| Authored by Marcus Allen - 8th November, 2006 - 2:07 pm
 Marcus Allen was a Heisman Trophy Winner at USC, a MVP with the Los Angeles Raiders, a Hall of Famer in both the Pro and College Hall of Fame and now he lends his expertise to RealGM as an analyst.
My picks for Week 10 (winners in bold)
Baltimore at Tennessee
Buffalo at Indianapolis
Cleveland at Atlanta
Green Bay at Minnesota
Houston at Jacksonville
Kansas City at Miami
N.Y. Jets at New England
San Diego at Cincinnati
San Francisco at Detroit
Washington at Philadelphia
Denver at Oakland
Dallas at Arizona
New Orleans at Pittsburgh
St. Louis at Seattle
Chicago at N.Y. Giants
Tampa Bay at Carolina
Oregon at USC
Upset Pick: Pittsburgh over New Orleans Saints
This is my upset pick of the week. I know this would not have been considered an upset early in the season but the Saints are playing much better than the Steelers so far this year and are heavily favored. Never under estimate the heart of a champion. The Steelers have a resolve as square as head coach Bill Cowher's Jaw. Steelers pick up and upset.
1. Houston at Jacksonville
David Garrard, quarterback for the Jaguars, has come on for the injured Byron Leftwich the last two weeks and continues to win games. They beat Philadelphia 13-6 last week and the Titans 37-7 this week. Even though it is said that Leftwich is healthy, look for Garrard to start against the Texans on Sunday. The last time these two teams met, October 22nd in Houston, the Texans beat the Jags 27-7. That was also the last game Byron Leftwich played in.
Garrard is continuing to improve each week, he threw 3 touchdown passes this week, the running game is sound with Fred Taylor and Maurice Drew-Jones and the Jags defense is also putting points on the board as well. Not to mention they are 4-0 at home with 5-3 record.
On the other side Houston (2-6) has had difficulty running the football this season. Ron Dayne was considered the starter at the beginning of the year but has been sharing time with Sam Gado, and Wali Lundy. If one of these guys has a big game against Jacksonville, then I think the game will be close. David Carr was on again this week against the Giants, and they have the NFL’s leading receiver on their team with Andre Johnson. The Texans defense held the Giants to only 14 points in a 10-14 loss this Sunday.
Even if Houston’s ground game is stronger this week I think the Jaguars still have the edge. They are playing cohesively as a unit and have a lot of momentum going into this week’s game. They are also looking to avenge their loss to the Texans they had just a short while ago with a win at home.
2. Kansas City at Miami
The Miami Dolphins were all smiles flying back home to warm and sunny Miami after their huge 31-13 upset over the previously unbeaten Chicago Bears in Chi-town last week. That being said their win streak will end at one as the (5-3) Kansas City Chiefs move their record to 6-3 after they beat the Dolphins at home. I’m not for sure if it was the stellar play of the Miami Dolphins that made the Bears look terrible Sunday or if the Bears collapsed under their own pressure to remain undefeated. But one great game from the (2-6) Dolphins is not enough for me to pick them over the confidence building KC Chiefs.
The Chiefs, under coach Herm Edwards, are one of the hottest teams in the league right now. They are on a three game winning streak, which is the third longest winning streak in the NFL. QB Damon Huard has been a proficient replacement for the injured Trent Green, RB Larry Johnson is starting to run wild again, and TE Tony Gonzalez is having a career catching year as well. The Chiefs defense had St. Louis committing 3 early turnovers in their 31-17 win over the Rams. The Chiefs move their winning streak to four.
3. NY Jets at New England
The Jets (4-4) will have had two weeks of practice to game plan and prepare for their AFC East rival the (6-2) Patriots. The Jets have been solid, but unspectacular on offense, and their defense has given up the second most yards per game in the league. That is not a good stat to have on your side when you are playing the NE Patriots. Brady and company are coming off a tough 20-27 loss to the Colts at home where Brady uncharacteristically threw 4 INT’s. Granted, some of those should have been caught like the last pass of the game that went through Kevin Faulk’s hands. But, given the type of competitor Brady is, look for a huge game from him against the Jets. I think the Patriots will be in control of the scoreboard and you will have a much more relaxed QB throwing from the shotgun. Look for a big game from RB Laurence Maroney as well. Even with all the turnovers, the Patriots were still in the game against the undefeated Colts and driving in the final minutes to try and tie it up.
Too bad the Jets didn’t have to face another AFC East team coming off of their bye. I think they will play tough but not enough to top one of the best teams in the AFC.
4. San Diego at Cincinnati
The 4-4 Cincinnati Bengals have struggled running the football this year as they are averaging under100 yards rushing per game. This allows teams to put pressure on QB Carson Palmer and focus on stopping the Bengals strong passing attack. Chad Johnson has expressed disappointment in not being utilized more, but is he open?
San Diego is playing terrific on the offensive side of the ball. They are 2nd in the league in rushing yards led by star RB LaDainian Tomlinson. They also have the #2 defense in the league. But they will be playing without their pro-bowl linebacker Shawn Merriman who will miss his second game for testing positive for a banned substance. There are a few other injuries on the defensive side of the Chargers that I think will make them less effective of getting pressure to Carson Palmer. I think Palmer will have a hey-day throwing to his receivers Johnson and Johnson and T.J. Housh. Rudi Johnson and his powerful legs will be running folks over, and I think it is time ALL the receivers for Cincy come ready to play and put up a lot of points. The Bengals will play with a sense of urgency to win one and keep their playoff hopes alive.
5. Tampa Bay at Carolina
This NFC South division game matches two teams that have not consistently got it done on offense. Carolina (4-4) has lost its last two games and must rebound to win coming off their bye week. Keyshawn is over the loss to Dallas and his ready to turn things around.
Tampa Bay (2-6) has lost their last two games, and their starting QB but are getting a consistent effort out of rookie QB Bruce Gradkowski. Each week he is playing better and they need him to perform with few turnovers if the Bucs are to win more often. With that being said, Bruce made some big vertical throws and good decisions last week and he is improving. On paper it looks as though the Panthers have the edge but I am going to go with the Bucs and pick them to upset the Carolina Panthers on the road.
6. Oregon at USC
This game marks the beginning of the gauntlet for SC as they play Oregon, Cal, and Notre Dame. This three-week span shall determine the Trojans’ season as they will either respond and mature as a team or show their inexperience and crumble. Oregon, led by Dennis Dixon has been both great and marginal at times throughout the year. The Ducks will be fired up to play SC and may smell blood in the water. The Trojans will step up to the challenge, win at home, and be a threat coming down the stretch. |
