Football - EFS
NFL Games of the Week- Week 11
By Jeff Gagnon and Thomas Cool
Nov 15, 2007, 13:39

NFL Games of the Week- NFL Week 11

Game 1 San Diego vs Jacksonville

San Diego Chargers (TC)

San Diego Offense

So far this season, this offense has not been as consistently explosive as it was in previous seasons. A lot of pundits place the blame for that on Head Coach Norv Turner. But teams have learned that if pressure is applied to QB Philip Rivers he has a tendency to make mistakes or rush plays. After an 0-4 start the Chargers are now 5-4 and in the lead in the AFC West. RB Ladainian Tomlinson still gets his yards, but his TD and total yards are down from last season. Defenses are focused on stopping him, and then pressuring Rivers. TE Antonio Gates is still a huge weapon on this team. Unfortunately, Rivers did not have many after those two guys. With the recent acquisition of WR Chris Chambers via trade from Miami a couple weeks ago, he now has a viable WR opposite Vincent Jackson. Jackson has all kinds of talent but is not a consistent target of Rivers. The Charger OL is one of the very best, but has lost OC N Hardwick the past two weeks. In fact he may miss the rest of the season, but that is not yet final.

San Diego Defense

The Chargers play a 3-4 defense that plays up-the-field and challenges offenses. The front seven are very good, with the strength of this defense being its linebackers. The outside LB’s are excellent pass rushers (S Merriman and S Phillips). The inside LB’s are decent ( Cooper and Wilhelm). The defensive backfield is the Achilles heel. D Florence and Q Jammer are the CB’s, although A Cromartie is making an argument that he should start, what with his play the past two weeks. The safeties are C Hart and M McCree.

San Diego Special Teams

Kick returner D Sproles returned a punt and a kickoff for TD’s last week, so watch how teams manage their kicks to him in the future. PK N Kaeding gets a lot work. PN Scifres is almost the best in the business.

EFSlant:

Start LT, TE Gates, and the OL. QB P Rivers would be at best a QB2, more likely a QB3. Depends what your matchup is with other QB’s on your roster. On defense the only must starters are the LB’s Merriman and Phillips.

Prediction:

San Diego’s offense must rejuvenate itself against a very good defense. The Jags will need to run the ball to win this game.

San Diego 27
Jacksonville 17

Jacksonville Jaguars (JG)

Jacksonville Offense (JG)

While they went 2 and 1 in the absence of David Garrard, his return to the lineup will be greatly appreciated this week against the San Diego Chargers. Garrard was incredibly efficient prior to his injury, turning the football over only one time in six starts and sporting a 102.9 qb rating. He will have to be on top of his game against the #1 ball hawks in the NFL. The Chargers lead the NFL with 17 interceptions this season, which seems to be the only strength of their defense to this point.

The dynamic duo of Fred Taylor and MJD are probably the toughest tandem the Chargers have come up against this season and will be looking to dine for two on a very poor Chargers rush D. You know, the one that just allowed a rookie to set an NFL rushing record. The very economical Garrard and a stellar rushing attack will be an extremely difficult matchup for the NFL's 27th ranked defense and will prove to be more than they can handle.

Jacksonville Defense (JG)

One of the big surprises of the first half of the 2007 season has been the porous performance of the Jaguars defense. This unit has been recognized in the past for it's toughness but this is not the case this year. Currently they are ranked 23rd in defense and have been especially poor against the pass. Fortunately for the Jags, the Chargers have not been very impressive in their passing game, ranked 25th in passing yardage. It is hard not to think that San Diego and all of their talent are not poised to break out but the same can be said for a defense that has so much Pro Bowl talent. Stroud, Henderson, Peterson and Mathis are all top notch performers at their positions but injuries and sub par performance have hindered them so far. Two under performing squads face off this weekend and the Jags seem the best prepared to overcome their early season flaws.

Fantasy Performers (JG)

Mike Peterson has returned to fantasy form this season and will have plenty an opportunity to make plays against the Chargers Antonio Gates and LT. Jaguars o-line is a solid start in this contest but may have their hands full with Merriman and Phillips. I like Reggie Williams to have a solid performance even though he has not made a start yet this year.

Prediction (JG)

Jaguars - 19

Chargers - 17

Game 2: New York Giants vs Detroit Lions

New York Giants (TC)

New York Offense

After a slow start at 0-2 the Giants turned their season around, until last week when they laid an egg against Dallas. The outcome of the game generally depends upon how well QB Eli Manning plays. Manning has been playing better lately, but he did not do so last week. Turnovers and bad decisions have hampered him. Still he has some very good weapons to work with! RB Jacobs has returned from injury to start two consecutive games and has played very well in both. TE J Shockey is a favorite target of Manning, but he is apparently playing hurt, which has diminished his effectiveness the past few weeks. The WR’s are playing hurt, especially P Burress. A Toomer is having his best year in a number of years. The OL have played very well, limiting the sacks of E Manning and opening holes for the RB’s. R Seubert has played very well at OG all season.

New York Defense

The story of the Giants turn-around has a lot to do with the play of their defensive unit. They rank 3rd in NFL in sacks. For that reason alone their record has improved. They pressure the QB, usually with the four defensive linemen. DE O Umeniyora has 6 of his 9 total sacks in one game. On the other side, DE M Strahan is having another good season. LB A Pierce is one of the game’s best MLB. J Tuck moved to DT and is having a very good season. In the defensive backfield young CB A Ross has acquitted himself very well. S Gibril Wilson is having one of his better seasons.

New York Special Teams

PK L Tynes has had an up and down season. PN J Feagles has been around what seems like 20 years, but he still performs.

EFSlant:

On offense, start RB B Jacobs if needed. Also start the Giants OLmen. Check the daily inactives to get an update on TE Shockey-if not injured he could be a very good starter. On defense, start DE’s Strahan and Umeniyora, DT Tuck, LB Pierce (if over his concussion) and S G Wilson.

Prediction:

The Giants are on a win streak, until last week. So they will look to rebound against a Lions team that has won 6 games already. The Lions have a great pass offense, but an inconsistent run game. Key for this game is Giants DL versus Lions OL.

New York Giants 24
Detroit Lions 20

Detroit Offense (JG)

The Lions have been able to put points on the board pretty consistently, averaging 24.6 per game. They have been doing this despite many glaring deficiencies that could definitely catch up with them. They currently are ranked 30th on 3rd downs and 29th in time of possession but the area that most concerns me is turnovers. To this point they are +7 in turnovers, which is very good but they have turned the ball over themselves 21 times. They can not continue to cough it up an average of 2+ times per game and expect to make it to the post season. They will also need to commit themselves to running the football. They are last in the NFL in rush attempts despite their 6-3 record. It is strange to see a successful team be last in this area. They have been able to get 4 yards per carry and will have to step it up against the pass rush crazy Giants. The idea that they may run has to be in the heads of the Giants defensive line or Jon Kitna does not make it out of this game standing. Definitely play those G-men against the most porous offensive line in the league.

Detroit Defense (JG)

Detroit has been pretty effective against the rush so far, allowing just 98 yards per game and a 3.7 yards per carry average. They must continue this against the Giants and their very dominating rush offense. They average 4.6 per carry and Brandon Jacobs is just absolutely brutalizing. If the Lions are successful at containg this then they will be able to use their very effective pass rush and capitalize on the very happy feet of of Eli Manning. He has thrown 11 picks this year and Detroit is 2nd in picks with 15. So stop the run, pressure the QB and create turnovers and you win the ballgame. Sounds like the game plan of every team, every week. I do not think that the Lions have enough playmakers on defense to contend with all of the Giants talent. Plaxico, Jacobs and Shockey are a very formidable trio.

Fantasy Spin (JG)

Paris Lenon has been a nice fantasy surprise in 2007 and will score well again today. Fernando Bryant has scored well this year but I do not like him in this matchup. On the defensive line, Kalimba Edwards looks like he is finally healthy and is very due as well. Looking over the offense, I am not left very excited. I definitely stay away from their offensive line and the running backs.

Prediction (JG)

Detroit - 24
Giants - 33



Game 3: Washington Redskins vs Dallas Cowboys

Washington Redskins (TC)

Washington Offense

The Redskins offense has not performed well the past couple of weeks, but it has been hit by injuries in that same time frame. QB Jason Campbell has been inconsistent, but some of that may be due to injuries to his WR’s. RB Clinton Portis has experienced a bit of a renaissance this season, finding himself close to the NFC lead in rushing. He has not broken off any long runs but he has run for nearly 300 yards the past two games. That is testament to the job his offensive line has been doing. TE C Cooley is having an excellent season, but his stats are inconsistent from one week to next. WR is rapidly becoming a problem area due to injuries to Coles and Thrash. Those will limit the effectiveness of this offense in this game.

Washington Defense

Injuries have begun to pile up here too, particularly to key players like S Sean Taylor and LB M Washington. Both will be sorely missed against a potent Dallas offense. DE’s A Carter and P Daniels will have to pressure QB Romo and keep him contained in the pocket in order to limit his effectiveness. The CB’s will be hard-pressed to stay with TO, leaving P Crayton and TO to have big games. The LB’s (London-Fletcher and Macintosh) will have to contend with the run game and the TE’s.

Washington Special Teams

PK S Suisham is making a name for himself in the NFL while PN Frost is having a good season.

EFSlant:

On offense, start RB C Portis, but realize his effectiveness may be impacted by the limitations of the Redskins offense. TE Cooley would be a must starter too. On defense start both LB London-Fletcher and LB Macintosh. Consider the CB’s as they will be picked on. DE A Carter might be worth a shot if you can start 3 DE’s.

Prediction:

Injuries will limit the productivity of the Redskins offense and the ability of their defense to stop the Cowboys offense. Dallas should pull away in the second half.

Washington 14
Dallas 29

Dallas Offense (JG)

It is very difficult to find a weakness from the 2nd ranked Cowboys offense. They are very balanced, score 33 points per game and convert 3rd downs at almost 50%. Virtually unstoppable. Washington's defense has been serviceable to this point but just have not shined in any one area. As the case with most road underdogs, defense has to rely on turnovers and giving their offenses a short field. If this is what the Skins are looking to for a victory, this will be a very long day. Romo has the gunslingers mentality and will put the ball in danger but he has just too many weapons in his arsenal for that to cost him a game. Witten, TO and Barber are all on top of their respective game and the offensive line has made it very difficult to create pressure on the quarterback. The big play offense of Dallas will overwelm the Redskins this week.

Dallas Defense (JG)

On the surface it may look like the Cowboys pass defense is a weakness. They are allowing 212 yards per game, have surrendered four plays of over 40 yards and have given up 13 passing touchdowns. Those are not very good numbers but in viewing their stats a little bit closer they have been very effective. They give up 36 pass atempts per game (26th) but allow just 6.4 yards per attempt (6th). They also rank 3rd in both interceptions (14) and sacks (26). These stats are all the result of consistently being in the lead and you have to believe that this week will be no different. The Skins are not an offense that can play from behind. Jason Campbell has been an effective caretaker but he is far from an elite passer right now. If Dallas gets out to a big lead like they normally do it will be all over by half time.

Fantasy Spin (JG)

The question here is not who you start but who you sit. Boy's offense, start em all. Look to the Dallas OLB's on defense. Ware and Ellis will have a great day. Anthony Henry has been finding the football pretty regularly and probably comes up with another pick this week.

Prediction (JG)

Dallas - 38

Skins - 17

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