NFL Week 16 Brief Overview

*From original Blogspot Blog. Original Date: 12-27-2009

Saints vs. Buccaneers: Drew Brees and the Saints must bounce back after a tough Saturday night loss to Dallas last week. Tampa Bay is also coming off their second win in Seattle. They key for the game is to limit turnovers and put points on the board early. Drew Brees was sacked on the final Saints drive in the game against Dallas and fumbled the ball. Without that fumble the Saints could have scored which would tie it or win the game with a two-point conversion. If the Saints scored in the first quarter, however, the game would have been completely different. They’re wouldn’t have been as big, if any, deficit. I believe that the Saints are no longer worrying about a perfect season and are aiming to make the Super Bowl. I believe that they will win today and will end the season at 15-1.

Cardinals vs. Rams: Arizona is coming off their second playoff berth in a row. After winning the NFC West last year, they lost two games against the Vikings and Patriots, only managing to score 21 points total in those two games. However, the Cardinals look to go 2-0 after making the playoffs again. The Rams, well, are the Rams. They boast a 1-13 record, posting a win against the currently improving Detroit Lions in Week 8. The Cardinals had trouble last week against the Lions. After being up 17-0 at halftime, Arizona gave up 17 points in the 3rd Quarter, including a 100-yard interception return for Louis Delmas and a 64-yard rushing touchdown for Maurice Morris. The Cardinals defense, which only allowed Adrian Peterson only 19 yards, let Morris rush for 126 yards. If the Cardinals want to beat the St. Louis Rams, they need to step up their defense. If they don’t step up their defense, I believe they can still win. Larry Fitzgerald is questionable, but the Cardinals will still win.

Jets vs. Colts: The Colts eye a perfect 16-0 record, which is easily within their reach. However, they recently signed QB Drew Willy to their practice squad. Peyton Manning says he wants to play the regular season out and prepare for the playoffs. With their first-round bye, however, they will have an extra week to prepare. To keep it brief, the Colts will go 16-0 with or without Manning.