Week 16 Stats , Trends , Notes : ...

[Kramer]

STATS FOR THE YEAR
HOME 115 AWAY 109

FAV 115 VS DOGS 101... 8 TIES
LAST TWO WEEKS FAV ARE 22-10 VS ATS

OVER 120 VS UNDER 104





Dallas at Carolina
DAL 2nd OFF; CAR 12th DEF
DAL 13th RUN; CAR 17th VS. RUN
DAL 4th PASS; CAR 13th VS. PASS
DAL 2nd PTS; CAR 17th PTS ALLOWED
CAR 29th OFF; DAL 8th DEF
CAR 15th RUN; DAL 4th VS. RUN
CAR 28th PASS; DAL 15th VS. PASS
CAR 27th PTS; DAL 13th PTS ALLOWED
DAL 10th TO/TA; CAR 13th TO/TA


DAL has won last 6 regular season games vs. CAR.
DAL QB Tony Romo had a career-low 22.2 QB rating last week in a loss to PHI.
DAL was 1-for-13 on 3rd-down conversions last week vs. PHI.
DAL has had at least 1 sack in every game this season.
CAR has won 2 of its last 3 games.
CAR QB Matt Moore was 19-for-27 for 208 yards in his first career start last week, a 13-10 win over SEA.
CAR QB Matt Moore did not throw an INT last week, ending the team’s 7-game streak of throwing at least 1 INT.
Sunday's setback snapped a seven-game win streak for Dallas, which can still secure the conference's No. 1 seed with a victory over the Panthers coupled with a loss by Green Bay to Chicago on Sunday.
Carolina is still in the hunt for one of the NFC's two Wild Card berths,
albeit barely.

In order to make the playoffs, the 6-8 Panthers will need to win their final two regular-season games and have Minnesota lose their last pair, plus Washington has to drop next weekend's matchup with Dallas and New Orleans has to fall in one of its two remaining contests.
The Panthers remained alive in the chase with last Sunday's 13-10 upset of NFC West champ Seattle, fueled by an impressively efficient day from rookie quarterback Matt Moore.

The 23-year-old completed 19-of-27 passes for 208 yards and no interceptions in his NFL starting debut.
Moore may be a relative unknown around the league, but the Cowboys are quite familiar with the youngster's talents. He signed with Dallas as an undrafted free agent in the spring and spent training camp and preseason with the club before being released during the final roster cuts.

Moore was then promptly claimed off waivers by Carolina
Dallas can clinch homefield advantage throughout the NFC playoffs with a win and a Green Bay loss at Chicago on Sunday..
.Panthers are still alive for playoffs but would need to win out and have Vikings, Redskins, and Saints lose out..
.Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo expected to play after injuring thumb in last week's 10-6 loss to Philadelphia...Romo defeated Carolina, 35-14, in his first career start last season...
Rookie Matt Moore expected to make second straight start at quarterback for Carolina after engineering last week's 13-10 win over NFC West Champion Seattle...
Cowboys had a league-high 11 players named to the Pro Bowl on Tuesday...
Dallas running back Marion Barber (871 yards) is 129 yards shy of his first career 1,000-yard season...
Cowboys safety Roy Williams will miss game after being suspended for one week following third "horse-collar" tackle of the season last week...
Carolina has recorded an NFL-low 19 sacks on the season.
The Cowboys are 6-1 in regular season games against the Panthers, including 3-0 in games played in Charlotte

the Panthers notched their only such win against the Cowboys at Texas Stadium in 1997.
Dallas was a 35-14 winner at Bank of America Stadium last season, in a game that, as mentioned,

marked the first career start for Romo. Dallas is 3-0 in regular season games played in Charlotte.
Cowboys head coach Wade Phillips is 1-0 in his career against the Panthers, with that win coming for his Buffalo Bills team in 1998. The Panthers' John Fox is 2-3 in his career against Dallas, and will be meeting Phillips for the first time as a head coach.





The Cowboys are 10-4 vs. the number, including 4-2 on the road. … Dallas has covered its last five night games and has covered its last six night contests on the road. …



The Cowboys have covered one of their last 10 games as a road favorite of more than seven points and have covered their second-to-last road contests two of the last 12 seasons. … Dallas has covered its last six, and eight of its previous nine, non-Monday night games and has covered the first of consecutive road contests its last four times. … The Cowboys last seven road games have all gone over the total. …

The Panthers are 6-8 vs. the spread, including 2-5 at home. … Carolina has covered consecutive home games and has covered its last six contests as a home dog of more than seven points. … The Panthers have failed to cover their last six regular-season games vs. NFC East squads and are 1-6-1 against the number in their last eight regular-season night contests. … Carolina has failed to cover its final home game the last four seasons.

DAL is 4-2 ATS L6 vs. CAR... DAL is 6-2 ATS L8 road games... DAL is 11-4 ATS L15 off a division game... DAL is 6-0 to the OVER L6 road games... DAL is 14-5 to the OVER L19 games played on a grass field... CAR is 2-7 ATS L9 home games... CAR is 2-8 ATS *** games played on a grass field... CAR is 1-5 ATS L6 vs. NFC East... CAR is 8-3 to the UNDER L11... CAR is 5-1 to the UNDER L6 home games... CAR is 4-1 to the OVER L5 vs. DAL.


Dallas has flopped at a 20-10-1 clip as double-digit favorites.
The Cowboys are 1-7 ATS in their last eight on the road against a non-division foe.
Carolina is 15-6 ATS after scoring 14 points or less in back-to-back games.
The Panthers are 6-2 as home dogs of more than five points.
However, they have failed to get the cheese in 11 of 13 ATS when facing teams from the NFC-East. Carolina has knuckled 'under' in 19 of 28 after allowing 10 points or less.

CAR IS 6-0 ATS AS UD OF 7.5 TO 14 PTS ...

Cleveland at Cincinnati

CLE 10th OFF; CIN 28th DEF
CLE 14th RUN; CIN 24th VS. RUN
CLE 11th PASS; CIN 24th VS. PASS
CLE 5th PTS; CIN 26th PTS ALLOWED
CIN 7th OFF; CLE 32nd DEF
CIN 23rd RUN; CLE 28th VS. RUN
CIN 5th PASS; CLE 29th VS. PASS
CIN 13th PTS; CLE 29th PTS ALLOWED
CIN 10th TO/TA; CLE 16th TO/TA


CIN has averaged 36.3 points in its last 3 vs. CLE.
CIN has notched only 20 sacks this season.
CIN has scored only one TD in each of its last 3 games.
The teams combined for 96 points when they played in Week Two (CLE won, 51-45).
CLE RB Jamal Lewis has rushed for 281 yards in his last two games.
CLE QB Derek Anderson and CIN QB Carson Palmer combined to throw 11 TD passes when the teams played in Week Two.

The Steelers are only a half-game ahead of the 9-5 Browns in the AFC North, but, by virtue of sweeping the Browns, can clinch the division title if Cleveland loses at Cincinnati on Sunday
Cleveland last won division and/or hosted a playoff game in 1994..
It doesn't get any more simple for the Cleveland Browns this week. Win against the rival Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday, and they will be in the playoffs for the first time since 2002.

It will be a tough game on the road at Paul Brown Stadium for the Browns against a Bengals team “that has nothing to lose”.
Cleveland, which won a 51-45 shootout versus its AFC North rival in Week 2, inched closer to the postseason with an 8-0 win over Buffalo in the snow last weekend. Tennessee also won and is just a game behind Cleveland for the final postseason berth in the AFC.

If the Browns lose to Cincinnati and the Titans win their last two games,
Tennessee will move on by virtue of a better record against common opponents.
If both teams lose, Cleveland gets the postseason nod

Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer said this week that he and his teammates have nothing to lose in Sunday's Battle of Ohio. Palmer made it clear that Cincinnati will not lay down against a Cleveland team trying to make the playoffs by winning a game on the road.
Cincy will finish with a record below .500 for the 12th time over the last 17 years.

Expect Palmer and wide receiver Chad Johnson to come out with some extra intensity after both getting snubbed for the Pro Bowl. Palmer had an outside chance to make the AFC roster, but Johnson did enough for a trip to Hawaii.
The all-time series between Cleveland and Cincinnati is knotted at 34-34, with the Browns evening the mark by virtue of the above-mentioned 51-45 home win in Week 2. That win halted the Bengals' five-game winning streak in the series, which included a home-and-home sweep last year. The Browns, who will be going for their first sweep of the Bengals since 2002, are 0-3 in Cincinnati since last winning there in 2003


.Browns wideout Braylon Edwards needs one touchdown catch to set franchise single-season record in that category, established by Gary Collins in 1963...Bengals receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh leads the NFL with 101 receptions, also a Cincinnati franchise record...



Cleveland tight end Kellen Winslow (971 yards) is on the verge of his first career 1,000-yard season...
Browns are last in NFL total defense (378.4 yards per game), and are tied with the Lions for most passing touchdowns allowed (27)...The Browns' Joshua Cribbs leads the league in kickoff return average (30.9)...Edwards, Houshmandzadeh, and Cribbs were all named to the AFC Pro Bowl squad on Tuesday




The Browns are 11-3 against the spread, including 5-2 on the road. …
Cleveland has covered eight of its last nine, and 11 of its previous 13, games and has covered five of its last six contests vs. AFC North rivals. …

The Browns have covered their last seven, and nine of their previous 10, contests as a favorite and have covered their last five games as a road favorite. …

The Bengals are 5-9 vs. the number, including 3-4 at home. … Cincy has failed to cover its last three, and eight of its previous 11, games overall and has failed to cover its last seven, and 16 of its previous 21, contests as a home dog. …
The Bengals have covered 15 of their last 44 games as a home dog and have covered nine of their last 33 contests as a home dog of seven points or fewer. … Cincy has failed to cover its final home game the last four seasons.
Cleveland upset Cincinnati in the initial clash this season as six-point road dogs, 51-45. The favorite had cashed in 10 of the previous 14 series encounters. The Browns are 7-0 as chalk this season. The Bengals are 1-10 ATS versus good offensive teams-scoring 24 or more points per game. They are 23-42 as home dogs of seven points or less.


CLE is 2-4 ATS L6 vs. CIN... CLE is 11-3 ATS L14... CLE is 7-0 ATS L7 games as a favorite... CLE is 9-2 ATS L11 vs. AFC... CLE is 10-4 to the OVER L14... CLE is 12-5 to the UNDER L17 games when playing against a team with a losing record... CIN is 7-15-1 ATS L23 home games... CIN is 5-9 ATS L14 games as an underdog... CIN is 0-5 ATS L5 home games where the total is between 42.5 and 45 points... CIN is 7-3 to the UNDER *** home games... CIN is 4-2 to the OVER L6 home games vs. CLE.

CLEV IS 9-2 ATS VS CONF OPP THIS YR

Green Bay at Chicago

GB 3rd OFF; CHI 29th DEF
GB 28th RUN; CHI 25th VS. RUN
GB 2nd PASS; CHI 26th VS. PASS
GB 4th PTS; CHI 20th PTS ALLOWED
CHI 22nd OFF; GB 11th DEF
CHI 30th RUN; GB 15th VS. RUN
CHI 14th PASS; GB 14th VS. PASS
CHI 22nd PTS; GB 6th PTS ALLOWED
GB 9th TO/TA; CHI 20th TO/TA



GB earned a first-round playoff bye for the first time since 1997 last week.
GB is 6-1 on the road this season.
GB QB Brett Favre needs 4 TD passes in the last 2 games to add to his record of throwing 30 or more in nine seasons.
GB QB Brett Favre has won 13 of 15 career games in Soldier Field.
CHI QB Kyle Orton was 6-for-17 for 68 yards and 1 INT in his only career game vs. GB, a 19-7 CHI win.
Entering Week 15, CHI had rushed for more than 83 yards just three times this season.

Packers can assume control of No. 1 spot in the NFC with a win and a Dallas loss at Carolina on Saturday night...Bears were 27-20 winners at Green Bay in Week 5...
(NOTE THE SCORE WAS BY 7 , SPREAD IS 9)
Chicago's Lovie Smith is 5-2 (.714) in his career against the Packers, after predecessors Dick Jauron (2-8) and Dave Wannstedt (1-11) went a combined 3-19 from 1993 through 2003

>WAIT AND SEE WHAT HAPPENS SAT NIGHT GAME :
IF DALLAS WINS , WHY BET AN EXTRA TD ON THIS GAME , WHAT DO THE PACKERS PLAY FOR?
Last week's defeat of St. Louis guaranteed Green Bay a first-round bye.
Leading the way for the resurgent Pack is quarterback Brett Favre, who endured yet another soul-searching interlude and its requisite inquisitions before returning to unleash his best performance since the Super Bowl years of the 1990s.
Now 38, Favre enters the week among the NFC's leaders in all passing categories, including yards (3,905), touchdowns (26) and QB rating (97.7).
"He's a once-in-a-lifetime player," coach Mike McCarthy said. "He'll go down as one of the greatest or the greatest player in the history of the National Football League.
"But just the way he goes about his business I think speaks volumes about him as a person. He's a joy to coach, he's a big part of our success this year as he's been throughout his whole career, and you love to see him just keep breaking these records."

Chicago holds a 88-79-6 advantage in the series, which dates back to the 1921 season, including a 27-20 win at Lambeau Field when the teams met in Week 5. The road team has now won the last three games in the series, including Green Bay's 26-7 triumph at Soldier Field in Week 17 of last season. Chicago will be going for its first home-and-home sweep of its longtime rival since 2005.
For all their storied history together, the teams have met just once in the postseason, a 33-14 Bears victory in a 1941 NFL Playoff.
Chicago's Lovie Smith is 5-2 versus the Packers as a head coach, while Green Bay's McCarthy is 1-2 against both Smith and Chicago.

Kyle Orton will make second straight start at quarterback for Chicago, after presiding over 20-13 loss at Minnesota on Monday night...Bears are last in the league in rushing offense (78.4) and yards per carry (3.1)...Chicago receiver Bernard Berrian (906 yards) trying to become Bears' first 1,000-yard receiver since Marty Booker in 2002...


Green Bay rookie kicker Mason Crosby leads the NFL in scoring (130 points)...Bears have a league-high five kick returns for touchdowns this year (3 punt, 2 kickoff), all by Devin Hester...Packers named to the Pro Bowl on Tuesday were quarterback Brett Favre, wideout Donald Driver, defensive end Aaron Kampman and cornerback Al Harris...Hester, linebacker Lance Briggs, defensive tackle Tommie Harris, and special teamer Brendon Ayanbadejo were the Bears named Pro Bowlers



The Packers are 11-2-1 vs. the spread, including 6-1 on the road. … Green Bay has covered seven of its last eight games and is 14-3-1 against the number in its last 18 contests overall. … The Packers have covered eight of their last nine road games and are 9-1-1 against the spread in their last 11 road contests. … Green Bay is 8-1-1 against the spread in their last 10 games on grass but has failed to cover its last five games as a road favorite of more than seven points. … The Packers have covered their last five road games vs. NFC North rivals, and their last five games have all gone over the total. …

The Bears are 5-9 vs. the spread, including 1-5 at home. … Chicago has covered one of its last eight regular-season home games and has failed to cover its last six contests following a cover in its previous game, including playoffs. … The Bears have failed to cover both meetings in a year vs. the Packers the last eight seasons (covered previous meeting in Week Five). … Chicago has covered seven of its last nine, and 12 of its previous 18, games as a home dog of between 3.5 and seven points.

Green Bay has won 13 of 15 and cashed 11 of its last 15 at Chicago. The Packers will be out for revenge after dropping the first series test as 3 1/2-point road dogs, 27-20. The favorite has cashed at a 9-4-1 clip in the last 14 battle between these old rivals. The 'over' has cashed in 24 of the last 35 meetings. However, the Bears have ducked 'under' in eight of 10 as division home dogs

GB is 7-1 ATS L8... GB is 8-1 ATS L9 road games... GB is 5-1 ATS L6 games when playing against a team with a losing record... GB is 7-1 to the OVER L8 games after 2 or more consecutive wins... GB is 5-2 to the OVER L7 road games...

CHI is 1-7 ATS L8 home games vs. GB... CHI is 1-6 ATS L7 home games... CHI is 14-5 ATS L19 games as a home underdog of 3.5 to 7 points... CHI is 13-5 to the OVER L18 home games... CHI is 12-6 to the OVER L18 home games vs. GB.
GB IS 11-4 ATS IN CHI

Houston at Indianapolis
HOU 11th OFF; IND 2nd DEF
HOU 22nd RUN; IND 18th VS. RUN
HOU 9th PASS; IND 1st VS. PASS
HOU 14th PTS; IND 3rd PTS ALLOWED
IND 4th OFF; HOU 19th DEF
IND 17th RUN; HOU 20th VS. RUN
IND 6th PASS; HOU 18th VS. PASS
IND 3rd PTS; HOU 19th PTS ALLOWED
IND 3rd TO/TA; HOU 28th TO/TA



IND RB Joseph Addai has averaged 48.8 rushing yards in his last 4 games. He hasn’t rushed for 100 yards or more since Week Nine.
IND WR Anthony Gonzalez has caught 13-220-3 in his last 2 games.
IND has averaged 35.7 points in its last 7 games vs. HOU.
HOU is averaging 27.7 points in Sage Rosenfels’ starts.
Rosenfels has 12 TD passes in 7 games.
IND has “quietly” won 12 games or more in the last 5 seasons


>>>The Indianapolis Colts have locked up a division title, the No. 2 seed in the AFC playoffs and a first-round postseason bye. Now all that's left are two meaningless games on the regular-season schedule beginning with the Houston Texans, who are slated to visit the RCA Dome on Sunday afternoon
The Colts are 10-1 all-time against the Texans, including a 30-24 road win in Houston in Week 3. The Texans scored their only victory in the series with a 27-24 win at Reliant Stadium in Week 16 of last season, and are 0-5 in Indianapolis all-time. The Colts were 43-24 winners when the clubs met at the RCA Dome in 2006.
The Texans, who never have been .500 so late in the season, may be without quarterback Matt Schaub again due to an injured left shoulder. The right- handed signal caller has missed the last two weeks, but backup Sage Rosenfels has been making a case for starting duties.


Rosenfels has five touchdown passes over his last three games, including a three-TD performance against Tampa Bay on December 9.
The Colts are playing for nothing while the Texans are playing for their first winning season...

Texans quarterback Sage Rosenfels, subbing for the injured Matt Schaub (shoulder), will try to move to 4-0 as a starter this season... Indianapolis wide receiver Marvin Harrison (knee) unlikely to return during the regular season...
Colts have lost a league-low three fumbles on the season...Texans defensive end Mario Williams is second in the league with 13 sacks, seven of which have come in his last three games...
Indianapolis has given up a league-high three touchdowns off of kickoff returns...Colts are No. 1 in the league in passing defense (162.4 yards per game).....
Colts named to the AFC Pro Bowl squad on Tuesday were quarterback Peyton Manning, running back Joseph Addai, wide receiver Reggie Wayne, center Jeff Saturday, and safety Bob Sanders...
Linebacker DeMeco Ryans was the only Texan named to the squad.



The Texans are 7-7 against the number, including 2-5 on the road. … Houston has covered one of its last six road games and has covered one of its last seven road contests when sandwiched between two home games. … The Texans have covered four of their last six contests and have covered three of their four games earlier this season following a double-digit win. …


Houston has covered its final road game one of the last five seasons, and the last five meetings between these teams have gone over the total. …


The Colts are 8-6 against the spread, including 4-2 at home. …

Indy has covered two of its last six games, including failing to cover its last two home contests. …

The Colts have covered one of their last eight games vs. AFC South rivals and have covered two of the last six, and three of the previous nine, meetings with the Texans.
HOU is 4-2 ATS L6 vs. IND... HOU is 1-5 ATS L6 road games... HOU is 8-4 ATS L12 Dec. games... HOU is 5-0 to the OVER L5 vs. IND... HOU is 12-4 to the OVER L16 vs. AFC South... HOU is 7-1 to the OVER L8 dome games... IND is 6-2 ATS L8 home games... IND is 21-10 ATS L31 after 2 or more consecutive wins... IND is 3-8 ATS L11 Dec. games... IND is 6-3 to the UNDER L9... IND is 4-1 to the OVER L5 home games vs. HOU.








IND IS 13-25-2 ATS AS DIV HOME FAV

Kansas City at Detroit
KC 31st OFF; DET 31st DEF
KC 31st RUN; DET 21st VS. RUN
KC 23rd PASS; DET 31st VS. PASS
KC 30th PTS; DET 32nd PTS ALLOWED
DET 15th OFF; KC 15th DEF
DET 32nd RUN; KC 26th VS. RUN
DET 7th PASS; KC 8th VS. PASS
DET 15th PTS; KC 15th PTS ALLOWED
DET 16th TO/TA; KC 28th TO/TA


DET has lost 6 straight after starting out 6-2.
The 51 points DET gave up last week were the most it has surrendered in a game since yielding 58 to the Eagles in the wild-card round of the 1995 playoffs.
DET was outgained 274 to 26 by SD on the ground last week.
KC has lost 7 straight after starting out 4-3.
KC is 1-2 vs. the NFC in 2007.
KC RB Kolby Smith has rushed for at least 82 yards in 3 of the 4 games he has started

Lions have lost six straight since a 6-2 start, while Chiefs have dropped seven in a row after opening 4-3...Loss for Kansas City would give team its longest losing streak during a single-season since 1987 team lost nine in a row...Lions last lost seven in a row in 2006...Chiefs quarterback Brodie Croyle looks for first win in five NFL starts...Detroit has allowed a league-high 52 sacks on the season...Lions placed wide receiver Roy Williams (knee) on season-ending injured reserve Wednesday...
Chiefs running back Larry Johnson (foot) expected to practice this week after missing the last six games...
Detroit is last in the league in scoring defense (27.9 points per game), touchdowns allowed (49), and is tied for last in passing TDs allowed (27) along with Cleveland..
.Chiefs tight end Tony Gonzalez (971 yards) is on the verge of his third career 1,000-yard season, while wideout Dwayne Bowe (885 yards) is approaching his first...Lions have forced a league-high-tying 17 lost fumbles on the year, along with the Buccaneers...


Gonzalez and defensive end Jared Allen were the Chiefs named to the AFC Pro Bowl squad on Tuesday.
Gonzalez has been great, but how many big catches has he really made for the 4-10 Chiefs?
I think “ has been” is the key word...
Sometimes fans vote based on names , not on production ,...
If the Lions don’t fire Millen this year , something must be up ...

The Lions' eight losses this season have come by an average of 20.4 points each.
If they can’t beat this offense , start from scratch and rebuild ...

As bad as it has been for the Lions, the Chiefs have had things worse.
Kansas City has lost seven in a row since beating the Raiders to move to 4-3 way back on Oct. 21st, clinching the proud franchise's second double-digit- loss season in the last 18 years.


The seven-game skid is the longest since the Chiefs dropped nine in a row in 1987, though three of those defeats were earned largely by replacement players during a strike year.



Kansas City has now matched its longest losing streak in a non-strike year, with the previous seven-game skein coming in 1985.
Only the Baltimore Ravens, who have lost eight in a row, have a current losing streak longer than that of the Chiefs.

The Chiefs have a 7-3 edge in their all-time series with the Lions, and have won four in a row against Detroit since the Lions scored a 7-6 win at Arrowhead Stadium in 1988. Kansas City was a 45-17 home winner when the clubs last met, in 2003, and took a 28-24 decision when it last visited Detroit, in 1996. The Lions last won a home game in the series in 1981.


Kansas City head coach Herm Edwards is 1-0 in his career against the Detroit, with that win coming for his New York Jets on the road in 2002. The Lions' Marinelli, who once served on the same staff as Edwards in Tampa Bay, will be meeting both his former co-worker and the Chiefs for the first time as a head coach.

The Chiefs are 5-8-1 vs. the number, including 4-2 on the road. … Kansas City has failed to cover its last four, and six of its previous seven, games overall. … The Chiefs are 1-4-1 vs. the spread their last six times while playing the first of consecutive road contests. … The Lions are 6-7-1 against the number, including 4-2-1 at home. … Detroit has covered one of its last six games but is 2-0-1 against the spread this season as a favorite. …

The Lions have covered five of their last six games after surrendering 41 or more points in their previous outing and are 5-0-1 vs. the number their last six times while playing a home game sandwiched between two road contests. … Detroit’s last four, and six of their previous seven, games have gone over the total.

KC is 5-1 ATS L6 vs. DET... KC is 1-7 ATS L8 as an underdog of 3.5 to 9.5 points... KC is 10-5 ATS L15 games where the total is between 42.5 and 49 points... KC is 7-2 to the UNDER L9 road games... KC is 5-1 to the OVER L6 when playing against a team with a losing record...

DET is 1-5 ATS L6... DET is 16-31 ATS L47 games as a favorite of 3.5 to 9.5 points... DET is 7-4 ATS L11 vs. AFC... DET is 6-1 to the OVER L7... DET is 5-1 to the OVER L6 vs. KC.
Detroit has dropped six straight and failed to cash five of six. Kansas City has lost seven in a row (1-6 ATS). The Lions are 0-7 ATS when facing teams with a losing record in the second half of the season. They are also 16-31 as favorites of between 3 1/2 and 9 1/2 points. Detroit has 'covered' 11 of 12 at home after five or more consecutive losses.

DET IS 10-60 ATS WHEN THEY LOSE S/U AT HOME

Miami at New England
MIA 28th OFF; NE 4th DEF
MIA 20th RUN; NE 10th VS. RUN
MIA 25th PASS; NE 5th VS. PASS
MIA 26th PTS; NE 4th PTS ALLOWED
NE 1st OFF; MIA 20th DEF
NE 12th RUN; MIA 32nd VS. RUN
NE 1st PASS; MIA 4th VS. PASS
NE 1st PTS; MIA 31st PTS ALLOWED
NE 1st TO/TA; MIA 28th TO/TA



NE QB Tom Brady failed to throw a TD last week for the first time this season. He needs 5 to break IND QB Peyton Manning’s single-season record.
NE QB Tom Brady threw a career-high 6 TDs when he played MIA in Week 7.
NE RB Laurence Maroney carried the ball a career-high 26 times last week.
NE’s 265 total yards last week were a season low.
NE has won 17 straight regular-season games, the second-longest streak in franchise history.
MIA ended its franchise-longest 16-game losing streak by beating BAL last week.
MIA QB Cleo Lemon threw for a career-high 315 yards last week.


Patriots and 1972 Dolphins are the only teams in NFL history to start 14-0...
Dolphins were the last team to beat New England in the regular season, taking them down 21-0 last Dec. 10...


New England quarterback Tom Brady (45 touchdown passes) is four behind Peyton Manning for the NFL single-season passing touchdowns record, and also leads the NFL in passing yards (4235) and passer rating (119.7)...Patriots wideout Randy Moss leads the league in receiving yards (1343) and touchdowns (19), and is three back of Jerry Rice for the NFL record for single-season touchdown receptions...
New England ranks No. 1 in the league in total offense (413.6 yards per game), passing offense (298.6 yards per game), and scoring offense (37.4 points per game), and is 33 points shy of the league single-season mark for points, set by the 1998 Minnesota Vikings with 556...

New England (67 touchdowns) is three back of the 1984 Dolphins for the most TDs in an NFL single-season...Pats have also committed the fewest turnovers in the league (11), and are tied with San Diego at the top of the league in turnover margin (+19)...Dolphins are last in the NFL against the run (155.9 yards per game), and have a league-low 17 takeaways.


***In six of the last seven years, the team that has won the front end of the Dolphins/Patriots home-and-home has lost the return matchup***

As an encore, the Dolphins will only try to pull off one of the monumental upsets in NFL history, as well as attempting to maintain the '72 Miami team's legacy as the only one to go unbeaten throughout the regular season and playoffs.
Win number 14 did not come easy for the Patriots last week, as New England failed to put the finishing touches on a 20-10 triumph over the three-win Jets until the final stages of the game.
Patriots quarterback Tom Brady failed to throw a touchdown pass for the first time this season, also tossing for a season-low 140 yards on a windy and cold day in Foxborough.
The 20 points were a season-low for Bill Belichick's club, which nonetheless clinched homefield advantage throughout the AFC portion of the playoffs with the win.



The Dolphins are 4-8-2 vs. the spread, including 2-3-2 on the road. … Miami has failed to cover three of its last four road games and is 3-7-1 against the number in its last 10 contests on artificial turf. … The Dolphins are 0-6-1 against the spread in their last seven, and 1-9-1 vs. the number in their previous 11, games vs. AFC East rivals. … Miami has covered its last five games as a road dog of more than 10 points and has covered its final home contest the last four seasons. …

The Patriots are 10-4 vs. the spread, including 5-2 at home. … New England has covered one of its last four games, including covering one of its previous three home contests. …
The Patriots have covered six of the last seven meetings with the Dolphins at home and have covered their final home contest eight of the last nine seasons.
Miami holds a 47-34 lead in its all-time regular season series with New England, but was a 49-28 home loser when the teams met in Week 7. The Dolphins split home-and-homes with the Patriots in 2004, 2005, and 2006, including a 28-26 win at Gillette Stadium in '05. That victory came in a Week 17 game during which New England rested many of its starters in preparation for the playoffs. The Pats last swept a home-and-home over the Fins in 2003.



MIA is 3-7 ATS *** vs. NE... MIA is 4-8-2 ATS L14... MIA is 2-14 ATS L16 vs. AFC East... MIA is 5-1 to the UNDER L6 road games where the total is between 45.5 and 49 points... MIA is 7-3 to the OVER *** vs. AFC East... NE is 6-1 ATS L7 vs. MIA... NE is 2-4 ATS L6 NE is 7-2 ATS L9 home games... NE is 15-5 to the OVER L20... NE is 8-2 to the OVER *** home games.
MIA IS 9-24 ATS IN DEC DIV GAMES

New York Giants at Buffalo

NYG 17th OFF; BUF 30th DEF
NYG 6th RUN; BUF 22nd VS. RUN
NYG 17th PASS; BUF 28th VS. PASS
NYG 16th PTS; BUF 16th PTS ALLOWED
BUF 30th OFF; NYG 7th DEF
BUF 16th RUN; NYG 12th VS. RUN
BUF 29th PASS; NYG 11th VS. PASS
BUF 25th PTS; NYG 14th PTS ALLOWED
BUF 7th TO/TA; NYG 26th TO/TA



NYG has recorded an NFL-leading 49 sacks, 29 more than BUF (20).
NYG hasn’t eclipsed 21 points in 7 straight games after doing it 5 times in the first 7 games.
NYG is 2-0 vs. the AFC in 2007.
BUF QB Trent Edwards failed to throw a TD last week after tossing 4 in Week 14.



BUF RB Marshawn Lynch has rushed for 189 yards the last 2 games.
BUF’s defense held CLE QB Derek Anderson to 9-of-24 passing last week.
Giants will clinch a playoff berth with a win or losses for the Redskins (at Minnesota) and Saints (vs. Philadelphia)...Bills were eliminated from playoff contention in last week's snow-plagued 8-0 loss to Cleveland...
New York has won six consecutive road games since losing its season-opener to Dallas...Buffalo has scored just 17 offensive touchdowns on the year, tied for last in the league along with Atlanta...
Bills rookie Marshawn Lynch needs 60 yards to top 1,000 for the season...
Giants running back Brandon Jacobs (hamstring) considered questionable for Sunday...



Giants lost tight end Jeremy Shockey for the year with a broken leg suffered in Sunday's 22-10 home loss to the Redskins...
New York wideout Plaxico Burress (935 yards) is 65 yards shy of his fourth career 1,000-yard season...Giants lead the league with 49 sacks in 2007...Buffalo end Aaron Schobel has a sack in three consecutive games..
.The Bills' Roscoe Parrish leads the NFL in punt return average (17.5).
win and the Giants are in the playoffs

New York currently holds the first wild card spot but is just a game up on the 8-6 Vikings, who occupy the final playoff position.

At 7-7, the Bills are trying to post their first season with a record of .500 or better since 2004, when they went 9-7. The club also closes out its home portion of the 2007 schedule this Sunday.



In addition, the team should get a huge emotional boost, as it has been reported that tight end Kevin Everett has been invited by the club to attend the contest in what would be his first appearance at Ralph Wilson Stadium since he suffered a cervical spine fracture while playing special teams in the second half of the team's Week 1 game against Denver.



It was originally feared that Everett might never walk again, but after surgery and rehab, he may just walk onto the field on Sunday.
The Bills have a 6-3 edge in their all-time regular-season series against the Giants, including a 24-7 road win when the teams last met, in 2003. New York won the previous meeting, a 19-17 nail-biter in Buffalo in 1999. The road team has won the last three meetings in the series since a Bills home triumph in 1993.
The most famous meeting between the clubs was Super Bowl XXV in Tampa, won by the Giants, 20-19, when Bills kicker Scott Norwood's game-winning field goal try drifted wide right.


The Giants are 8-6 against the number, including 5-1 on the road. … New York has covered its last five road games and has covered 12 of its previous 16 road contests overall, including playoffs. … The Giants have covered seven of their last nine games as a road favorite and have covered their last five contests after playing the Redskins. …

New York is 1-4-1 against the spread in its last six games vs. AFC East opponents but has covered six of its previous seven road contests when sandwiched between two home games. … The Giants have covered their last four, and are 9-2-1 vs. the number in their previous 12, contests as a favorite of three points or fewer. …

The Bills are 9-5 vs. the spread, including 6-1 at home. … Buffalo is 4-0-1 against the number in its last five games vs. NFC East foes and is 6-0-1 against the spread in its last seven contests as a home dog of three points or less. … The Bills have covered six of their previous eight home games when sandwiched between two road contests but have failed to cover their final home game the last four seasons.

NYG are 4-1 ATS L5 vs. BUF... NYG are 5-1 ATS L6 road games... NYG are 11-6 ATS L17 vs. AFC East... NYG are 12-6 ATS L18 off a division game... NYG are 5-0 to the UNDER L5 road games... NYG are 5-1 to the UNDER L6 vs. BUF... BUF is 6-1 ATS L7 home games... BUF is 6-0 ATS L6 games where the line is +3 to -3... BUF is 12-7 ATS L19 vs. NFC East... BUF is 4-1 to the OVER L5 home games... BUF is 8-4 to the OVER L12 Dec. games.

The New York Giants have 'covered' 10 of their last 12 as underdogs versus teams from the AFC-East. Buffalo has skipped 'under' in 13 of 16 as home favorites of 3 1/2-points or less and in eight of its last 11 home finales. New York has topped the total in nine of 14 as dogs versus an AFC foe.

BUF IS 6-0 ATS IN GAMES _3 TO +3 THIS YEAR

Oakland at Jacksonville
OAK 25th OFF; JAX 14th DEF
OAK 5th RUN; JAX 5th VS. RUN
OAK 30th PASS; JAX 25th VS. PASS
OAK 24th PTS; JAX 7th PTS ALLOWED
JAX 9th OFF; OAK 24th DEF
JAX 2nd RUN; OAK 31st VS. RUN
JAX 18th PASS; OAK 7th VS. PASS
JAX 7th PTS; OAK 21st PTS ALLOWED
JAX 7th TO/TA; OAK 20th TO/TA



OAK had its chances to beat IND last week for its 4th victory but couldn’t hold Peyton Manning down, losing 21-14.
JAX is on the verge of making the playoffs after knocking off PIT, 29-22.
JAX was in the face of Ben Roethlisberger all day last week, notching 5 sacks from its injury-riddled D-line.
JAX RBs Fred Taylor and Maurice Jones-Drew combined for 216 rushing yards against what was a 2nd-ranked PIT run defense.
*** OAK hasn’t won a road game in December since Dec. 8, 2002***(OUCH).
Jaguars can clinch AFC Wild Card berth with a win or a loss by Cleveland (at Cincinnati) or Tennessee (vs. N.Y. Jets)...
Jacksonville received zero Pro Bowl citations when the teams were announced on Tuesday...
(YET THE CHIEFS DID ...)



Jaguars running back Fred Taylor trying to go over 100 rushing yards for a fifth straight week, which would be his longest streak since eclipsing the century mark nine straight times in 2000...
Oakland lost running back Justin Fargas (knee) for the season in last week's 21-14 loss to the Colts, and LaMont Jordan and Dominic Rhodes are expected to share carries in his absence...
Josh McCown expected to start again at quarterback for Oakland, with rookie JaMarcus Russell slated to see time off the bench...
Raiders are surrendering a league-high 4.7 yards per rush, and have allowed an NFL-worst 21 rushing touchdowns and 16 rushes of 20 yards or longer on the season...Punter Shane Lechler was the only Raider named to the AFC Pro Bowl squad...Raiders are visiting Jacksonville for the first time in team history.




The Raiders are 6-8 vs. the number, including 4-3 on the road. … Oakland has covered three of its last four games but has covered two of its last seven contests as a dog of more than 10 points. … The Jaguars are 10-4 vs. the spread, including 4-3 at home. … Jacksonville has covered its last six, and 10 of its previous 12, games, including four of its last five home games. … The Jaguars have covered all three games this season, and eight of their previous 11 contests overall, vs. AFC West opponents but have covered their final home contest one of the last six seasons.

OAK is 6-13 ATS L19... OAK is 2-11 ATS L13 Dec. games... OAK is 1-9 ATS *** games in the last 4 weeks of the regular season... OAK is 4-1 to the OVER L5... OAK is 14-3 to the UNDER L17 games when playing against a team with a winning record... JAC is 4-1 ATS L5 home games... JAC is 5-1 ATS L6 home games where the total is between 38.5 and 42 points... JAC is 8-2 ATS *** vs. AFC... JAC is 9-1 to the OVER *** games in the last 4 weeks of the regular season... JAC is 10-2 to the OVER L12 Dec. games


Jacksonville has been the best bet on the board of late, getting the cheese in its last six trips to the post. The Jaguars have cashed 11 of 14 after playing their last game on the road. Oakland is 2-11 ATS in December. The Raiders have gone 'under' in nine of 10 on the road when facing winning teams and in 22 of 33 as dogs. Jacksonville has zipped 'over' in six straight during the last four weeks of the season.

OAK IS 21-11 ATS AFTER 2 CONSECUTIVE LOSSES


Philadelphia at New Orleans
PHI 8th OFF; NO 27th DEF
PHI 9th RUN; NO 8th VS. RUN
PHI 13th PASS; NO 30th VS. PASS
PHI 19th PTS; NO 18th PTS ALLOWED
NO 5th OFF; PHI 9th DEF
NO 26th RUN; PHI 6th VS. RUN
NO 3rd PASS; PHI 16th VS. PASS
NO 8th PTS; PHI 10th PTS ALLOWED
NO 23rd TO/TA; PHI 20th TO/TA



NO has put itself back into a good spot by beating ARI.
This will be a rematch of the very entertaining playoff game in New Orleans, won by NO, in January.
NO’s 2006 season closed with playoff games against PHI in New Orleans and against CHI at Chicago, which is exactly how their Week 16 and 17 games line up.
NO allowed ARI to gain 4.7 yards per carry last week.

After throwing nine interceptions in the first four games, Drew Brees is completing 71.3 percent of his passes and has six picks in 10 games since.
After throwing 41 times or more in each of the first four games, Brees has topped that mark just three times since then.


Saints are one game behind Minnesota for the final Wild Card berth in the NFC as Week 16 begins..
.Eagles try to avoid second losing season in the last three years...
Saints beat Eagles by identical 27-24 scores in regular season and playoffs last year...New Orleans running back Reggie Bush (knee) could return after a two-game absence...New Orleans has allowed a league-low 12 sacks on the season...

Eagles running back Brian Westbrook leads the NFL with 1,896 yards from scrimmage on the season...Philadelphia receiver Kevin Curtis (970 yards) is 30 yards shy of his first career 1,000-yard season... Eagles linebacker Takeo Spikes (torn rotator cuff) was placed on season-ending injured reserve on Wednesday...



Eagles are the only team in the league without a touchdown off either an interception, fumble, punt, or kickoff return this season...
Westbrook and guard Shawn Andrews were the Eagles named to the NFC Pro Bowl squad on Tuesday, while no New Orleans players made the team.
New Orleans has played 7-4 football since their poor opening stretch, with wins over NFC West Champion Seattle and the likely playoff-bound Jacksonville Jaguars along the way, and still the Saints need two victories and some help to earn the franchise's first back-to-back playoff appearances since 1991-92.
Payton and company sit one game behind 8-6 Minnesota for the final Wild Card berth in the NFC, and even if they beat both the Eagles this week and the Bears in their season finale, will need assistance in the form of one loss for the Vikings (vs. Washington, at Denver) or two for the Giants (at Buffalo, vs. New England) in order to realize their playoff aspirations.

Philadelphia leads the all-time regular season series with New Orleans by a 14-9 margin, and had won the last five matchups between the teams, a streak dating back to 1992, before the Saints' aforementioned 27-24 home triumph in Week 6 of last season. The Eagles' last win in the series came in 2003 at home, and they last won in New Orleans in 2000.



The Eagles are 7-7 against the number, including 5-2 on the road. … Philadelphia has covered its last five road games but has covered one of its last five regular-season contests vs. NFC South opponents. … The Eagles have covered three of their last 11 games following a game at Dallas. … The Saints are 6-8 against the spread, including 2-5 at home. …

New Orleans has covered three of their last four games but has covered one of its previous six times while playing the second of consecutive home contests. … The Saints have covered one of the last four meetings, including playoffs, the last three having gone over the total. …

New Orleans’ last three games, and its last four home contests, have all gone over the total.

PHI is 6-1 ATS L7 vs. NO... PHI is 5-0 ATS L5 road games... PHI is 13-5 ATS L18 off a division game... PHI is 16-4 to the OVER L20 games as an underdog... PHI is 11-7 to the OVER L18 games where the line is +3 to -3... NO is 1-4 ATS L5 home games vs. PHI... NO is 2-8 ATS *** home games... NO is 8-13 ATS L21 games as a favorite... NO is 6-2 to the OVER L8... NO is 7-3 to the OVER *** vs. NFC.

Philadelphia is 14-7 as non-division road dogs and 9-2 overall as pups. The Eagles are also 11-2 ATS off a division game and 23-13-1 ATS in domes. New Orleans is 12-26 ATS in December at home, 28-51 as home chalk and 11-23-1 ATS overall in the Big Easy.

PHI IS 10-3 ATS AFTER NFC EAST GAME

Tampa Bay at San Francisco

TB 19th OFF; SF 22nd DEF
TB 10th RUN; SF 23rd VS. RUN
TB 19th PASS; SF 21st VS. PASS
TB 18th PTS; SF 22nd PTS ALLOWED
SF 32nd OFF; TB 3rd DEF
SF 27th RUN; TB 14th VS. RUN
SF 32nd PASS; TB 2nd VS. PASS
SF 31st PTS; TB 1st PTS ALLOWED
TB 4th TO/TA; SF 31th TO/TA



TB has won 5 of its last 6 games.
TB clinched the NFC South title last week with a 37-3 win over ATL.
TB RB Earnest Graham has rushed for at least 1 TD in each of the last 6 games.
SF RB Frank Gore rushed for 138 yards last week vs. CIN, just the second time he has rushed for more than 88 yards this season.
SF QB Shaun Hill has been in the league for six seasons, but will be playing in just his fourth career game vs. TB.
SF has allowed more than 100 yards rushing in 10 of 14 games this season.


NFC South champion Buccaneers currently occupy the No. 4 spot in the NFC Playoffs, just behind the similarly 9-5 Seahawks...
Tampa Bay quarterback Jeff Garcia will face the team for which he played from 1999 through 2003 for the first time...
Shaun Hill, who presided over last Saturday's 20-13 upset of the Bengals, to make his second straight start at QB for San Francisco...49ers are last in the league in total offense (242.8 yards per game) and passing offense (152.2 yards per game)...Buccaneers have thrown a league-low six interceptions on the season...
Running backs Frank Gore (919 yards) of San Francisco and Earnest Graham (877 yards) of Tampa Bay are both within reach of 1,000 yards this week...
Buccaneers receiver Joey Galloway (985 yards) is on the verge of becoming the first receiver in team history to go over 1,000 yards in three straight years..


.Tampa Bay is tied for the NFL lead in scoring defense (15.6 points per game) along with Pittsburgh...Buccaneers have forced a league-high-tying 17 lost fumbles on the year, along with the Lions...Linebacker Patrick Willis and punter Andy Lee were the 49ers named to the NFC Pro Bowl squad, while Tampa Bay did not have a player named to the team.
Tampa Bay is 1-10 in San Francisco all-time, with its only road win over the 49ers coming in 1980
***To be No. 3 or not to be No. 3 - that is the Shakespearean question facing the NFC South Champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who will travel to meet the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday.
The Bucs, who clinched their second division title in the last three years with last week's 37-3 pummeling of the Atlanta Falcons, are contending with the similarly 9-5 Seattle Seahawks for the third seed in the NFC.


The Bucs are currently No. 4 in the conference hierarchy due to their head-to-head loss in Seattle back in Week 1, but it is a matter of perspective whether that is a more or less advantageous position in which to be.
If the current seeding holds over the next two weeks, Tampa Bay would be in line to play the No. 5 New York Giants in the First-Round, with an eye toward a trip to No. 1 Dallas if the home favorites win on January's first weekend.
No. 3-seeded Seattle, meanwhile, is in line to play an up-and-coming and physical Minnesota team in the First-Round, and the prize for winning that contest would be a trip to frigid Green Bay in the Divisional Round.
If the above scenario indeed plays out, you would have to believe Jon Gruden and his staff would be none too upset about ranking as number four in the pecking order.
That said, the Buccaneers will undoubtedly be gunning for a victory in San Francisco, where they face a 49ers team that has been among the most disappointing units in football this season.
The Niners were 20-13 winners over the Bengals last Saturday night, just the second win in the last 12 games for Mike Nolan's crew.
With the triumph and the Rams' loss to Green Bay on Sunday, San Francisco pulled out of a last-place tie in the NFC West.



The Buccaneers are 8-6 vs. the number, including 2-5 on the road. … Tampa Bay has failed to cover its last nine contests as a road favorite and has failed to cover its last four road games when sandwiched between two home contests. … The last five meetings between these teams have all stayed under the total, including playoffs. … The 49ers are 4-10 vs. the spread, including 2-5 at home. … San Francisco has failed to cover its last five games following a cover in its previous contest and has covered one of its last seven games vs. NFC South foes. … The 49ers have covered their final home game one of the last five seasons.

TB is 9-2 ATS L11 games where the total is between 35.5 and 42 points... TB is 8-2 ATS *** vs. NFC... TB is 7-3 ATS *** games played on a grass field... TB is 16-8 to the UNDER L24 road games... TB is 7-1 to the UNDER L8 road games where the total is between 35.5 and 38 points... SF is 4-1 ATS L5 home games vs. TB...

SF is 1-8 ATS L9 games where the total is between 35.5 and 42 points... SF is 2-9 ATS L11 vs. NFC... SF is 6-1 to the UNDER L7 home games... SF is 10-2 to the OVER L12 home games where the total is between 35.5 and 38 points... SF is 5-0 the UNDER L5 games vs. TB.

Tampa Bay is 3-19 ATS on the highway against a non-division rival. The Bucs have failed in nine of 11 as favorites after allowing less than 10 points. In addition, they have dropped 17 of 26 ATS on the road in December. San Francisco is 4-10 ATS after a SU win as underdogs. Tampa Bay has slid 'under' in nine of 10 off a double-digit win.

TB IS 9-17 ATS ON ROAD IN DEC

Atlanta at Arizona

ATL 27th OFF; AZ 18th DEF
ATL 25th RUN; AZ 11th VS. RUN
ATL 20th PASS; AZ 27th VS. PASS
ATL 32nd PTS; AZ 28th PTS ALLOWED
AZ 14th OFF; ATL 23rd DEF
AZ 29th RUN; ATL 27th VS. RUN
AZ 10th PASS; ATL 12th VS. PASS
AZ 11th PTS; ATL 25th PTS ALLOWED
ATL 27th TO/TA; AZ 5th TO/TA



ATL has lost 5 in a row
ATL had a season-low 133 yards last week in a 37-3 loss to TB.
ATL has averaged 10.6 points in its last 5 games and has yet to score more than 20 in a game this season.
AZ QB Kurt Warner has committed 7 turnovers in the last two weeks.
AZ had not held an opponent to less than 349 yards since Week 10.
AZ WR Larry Fitzgerald was held to a season-low 2 catches for just 27 yards vs. NO last week


Falcons, who have lost five straight, try to hand interim head coach Emmitt Thomas his first career win...Cardinals try to avoid their ninth straight losing season, and 21st in the last 23...Chris Redman, who posted a 0.0 passer rating in last week's 37-3 loss to Tampa Bay, will make his third consecutive start for Atlanta...
Falcons are last in the league in scoring offense (13.4 points per game) and touchdowns scored (17)...Atlanta has had a league-high five interceptions returned for touchdowns this year...

Falcons wideout Roddy White (999 yards) is one yard shy of becoming Atlanta's first 1,000-yard receiver since Terance Mathis in 1999...Arizona running back Edgerrin James went over 1,000 yards for the seventh time in his career last week...Wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald was the only Cardinals player named to the NFC Pro Bowl squad on Tuesday,
\ while no Atlanta players made the list... Falcons have won four straight against the Cardinals since a 29-26 win for Arizona at Sun Devil Stadium in 1997.
it is a good thing the Falcons wrap up the road portion of their schedule this weekend, as it appears very few people want to be a part of the organization, let along watch the team play.
Atlanta hasn't posted a win since Week 10 against Carolina and has lost tests against Tampa Bay, Indianapolis, St. Louis, New Orleans and Tampa again to fall to 3-11.

The Falcons are also just 1-6 on the road in 2007, with their lone victory as the visitor coming against the Panthers.

Like the Falcons, the Cardinals will be watching playoff football at home this season. The club emerged as a wild card contender midway though the year in a weak NFC West, but has lost three of its last four and was eliminated from postseason contention last week.

This will go down as a season to build on, though. Arizona owns wins over Pittsburgh, Seattle and Cleveland this year, but losses to the likes of San Francisco (twice) and Carolina were games the club certainly could have won.
The Cardinals were actually within arms reach of challenging Seattle for the NFC West title, but a loss to the Seahawks two games ago put an end to those thoughts. Arizona's final nail in the coffin came last Sunday, when it was bested by the New Orleans Saints, 31-24.

Arizona's loss last week wrapped up the road portion of its schedule, with the team ending 2-6 as the visitor. Arizona does have a shot to end above .500 at home, as it enters this game 4-2 as the host.

The Cardinals lead the all-time series with the Falcons, 13-10, though Atlanta has won each of the last four meetings. The Falcons prevailed by a 32-10 margin in the most recent matchup, which took place in Week 4 of last season at the Georgia Dome, and were 34-14 victors when they last visited Arizona in 2001. The Cardinals last took down the Falcons in 1997 at Sun Devil Stadium.


The Falcons are 7-7 against the number, including 4-3 on the road. … Atlanta has failed to cover its last four games but has covered nine of its last 11 times while playing the second of consecutive road contests. … The Falcons have covered their final road game the last four seasons, and their last five games have all gone over the total. …

The Cardinals are 8-6 against the spread, including 4-2 at home. … Arizona has covered one of its last four games and has failed to cover its last five contests vs. NFC South opponents. … Arizona has covered one of its last six, and five of its previous 19, games as a favorite of more than three points. The Cardinals have covered their second-to-last home contest four of the last five seasons, and five of their last six games have gone over the total.

Arizona is 33-15 ATS at home off two or more straight losses. The Cardinals have cashed 15 of 21 after losing by seven points or less. Atlanta is 4-12 ATS during the second half of the season and 5-11-2 ATS in its last 18 road finales. Arizona has blown 'over' in six straight games during the last four weeks of the season. Conversely, the Falcons have been on the low side in 12 of 16 as road pups of seven points or more.


ATL is 4-8-1 ATS L13 vs. AZ... ATL is 11-7 ATS L18 games when playing against a team with a losing record... ATL is 3-7 ATS *** games in the last 4 weeks of the regular season... ATL is 17-6 to the UNDER L23 road games... ATL is 6-1 to the UNDER L7 road games where the total is between 42.5 and 45 points... AZ is 4-1 ATS L5 home games vs. ATL... AZ is 0-5 ATS L5 vs. AFC South... AZ is 0-5 ATS L5 as a home favorite of 7.5 to 10 points... AZ is 13-4 to the OVER L17 games when playing against a team with a losing record... AZ is 23-10 to the OVER L33 vs. NFC...


ARI IS 7-0 ATS WHEN SCORE 22-28 PTS L2YRS





Baltimore at Seattle

BAL 24th OFF; SEA 13th DEF
BAL 18th RUN; SEA 13th VS. RUN
BAL 21st PASS; SEA 20th VS. PASS
BAL 25th PTS; SEA 5th PTS ALLOWED
SEA 12th OFF; BAL 6th DEF
SEA 24th RUN; BAL 2nd VS. RUN
SEA 8th PASS; BAL 23rd VS. PASS
SEA 12th PTS; BAL 24th PTS ALLOWED
SEA 5th TO/TA; BAL 32nd TO/TA


BAL has lost 8 straight for the first time in franchise history.
BAL RB Willis McGahee needs 51 yards to set a new career-high for rushing yards.
BAL QB Troy Smith has completed 8-of-16 passes for 82 yards with 0 TDs and 0 INTS in two career appearances.
SEA RB Shaun Alexander had one rush for 20 yards last week; his other 6 carries went for minus-3 yards.
SEA QB Matt Hasselbeck has thrown at least two TD passes in 7 of his last 9 games.


NFC West champion Seahawks currently occupy the No. 3 spot in the NFC Playoffs, just ahead of the similarly 9-5 Buccaneers...Ravens have the longest current losing streak in the NFL at eight games...Baltimore quarterback Kyle Boller (concussion) expected to be back in the lineup after being knocked out of last week's 22-16 overtime loss to formerly winless Miami...

Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis (dislocated finger) could also play...
Ravens have committed an NFL-worst 36 turnovers, including a league-high 22 fumbles lost, and are last in the league in turnover margin (-18) on the season..
.Baltimore wideout Derrick Mason (917 yards) is 83 yards shy of his sixth career 1,000-yard season...Seahawks end Patrick Kerney leads the NFL in sacks (13.5)...Seattle has surrendered a league-low 10 touchdown passes on the season...
Baltimore is allowing an NFL-low 2.8 yards per rush...Ravens have forced a league-low-tying five lost fumbles on the year, along with the Jets...Ravens will be playing at Seattle for the first-time in team history.
The Seahawks are 0-4 all-time against Baltimore-based NFL teams, losing twice each to the Colts (1977, 1978) and Ravens (1997, 2003).


The Seattle Seahawks may be facing a rookie quarterback making his first career NFL start for the second consecutive week, as Troy Smith could be under center for the Baltimore Ravens when the struggling club heads to Qwest Field this Sunday for an interconference encounter.
The Seahawks presently find themselves engaged in a battle with NFC South winner Tampa Bay for the No. 3 seed in the upcoming conference playoffs.
Both clubs bring identical 9-5 records heading into the regular season's final two weeks,
but Seattle owns the tiebreaker over the Bucs by virtue of a head-to- head victory in Week 1.




The Ravens are 2-12 vs. the number, including 0-7 on the road. … Baltimore has covered six of its last 26 road games and has failed to cover its last five games as a dog of between 7.5 and 10 points. …

The Seahawks are 8-6 vs. the spread, including 5-2 at home. … Seattle has covered its last four home contests but has failed to cover all three of its previous games this season vs. AFC North opponents. … -

The Seahawks are 17-7-1 against the number in their last 25 regular-season home contests and are 5-1-1 against the spread in their last seven games as a favorite of between 7.5 and 10 points. … Seattle has covered its final home game four of the last five seasons.

Baltimore is 1-6 SU and 0-7 ATS on the road. Seattle has won six of seven and 'covered' five of six at home. The Seahawks are 11-5-1 as non-conference favorites at home and they have cashed seven of eight in their last home game off a SU loss.





New York Jets at Tennessee
NYJ 26th OFF; TEN 5th DEF
NYJ 19th RUN; TEN 7th VS. RUN
NYJ 24th PASS; TEN 9th VS. PASS
NYJ 24th PTS; TEN 11th PTS ALLOWED
TEN 21st OFF; NYJ 26th DEF
TEN 4th RUN; NYJ 30th VS. RUN
TEN 27th PASS; NYJ 10th VS. PASS
TEN 20th PTS; NYJ 23rd PTS ALLOWED
TEN 15th TO/TA; NYJ 19th TO/TA


NYJ became the fourth team to finish within 10 points of NE last week.
NYJ has lost 5 more games this season (11) than it did in 2006.
NYJ RB Thomas Jones needs 37 yards to reach 1,000 rushing yards for the third straight season.
TEN QB Vince Young’s 109.6 passer rating last week was a season-high. He tossed 2 TDs without an interception.
TEN has won 2 of its last 3 games after losing 3 straight.
TEN RB LenDale White needs 40 rushing yards to reach 1,000 for the season

Titans are one game back of Pittsburgh (at St. Louis on Thursday night) and Cleveland (at Cincinnati on Sunday) for the final Wild Card berth, and will be eliminated from the playoff race if both Steelers and Browns win this week...

STEELERS WON , BROWNS AT 1PM SO WAIT FOR BROWNS RESULT BEFORE WAGERING (4.15 GAME TIME)
Status of Jets quarterback Kellen Clemens (ribs) unknown for Sunday after he was knocked out of last week's 20-10 loss at New England... Running backs LenDale White (960 yards) of the Titans and Thomas Jones (963 yards) of the Jets are both within reach of 1,000 yards this week...
Jets wideout Jerricho Cotchery (902 yards) within striking distance of his first 1,000-yard season...
Tennessee placed linebacker Reggie Fowler (shoulder) on injured reserve Wednesday, and signed ex-Jaguars LB Jorge Cordova to take his spot on the roster...
Titans kicker Rob Bironas leads the NFL in made field goals (31)...Jets have forced a league-low-tying five lost fumbles on the year, along with the Ravens...Titans defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth, defensive end Kyle Vanden Bosch, and kicker Rob Bironas were all named to the AFC Pro Bowl team on Tuesday

Tennessee will face defending Super Bowl champion Indianapolis next week, while the Browns finish with Cincinnati and San Francisco.
Should the teams tie, the Titans would earn the slot with a better in- conference record.
As for the Jets, the only thing they're guaranteed is no better than the No. 2 draft pick.
New York defeated Tennessee in the 2006 season opener en route to a 10-6 mark and a playoff berth. It earned its first victory in Week 3 this year before a six-game tailspin plunged it to Dolphin-like depths and an "outside looking in" spot in the postseason race.
Only Miami is worse in the AFC, while St. Louis and Atlanta have equaled the Jets' three wins in the NFC. Recent stories in New York-area papers have suggested New York covets Arkansas running back Darren McFadden, while others have mentioned Boston College quarterback Matt Ryan as a potential first pick.

The Titans own a 20-15-1 lead in the all-time regular season series with the Jets, but have lost all three head-to-head matchups since relocating from Houston prior to the 1997 season. The Jets were 23-16 road winners when the teams last met, in Week 1 of last season, and are 2-0 in Tennessee all-time. The last win for the Titans/Oilers franchise in the series came in 1996, when the Oilers won, 35-10, at Giants Stadium, and their last home victory in the series came in Houston in 1995


The Jets are 5-8-1 vs. the number, including 3-4 on the road. … New York has covered four of its last six games and has covered its last four, and eight of its previous 10 contests, on grass. … The Jets have covered the last three meetings with the Titans and have covered their final road game eight of the last 10 seasons. …

Of New York’s last five games, four have stayed under the total. … The Titans are 7-7 vs. the spread, including 3-4 at home. … Tennessee has failed to cover its last three home games vs. AFC East opponents and has failed to cover its last eight regular-season games following a cover as a favorite in its previous outing.

The New York Jets are 3-13 SU and 4-12 ATS on the road versus a non-division opponent. They have also floundered in 23 of 33 off a division road loss. Tennessee has topped the 'total' in 15 of 20 when it was between 35 1/2 and 42-points. New York has zipped 'over' in six straight games after scoring 14 points or less.


Washington at Minnesota

WAS 16th OFF; MIN 25th DEF
WAS 11th RUN; MIN 1st VS. RUN
WAS 15th PASS; MIN 32nd VS. PASS
WAS 20th PTS; MIN 8th PTS ALLOWED
MIN 13th OFF; WAS 10th DEF
MIN 1st RUN; WAS 9th VS. RUN
MIN 31st PASS; WAS 19th VS. PASS
MIN 10th PTS; WAS 12th PTS ALLOWED
MIN 6th TO/TA; WAS 23rd TO/TA





Heading into the Monday-nighter, MIN was looking like a playoff team but still needed to win games to seal up a spot.
WAS, at 7-7, remains in the hunt following the big win over NYG in New York.
WAS rushed 35 times for 153 yards against NYG.
Todd Collins averaged 20.75 yards per completion vs. NYG.

Key clash of NFC Wild Card hopefuls...
Vikings will clinch a playoff berth with a win or a Saints loss against Philadelphia...
Washington quarterback Todd Collins, who won his first start since 1997 against the Giants last week, will open behind center for the second straight week in place of the injured Jason Campbell (knee)...


Vikings lead the NFL in rushing offense (169.6 yards per game), yards per rush attempt (5.4), rushing touchdowns (20), and rushes of 20 yards or longer (18)...Redskins have allowed a league-low two rushes of 20 yards or longer...
Vikings are No. 1 in NFL rushing defense (67.9 yards per game)...
Minnesota is last in the NFL in pass defense (266.4 yards per game), but has recorded a league-high six interception returns for touchdowns this year...Vikings defensive end Ray Edwards currently serving a four-game suspension for violating the NFL's steroid policy...
Washington cornerback Fred Smoot will play against his former team for the first time.
Redskins head coach Joe Gibbs is 4-0 all-time in road games against the Vikings.

At 8-6, Minnesota enters the regular season's final two weeks holding a one- game edge on both the Redskins and New Orleans for the sixth and final seed in the NFC.
If the Vikings defeat Washington on Sunday and the Saints lose or tie their Week 16 game against Philadelphia, Minnesota will clinch one of the conference's two wild card berths.

Washington, meanwhile, has to win Sunday's crucial matchup in order to remain postseason eligible. The Redskins did respond with their backs to the wall a week ago, however, as the desperate club came through with a much-needed 22-10 road victory over the playoff-hopeful New York Giants last Sunday at the Meadowlands.

Washington has a 7-6 lead in the all-time regular season series with Minnesota, but suffered a 19-16 upset loss when the teams last met, in a Monday night home game in Week 1 of the 2006 season. The Redskins won the previous meeting, a 21-18 affair at FedEx Field in Week 17 of the 2004 season. The only matchup between the teams at the Metrodome since 1992 was a 41-7 Vikings win in 1998. Washington last won in Minnesota in '92.



The Redskins are 4-8-2 against the number, including 2-4-1 on the road. … Washington has failed to cover its last three times while playing the second of consecutive road games and has covered its final road contest three of the last 11 seasons. … The Redskins have covered six of their last seven night games on the road but have covered three of their last 15 games as a road dog of more than seven points. … Washington is 2-0-1 against the spread in its three previous games this season vs. NFC North foes. … The Vikings are 7-5-2 vs. the number, including 4-3 on the road. … Minnesota has covered one of its last five night games at home but has covered its last six times while playing the second of consecutive home contests. … The Vikings have failed to cover their last four games as a favorite of more than 10 points and has covered one of its last five home contests vs. NFC East squads.
Washington is 1-14 ATS after winning SU as an underdog. The Redskins have dipped 'under' in 18 of 25 as road dogs of seven points or more and in 13 of 19 following a division win on the road.








Denver at San Diego

DEN 6th OFF; SD 16th DEF
DEN 8th RUN; SD 16th VS. RUN
DEN 12th PASS; SD 22nd VS. PASS
DEN 17th PTS; SD 9th PTS ALLOWED
SD 20th OFF; DEN 21st DEF
SD 7th RUN; DEN 29th VS. RUN
SD 22nd PASS; DEN 6th VS. PASS
SD 8th PTS; DEN 30th PTS ALLOWED
SD 1st TO/TA; DEN 16th TO/TA



SD won its 2nd-straight AFC West title and their 3rd in the last 4 years.
SD is 44-18 in the regular season over those 4 years since 2004
The last 4 seasons, SD has won 8 straight games in December and is 13-4 in the month.
SD RB LaDainian Tomlinson scored 2 TDs Sunday, the 126th and 127th of his career, passing two Hall of Famers, Walter Payton (125) and Jim Brown (126) and into 7th place on the NFL’s all-time list.
Tomlinson and Hall of Famer Eric Dickerson are the only two players in NFL history to rush for more than 1,200 yards in each of their first 7 seasons in the league.
Darren Sproles took over for Tomlinson in the 2nd half and finished the game with a team-high 122 yards — the first time in team history that SD had 2 players rush for more than 100 yards in the same game.
SD rushed for 274 yards against TEN, the 2nd-highest total in team history. The record (287) was set against the NYJ on Oct. 13, 1963.
Antonio Cromartie’s interception on the 1st play of the 4th quarter was his 10th of the season, setting a new team record.
SD has 10 picks in the last 3 games.
In 7 home games this season, SD has outscored their opponents 144-40.
SD, winners of 4 straight, locked up the AFC West title with a 51-14 destruction of DET last week.
DEN saw its slim playoff hopes dashed with a loss at Houston in Week 15.
DEN rushed for only 72 yards on 20 carries against HOU.
DEN gave up 158 yards on the ground to HOU.
SD scored on its first 7 drives of the game last week.
Chargers clinched AFC West title last week and have inside track for No. 3 seed in the conference playoffs...Broncos, who were 41-3 home losers to San Diego in Week 5, trying to avoid first losing season since 1999...San Diego running back LaDainian Tomlinson leads the NFL in rushing touchdowns (14) and is six yards back of Pittsburgh's Willie Parker for the league rushing lead as Week 16 begins...Chargers cornerback Antonio Cromartie leads the NFL in interceptions (10), while San Diego leads the league in INTs (27), takeaways (41), and is tied with New England for the league lead in turnover margin (+19)...
Broncos released troubled punter Todd Sauerbrun on Tuesday, and will use Paul Ernster on punts and Matt Prater on kickoffs...
Tomlinson, Cromartie, tight end Antonio Gates, guard Kris Dielman, fullback Lorenzo Neal, linebacker Shawne Merriman, nose tackle Jamal Williams and special-teamer Kassim Osgood were the Chargers named to the AFC Pro Bowl team on Tuesday...
Cornerback Champ Bailey was the only Bronco to make the team.


San Diego (9-5 SU&ATS) has risen from the ashes after starting the season by losing three of its first four games. Winners in eight of their last 10, are tied with Pittsburgh for the No. 3 seed in the AFC and a first-round bye in the playoffs. They would earn the week off should they win their remaining two games. Denver (6-8, 4-10) comes to town on Monday with nothing but pride at stake after being eliminated from the postseason chase last week.




The Chargers are 17-6 against the spread off a win by 21 points or more and 22-4 ATS off four or more consecutive 'covers.' They have also cashed seven straight as home favorites of 7 1/2 to 10 points. Denver has come up short in 11 of 12 ATS versus poor pass defenses-allowing a completion percentage of 61 or more. The straight up winner in this AFC-West rivalry has 'covered' at a 19-1-3 clip.


The Broncos are 4-10 vs. the spread, including 1-6 on the road. … Denver has covered two of its last 11 road games but has covered its final road contest the last three seasons. … The Broncos are 6-1-1 against the number in their last eight games following a double-digit loss. … The Chargers are 9-5 against the spread, including 6-1 at home. …

San Diego has covered five of its last six games vs. AFC West rivals and has covered its last five home contests. …

The Chargers are 24-9-1 vs. the number in their last 34 regular-season home games and have covered their last nine contests as a favorite of between 7.5 and 10 points. …

San Diego has covered six of its last eight games following double-digit win.
S/U WINNER IS 19-1-3 ATS
S.D. IS 22-9 ATS WHEN RUSH 125-150 YDS


HAPPY HOLIDAY WEEKEND TO ALL