Levi Brown must slow down Carolina DE Charles Johnson, who has 8.5 sacks and a team-high 24 quarterback hurries.

DETROIT AT TAMPA BAY, 1 P.M. ET

WHAT TO WATCH FOR: The Bucs are still alive in the wild-card race because QB Josh Freeman has thrown only six interceptions. The Bucs have gotten huge contributions from rookies like running back LeGarrette Blount and receivers Mike Williams and Arrelious Benn, who is coming off a career-high 122-receiving-yard effort against the Redskins. But the team has been decimated by injuries, having lost six starters in the past three games and are undergoing their seventh different offensive line alignment. Bucs rookie guard Derek Hardman will do his best to containLions DT Ndamukong Suh. Hardman played tackle at Eastern Kentucky and has been moved to guard, where he started last week at Washington. He struggled early in the game but got a little better as the day wore on. Look for the Bucs to use center Jeremy Zuttah on Suh as well.

The Lions have lost 26 straight games on the road and to turn the tide, coach Jim Schwartz may start QB Shaun Hill, looking to spark his offense. If Hill isn’t successful, the Lions can go back toDrew Stanton. WR Calvin Johnson should benefit if Hill can play and throw accurately. With talented Bucs CB Aqib Talib out for the season, Johnson should have an easy time against CB E.J. Biggers. Despite the revolving door of QBs, Johnson leads the Lions with 63 catches for 916 yards.

ATLANTA AT SEATTLE, 4:05 P.M. ET

WHAT TO WATCH FOR: The Falconshave a 3,000-yard passer (Matt Ryan — 3,147 yards), a 1,000-yard runner, (Michael Turner— 1,174), and a 1,000-yard receiver (Roddy White — 1,219). That’s why Seattle is going to have trouble on defense, especially with safetyJordan Babineaux being moved to covering the slot receiver. You can bet that Ryan will test Babineaux early. Then there’s future Hall of Fame TE Tony Gonzalez, who has 68 catches for 565 yards. The Falcons love to run over their right side behind RT Tyson Claboand RG Harvey Dahl. Clabo will also have the tough assignment of checking pass rusherChris Clemons, who has 9.5 sacks. Clabo was beaten last week for a sack.

Seahawks QB Matt Hasselbeck, who tossed four interceptions last week, will have his two starting receivers, (Mike Williams and Ben Obomanu) back in the lineup after a one-week absence. Hasselbeck is 3-1 against the Falcons lifetime. If there is one knock on the mighty Falcons is that they give up too many yards on defense, but they are allowing only 18.7 points per game (seventh-best in the NFL). Hasselbeck better be careful, too, because Atlanta is a takeaway machine with 16 interceptions. Seattle needs their special teams, particularly Leon Washington, to give them a boost.

OTHER SUNDAY GAMES

Kansas City at St. Louis, 1 p.m. ET: The Chiefsexpect to have QB Matt Cassel available just 11 days after an appendectomy. Cassel said he felt great last night, but how much punishment can he take once he takes the field? The Chiefs have won nine straight vs. NFC West opponents. With the Chargers winning Thursday, the Chiefs need a win to remain a game ahead in the AFC West race. After being the hottest receiver in November with 37 catches and eight TDs, Dwayne Bowe has just one catch for three yards in his last two games. The Chiefs are tied with New England with an NFL-low nine giveaways.

Buffalo at Miami, 1 p.m. ET: Ricky Williams and Ronnie Brown combined for 200 rushing yards in last year’s game in South Florida. The Bills are playing better, winning three of their last five games, and QB Ryan Fitzpatrick is making a case to keep the starting job next season. He’s thrown 21 TD passes since replacing Trent Edwards with Stevie Johnson serving as his main man with Lee Evans out. Miami figures to slow down RB Fred Jackson, but theDolphins have scored only 10 points in their last two games. The Bills need to pressure Dolphins QB Chad Henne, who was sacked five times and lost two fumbles last week.

Houston at Tennessee, 1 p.m. ET: The Texans are 3-1 in their last four against the Titans. RB Arian Foster rushed for 143 yards in a 20-0 win over Tennessee at home on Nov. 28. Foster is currently leading the NFL in rushing, and if he finishes with the title he’ll join Priest Holmes as the only undrafted player since the advent of the common draft in 1967 to accomplish that feat. Houston’s Matt Schaub has thrown for eight TDs and no interceptions in his last three games against Tennessee. Conversely, the Titans have been struggling on offense. 2009 rushing champChris Johnson trails Foster by 193 rushing yards.

Jacksonville at Indianapolis, 1 p.m. ET: About 2,000 fans were at the airport on Saturday to cheer off the Jaguars, who can win the AFC South with a win today. The Colts haven’t been swept by a division rival in eight seasons. Five of the past six meetings have been decided by four points or less. However, the Jaguars’ two biggest offensive stars, QB David Garrard and RB Maurice Jones-Drew, missed a lot of practice time this week because of hamstring and knee injuries, respectively. The Jags re-signed backup QB Todd Bouman just in case. Jaguars PK Josh Scobeehas had fluid drained from his left knee. This figures to be a high-scoring game as both teams are hurting in the secondary. Peyton Manning gets WR Austin Collie back and his next 300-yard passing game will be his 64th, a new NFL record. Meanwhile, coach Jim Caldwell is pleading for his fans to cheer louder because the new Lucas Oil Stadium doesn’t hold the noise level as well as the old RCA Dome.

Cleveland at Cincinnati, 1 p.m. ET: Terrell Owens is on pace to collect on $1 million worth of incentives in his contract, but he infuriated coaches and teammates with comments on his Versus reality show that the 2-11 Bengals were “underachieving from the top down.” That included ownerMike Brown, the coaches and then the players before circling back to the coaching staff. The Bengals have won nine of the last 12 games against the Browns, but they also have lost 10 straight games overall. Bengals QB Carson Palmer has thrown five pick-sixes this season, and his 15 since 2004 are an NFL-high.

Denver at Oakland, 4:15 p.m. ET: The Broncos are going to get their first serious look at rookie QB Tim Tebow, who makes his first NFL start with Kyle Orton’s ribs too sore to play. The Broncos have won six of their last seven games here, but the Raiders are still alive in the playoff race and figure to make amends. Raiders RB Darren McFadden is coming off a 123-yard rushing game. He ran for three TDs and 165 yards when the Raiders won at Denver, 59-14. McFadden needs seven rushing yards to become Oakland’s first 1,000-yard rusher since Justin Fargas in 2007. The Broncos are still on track to hire John Elway for a front-office position once the season ends.

N.Y. Jets at Pittsburgh, 4:15 p.m. ET: Jets QB Mark Sanchez has thrown an interception in eight consecutive games, but the good news for him is that Pittsburgh’s great safety Troy Polamalu will be sidelined with an Achilles injury. Sanchez, who was sacked six times in Miami last week, is going to have to make some plays because the Steelers allow a league-low 60 rushing yards per game. The Jets are 0-6 all-time in Pittsburgh, but figure to put pressure on QB Ben Roethlisberger, who has been decked 17 times in his last four starts.

Green Bay at New England, 8:20 p.m. ET: Since being upset by the Browns, the Patriotshave won five straight. In last week’s drubbing of the Bears, Deion Branch and Wes Welkercombined for 16 catches and 266 of Tom Brady’s 369 passing yards. It was the first time this season the Patriots’ two receivers collected more than 100 yards each. In the last five games, Brady has completed 72 percent of his passes for an astounding 132.5 passer rating. His last interception was nine games ago. The bad news for Green Bay is that Matt Flynn will be starting for Aaron Rodgers, who suffered his second concussion of the season last week. Brady also enjoys a 26-game home winning streak.

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