MillerLite

(Courtesy of NFL Zone)
*Partially deleted to fit 10000 characters posting bracket*

Baltimore at Cincinnati - Nov. 30, 2006 at 8:00 p.m. (deleted)

Arizona at St. Louis - Dec. 3, 2006 at 1:00 p.m.

The Cardinals have made a conscious effort to expand their deep passing game in recent weeks, almost totally abandoning the ground game vs. Minnesota as rookie QB Matt Leinart threw the ball 51 times and compiled a career-high 405 passing yards, including 312 to WRs Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin. However, going up against the Rams’ league-worst run defense, look for Cardinals RB Edgerrin James to get a lot more opportunities after being limited to only four carries last week. The Rams’ run defense was dealt a further blow last week, losing DRE Victor Adeyanju with a fractured right forearm.

Atlanta at Washington - Dec. 3, 2006 at 1:00 p.m.

The reeling Redskins won their first game with QB Jason Campbell as the starter, 17-13 over the Panthers.
Atlanta is still searching for balance on offense. QB Michael Vick ran for 166 yards vs. the Saints, but he completed just nine passes for 84 yards. Vick’s receivers didn’t help, as former first-round picks Michael Jenkins, Roddy White and Ashley Lelie all contributed key drops.
The Redskins have clearly attempted more deep passes with Campbell under center. They will likely look deep when the Falcons’ struggling secondary (which surrendered 349 passing yards to Saints QB Drew Brees in Week 12) is in man coverage.

Detroit at New England - Dec. 3, 2006 at 1:00 p.m.

After surging at midseason, the Lions have struggled to put points on the board lately, totaling only 33 points in their last three games. They should be bolstered by the return of RB Kevin Jones (ankle), who not only spearheads the ground game but ranks third on the team in receiving. QB Jon Kitna has thrown a pick in nine straight games and draws a Patriots defense that harassed Rex Grossman into four turnovers last Sunday.
Tom Brady has averaged 296 yards and nine TD passes in those three games, and the Pats should run it effectively, as well. Detroit has ceded 175 rushing yards per game over its last five tilts.

Indianapolis at Tennessee - Dec. 3, 2006 at 1:00 p.m.

The Titans completed a miraculous 21-point comeback in the fourth quarter against the Giants last week, winning on Rob Bironas’ 49-yard field goal. When the run game gets going, as it has the past three games, the Colts are tough to beat. The Titans have one of the NFL’s worst rush defenses, but the 3.6 yards per carry allowed the past three games is a nice improvement.
Young played his finest game as a pro last week, setting career bests in passing and rushing yards and showing immense poise and outrageous scrambling skills with his back against the wall. Young might be working against a Colts secondary with two injured safeties.

Kansas City at Cleveland - Dec. 3, 2006 at 1:00 p.m.

The Chiefs have designs on a playoff berth after a win vs. Denver. Frye played terribly vs. the Bengals, throwing four interceptions, and he’s playing for his job in the weeks to come. The rest of the offense is also struggling. The Chiefs are 2-3 on the road this season, and QB Trent Green hasn’t yet rounded into form after missing much of the first half of the season with a concussion. Kansas City has leaned on RB Larry Johnson, who is on pace to tie the NFL record for carries in a season and is showing no signs of wearing down. The Browns slowed Bengals RB Rudi Johnson in Week 12, holding him to 65 yards on 25 carries, but Cleveland’s secondary had no answers for Bengals QB Carson Palmer.

Minnesota at Chicago - Dec. 3, 2006 at 1:00 p.m.

Minnesota’s run-first approach would seem to threaten a Chicago defense that had struggled with the run in recent weeks, but the Bears shut down a potent Patriots running game last week. RB Chester Taylor is the Vikings’ No. 1 offensive weapon, but a wrist injury has landed him on the injury report. No one has run on the Vikings this season, including Thomas Jones, who managed only 54 yards on them in Week Three. Cedric Benson is gradually beginning to get more touches and may spell Jones occasionally. Ironically, while the Bears may be tempted to tighten the leash on turnover-prone Rex Grossman, this week represents an opportunity for him to get healthy. The Vikings rank 31st vs. the pass.

NY Jets at Green Bay - Dec. 3, 2006 at 1:00 p.m.

The Jets launched its run through a soft second-half schedule with a 26-11 win over Houston, while Green Bay couldn’t pull off an upset despite once having a two-score lead in Seattle.
For the first time since Week Two, Chad Pennington took the Jets over 200 passing yards and pushed both Laveranues Coles and Jerricho Cotchery over the 100-yard mark. With the suspect Packers secondary on tap, the game plan should be similar. The Pack failed to run the ball effectively without ORT Mark Tauscher (groin), and even though he’s expected to sit again, nine teams have run the ball for at least 125 yards against the Jets this season.

San Diego at Buffalo - Dec. 3, 2006 at 1:00 p.m.

The entire Chargers offense looked out of sync for most of the first three quarters against Oakland, and Philip Rivers never really got into a rhythm, completing only 14-of-31 passes. But in the end, the Chargers were rescued by a couple of big plays from MVP candidate LaDainian Tomlinson. The Bills have had a difficult time closing off running lanes all season, but especially lately, which isn’t a good sign considering the vision and sharp cuts of Tomlinson.
Bills RB Willis McGahee returned last week from a rib injury that had cost him more than two games, and he scored twice to spearhead Buffalo’s ground game.

San Francisco at New Orleans - Dec. 3, 2006 at 1:00 p.m.

The loss of leading receiver Marques Colston to an ankle injury did little to slow down the Saints’ offense in Week 12. QB Drew Brees (21-of-30 passing, 349 yards, two TDs) threw for more than 300 yards for the fifth straight game. San Francisco could be in trouble this week if RB Frank Gore is limited by a leg injury he suffered in Week 12. Gore’s X-rays were negative and revealed he had two bruises on his left leg, one above his ankle and one below his knee. Gore, who has run for more than 100 yards in four of the past five games, has been the focus of the 49ers’ offense this season.

Houston at Oakland - Dec. 3, 2006 at 4:05 p.m.

Houston allows opponents to complete 63.5 percent of their pass attempts and rush for 116.3 yards per game. However, Houston did limit the Jets to 27 yards rushing on 26 carries in Week 12.
The Texans’ offense is a work in progress. RBs Wali Lundy and Samkon Gado combined for 15 yards on 11 carries vs. the Jets, which forced Houston to abandon the ground game and put the game on QB David Carr’s shoulders. While Carr is an improved passer, asking him to throw 54 times is too much to ask. Oakland is the league’s toughest defense vs. the pass.

Jacksonville at Miami - Dec. 3, 2006 at 4:05 p.m.

The Dolphins have struggled running the ball, and without Ronnie Brown (out; broken hand), they’ll likely have to throw the ball more often than usual rather than pounding Sammy Morris against one of the league’s better run-stuffing defenses.
Jaguars rookie RB Maurice Jones-Drew has been a pleasant surprise this year and has combined with Fred Taylor to become a formidable 1-2 punch. Since Byron Leftwich has gone to the bench, the Jaguars have become more of a running team, especially with their receivers dropping too many balls. They will need to get rid of the ball quickly when they do pass vs. a Dolphins pass rush that created eight sacks last week.

Dallas at NY Giants - Dec. 3, 2006 at 4:15 p.m.

The Cowboys, who were hot-and-cold offensively with Drew Bledsoe at quarterback, have been sparked by the move to Romo. This game could decide the NFC East. The Eagles, at 5-6 and without Donovan McNabb, appear to be out of the race. Several of the Giants’ injured players — including outspoken Michael Strahan, who has called out Plaxico Burress for his lack of hustle, have been targeting this game to come back and could be available.

Tampa Bay at Pittsburgh - Dec. 3, 2006 at 4:15 p.m.

Both the Buccaneers and the Steelers are coming off their worst losses of the season. The Buccaneers surrendered a season-high 38 points to the Cowboys on Thanksgiving Day, and the Steelers were shut out for the second time this season, 27-0 by the Ravens.
The Steelers’ offense needs to show a dramatic improvement against a Buccaneers defense playing without DE Simeon Rice (out for the year with a shoulder injury). The Steelers need to get the running game going against Tampa after RB Willie Parker carried the ball 10 times for only 22 yards last week.

Seattle at Denver - Dec. 3, 2006 at 8:15 p.m.

Seattle has received a boost from the recent return of Matt Hasselbeck and Shaun Alexander, but its offensive line is beat up. The Broncos, having played on Thanksgiving, will have three extra days to prepare — a huge advantage for an offensive wizard like Shanahan. On the other hand, the Seahawks will have one fewer day than usual to prepare following a Monday-night victory over Green Bay and will be entering the thin air at Mile High Stadium.

Carolina at Philadelphia - Dec. 4, 2006 at 8:30 p.m.

After two strong offensive performances, the Panthers were held to 264 yards — only 34 by Steve Smith — by a Redskins defense that had struggled for the better part of two months. The key for the Panthers is to get the run game going. When they get running downhill, they are very hard to stop. The Eagles have turned soft vs. the run, allowing at least 146 yards rushing in each of the past four games, including three 200-yard-plus games vs. the Titans, Jaguars and Colts.