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Sunday, Oct. 11, 2009
Minnesota Vikings at St. Louis Rams
27	Vikings QB Brett Favre continues his amazing run with the Vikings and will be riding high against the Rams, coming off a satisfying 271-yard, three-touchdown performance against the Packers on Monday. The 0-4 Rams suffered an embarrassing 35-0 shutout loss to the 49ers last week. Rams backup QB Kyle Boller could start again in place of the injured Marc Bulger, while safeties James Butler (knee) and backup Braig Dahl (head) are both banged up and questionable to play against Minnesota. Result: Minnesota Vikings 38, St. Louis Rams 10
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Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Philadelphia Eagles
23	Eagles QB Donovan McNabb is probable to return along with RB Brian Westbrook and WR Kevin Curtis. Depending on how he feels, Westbrook could have a field day against the Bucs’ defense, which ranks 30th in the league in rushing yards allowed with an average of 171.8 per game. Bucs QB Josh Johnson -- who has struggled in his first two NFL starts this season -- will be under center against an Eagles defense that swarmed the Chiefs and held QB Matt Cassel to just 90 yards passing in Week 4. Result: Philadelphia Eagles 33, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 14
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Oakland Raiders at NY Giants
31	Giants QB Eli Manning is questionable to start against the Raiders due to a heel injury. If Manning sits, it would be the first time in 82 regular and postseason games that he did not start. The Raiders are also banged up, with RB Darren McFadden out for at least two weeks (knee) and TE Zach Miller questionable after leaving the game vs. the Texans in Week 4 with a concussion. Even when they're healthy, the Raiders rank near the bottom of the league in all offensive categories. Oakland backup RBs Michael Bush and Justin Fargas will carry the load against the crushing Giants defense and could be Oakland's only hope since Raiders QB JaMarcus Russell still putting up poor numbers (one touchdown and four interceptions over four games). Result: NY Giants 44, Oakland Raiders 7
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Dallas Cowboys at Kansas City Chiefs
31	Cowboys RB Marion Barber is questionable for Week 5 (thigh), as is RB Felix Jones. Both Cowboys QB Tony Romo and Chiefs QB Matt Cassel have struggled to establish the passing game. The Chiefs didn't have a single third-down conversion in 11 tries against the Eagles in Week 4. If the Chiefs can't fire up their offense, they could be staring at 0-5 after this weekend. Result: Dallas Cowboys 26, Kansas City Chiefs 20
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Pittsburgh Steelers at Detroit Lions
28	Steelers RB Rashard Mendenhall hammered the Chargers for 165 yards and two touchdowns on 29 carries last week, starting over the injured Willie Parker. Mendenhall could find running lanes against a Lions defense that allowed the Bears to rush for 151 yards and three rushing touchdowns. Last week, Lions QB Matt Stafford put up 296 yards and WR Calvin Johnson pulled down eight catches for 133 yards, but both Stafford and Johnson left the game banged up. Johnson should play against Pittsburgh, but Stafford, who is questionable after twisting his knee, could be replaced by Daunte Culpepper. Result: Pittsburgh Steelers 28, Detroit Lions 20
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Washington Redskins at Carolina Panthers
21	The Panthers rank dead last in the league for rushing yard allowed, giving up 182.7 yards per game. However, the Carolina defense will get a boost if the expected return of SS Chris Harris happens this week. Offensively, QB Jake Delhomme will continue to start and FB Brad Hoover is expected to return after missing one game with a back injury. Washington RB Clinton Portis re-aggravated his ankle injury against Tampa Bay but is expected to be fine, and could put up his best performance of the season if the Panthers defense doesn't show major improvement against the run. Result: Carolina Panthers 20, Washington Redskins 17
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Cleveland Browns at Buffalo Bills
26	The return of Derek Anderson meant the Browns passing offense returned, but he had to throw 48 passes to gain 269 yards. The Brown's rushing game could be more of a factor against a Bills defense that gave up 250 rushing yards against Miami and 222 rushing yards against New Orleans. This could be the week that Terrell Owens has a break out game against a Browns secondary that struggles to make plays. Result: Buffalo Bills 3, Cleveland Browns 6
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Cincinnati Bengals at Baltimore Ravens
21	The Ravens have allowed just 59.5 rushing yards per game, the fewest in the league so far this season. They'll be put to the test against Bengals RB Cedric Benson, who is currently fourth in the league in total rushing yards (367). Bengals QB Carson Palmer passed for 230 yards and two touchdowns last week against the Browns, but he will be in for a more difficult week against the Ravens defense. Baltimore QB Joe Flacco could find success against the Bengals' 26th-ranked pass defense. He has passed for over 250 yards and at least two touchdowns in three out of four games this season. Result: Baltimore Ravens 14, Cincinnati Bengals 17
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Atlanta Falcons at San Francisco 49ers
26	Falcons RB Michael Turner has been held under 70 yards in two games. He faces a 49ers team that held Rams RB Steven Jackson to just 79 yards on 23 carries. With Frank Gore out of the lineup with ankle injuries, rookie Glen Coffee stepped into the featured role and didn't have much room to run. Luckily, Coffee faces a Falcons defense that gave up 5.8 rushing yards per carry to Carolina and 168 rushing yards to New England. Result: San Francisco 49ers 10, Atlanta Falcons 45
17
Jacksonville Jaguars at Seattle Seahawks
24	Last week, the Jaguars decided to attack the Titans through the air and QB David Garrard picked apart the Titans' secondary for 323 passing yards and three touchdowns. The gameplan could be the same against a Seahawks defense that gave up 353 passing yards and two touchdowns last week. The Seahawks could also be without DE Patrick Kerney, who suffered a groin injury in the second half against Indianapolis. Jacksonville could focus on stopping the run and dare Seahawks QB Seneca Wallace to beat them. Result: Seattle Seahawks 41, Jacksonville Jaguars 0
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New England Patriots at Denver Broncos
28	Slowly but surely, Brady is becoming more comfortable in the pocket. Brady faces a Broncos defense that is getting little respect even though Denver only allowed three big plays against Dallas. Broncos RB Correll Buckhalter was on crutches after last week's game, but the team hasn't given any indication on his availability this week. The Broncos could rely heavily on Knowshon Moreno since the Patriots had a tough time containing the Ravens' running backs whether they were running or catching passes out of the backfield. Result: Denver Broncos 20, New England Patriots 17
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Houston Texans at Arizona Cardinals
37	Texans QB Matt Schaub faces a Cardinals defense that is coming off a bye week and hopes to regroup after giving up too many big plays to the Colts. Cardinals QB Kurt Warner could try to exploit the Texans secondary, which features three new faces -- strong safety Bernard Pollard, free safety Dominique Barber and cornerback Glover Quin. Result: Arizona Cardinals 28, Houston Texans 21
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Indianapolis Colts at Tennessee Titans
31	Colts QB Peyton Manning should have success against a Titans defense that has given up 300-plus yards passing in three out of four games. The Titans could try to establish the run early with Chris Johnson and test the Colts' defense, which held the Seahawks to 49 yards rushing yards on 19 carries. Result: Indianapolis Colts 31, Tennessee Titans 9
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Monday, Oct. 12, 2009
NY Jets at Miami Dolphins
17	Jets QB Mark Sanchez faces a Dolphins defense that finally played well against the pass. Miami had constant pressure on Bills QB Trent Edwards, which led to six sacks and helped the secondary pick off three passes. Dolphins RBs Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams could struggle against a Jets defense that only gave up 86 rushing yards to Pierre Thomas despite the fact that the Jets used more defensive backs than linemen to stop Saints QB Drew Brees, who was held to 190 passing yards. Result: NY Jets 27, Miami Dolphins 31
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