MNF: Falcons Perspective

Players To Watch:

WR Roddy White - White has really become a go to target for QB Matt Ryan when the game is on the line, he has showed that he can be clutch, and the 6'0" speedster has definitely put himself into the conversation of top receiver in the NFL. Much like WR Andre Johnson, White has gone about his business quietly but has still been ultra-productive notching a fourth year in a row with over 1,100+ yards receiving. Look for White to add to his NFL leading 106 receptions tonight.

DE John Abraham - Last year was the first time in Abraham's long career that he started more than 15 but was unable to get more than 10+ sacks (he had just 5.5). I thought that this was a sign that the 32 year old Abraham was simply getting old and would not be able to produce like we are used to seeing. This year, however, Abraham proved me wrong; he is back to his usual disruptive ways already registering 12 sacks. He has 4 sacks and 2 FF's in the last 4 games so watch for him to have a big game on MNF.

LB Curtis Lofton - A very underrated linebacker who has the job of roaming the middle of the field tonight. QB Drew Brees does a great job of passing in-between the numbers and exploiting matchups with linebackers. Lofton, who leads the Falcons with 107 tackles to go along with 3 forced fumbles 2 sacks and an interception, will have a tough test stopping the run and trying to slow down Brees.

Key Matchup - RB Michael Turner vs Saints front 7 - Even though QB Matt Ryan has really come on this year, Turner is the most important part of the Falcons offense. Turner is the Falcons work horse who just gets better as the game goes on. When the big 5'10" 244 lbs back has rushed for 50 yards or less this year the (12-2) Falcons are 2-2 with their wins only coming by a total of 8 points. The Saints defense allows 117 yards a game so look for Turner to have a big night.

Why the Falcons Will Win - The Falcons know how to get it done in front of a home crowd. The Falcons are undefeated this year at home, they seem to always have a flair for the dramatic and have the ability to win close games. I think that this game will come down to the very end and with the way the Falcons have been playing all year, I have no doubt they will be able to pull off another close victory.

Prediction: Falcons 34 Saints 31

MNF: Texans Perspective

Players to Watch:

RB Arian Foster - Foster has had an unbelievable season so far compiling a league high 1230 yards on the ground and another 479 yards through the air. The second year undrafted back has transformed the Texans' offense from a one dimensional passing attack (ranked 30th in rushing last year) to a balanced dynamic offense. The Texans need a big game out of Foster tonight if they want a chance at winning the game.

DE Mario Williams - The 6'6" 295 lb defensive end has everything you look for in a defensive playmaker. Williams has had some big games this year, but has also disappeared at times. The Texans need Williams to play big and take some pressure off of the extremely porous secondary.

WR Jacoby Jones - When you play the Texans all the focus is generally on WR Andre Johnson, and rightfully so, as Johnson is the best receiver in the NFL. With S Ed Reed and the Ravens' secondary focusing primarily on Johnson, look for Jones to possibly have a break out game receiving or on special teams, where he returns both punts and kickoffs.

Key Matchup: QB Joe Flacco vs Texans Secondary - To say the Texans' secondary has been miserable may be an understatement. They have been carved up by pretty much every quarterback they have faced. Flacco is a good quarterback, but if they let him put up MVP type numbers they will not have a very good chance in this game considering how good the Ravens defense has been. The Texans front seven needs to pressure Flacco (he has been sacked 17 times in the last 5 games) and the secondary needs to step up and make plays when it matters tonight.

Why the Texans Will Win - Their offense can be as explosive as any. The Texans have shown this year that they can go up against some of the best defenses (Jets, Chargers, Chiefs, Raiders) and still put up points. If QB Matt Schaub and their other playmakers can come out and play to their potential they will be able to score on the Ravens. The Ravens are more talented overall, but the Texans have some great individual talents such as Arian Foster, Andre Johnson, Mario Williams, and Brian Cushing, all who can just take over a game. They need some big plays from each of them tonight.

Prediction: Texans 24 Ravens 20

MNF: Patriots Perspective

Players to Watch

Patriots' Tight Ends - The one place Tom Brady and the Patriots may want to attack the Jets' defense is in the middle of the field with their tight ends. The Jets have very talented corners, so the best option may be trying to beat their linebackers and safeties (especially because the Jets are missing the quarterback of the defense in S Jim Leonard). Look for Aaron Hernandez (who went for over 100 yards last game against the Jets), Rob Gronkowski, and Alge Crumpler to have a huge impact.

RB Danny Woodhead - I think Woodhead will have a big game against his former teammates. Lining it up and trying to run straight at the Jets defense is tough, so the Patriots will probably spread them out and feature Woodhead a good amount in the passing game. Woodhead averages 5.4 yards per carry and has already racked up 24 receptions for 230 yards in limited playing time.

CB Devin McCourty - McCourty has really come on as of late, bringing in 5 interceptions in the last 6 games and defending 9 passes. McCourty is a very good looking rookie that has started all 11 games and is second on the Pats with 61 tackles, if he continues his great play he should be in the running for defensive rookie of the year.

Key Matchup: Antonio Cromartie vs. Patriots Smaller Receivers - One of the reasons the Jets beat the Patriots in their first match-up was because of Cromartie's dominant play against WR Randy Moss (who did not have a reception when Cromartie was covering him). With Moss now off the team, Cromartie will be matched up against the Patriots' smaller, quicker receivers. Cromartie has been known to lock on to bigger faster receivers and dominate them, but it will be interesting to see if he can dominate tonight.

Why the Patriots Will Win - Tom Brady is playing his best football. Brady has been absolutely dominant in his last 3 games. He looks extremely confident in the offense and reminds me of the Tom Brady from the super bowl winning seasons. He is spreading the ball out to a lot of different players, finding the open guy and protecting the ball (13 touchdowns 0 interceptions last 6 games). I expect Brady to put up great numbers tonight and get his 25th straight win at Foxborough even with the cold, windy conditions.

Prediction: Patriots 34 Jets 17

MNF: Broncos Perspective

Players to Watch

QB Kyle Orton - Despite having the worst rushing attack in the NFL, Orton has put up MVP type stats, passing for 2,806 yards,16 TDs and only 5 interceptions. Orton will have to find a way to exploit the stingy Chargers defense which ranks first in the NFL.

WR Brandon Lloyd - Lloyd is probably the surprise player of the year. The former fourth rounder out of Illinois is in his 8th year in the league and on his fourth different team. Pretty much everyone wrote Lloyd off because he has done virtually nothing in the last 3 years, only starting 7 games. This year he already has 48 receptions for 968 yards and 6 touchdowns, all career highs and he has only started 7 games. Lets see if Lloyd can show off in front of a national audience.

LB D.J. Williams - Williams, who is the Broncos top linebacker, was benched last game after getting arrested for a DUI. He should be in the starting lineup tonight and we will see if he tries to rectify his off the field mistakes and has a big game. Williams has 74 tackles, 3.5 sacks, a forced fumble, and 4 pass deflections on the season.

Key Matchup: San Diego's rushing attack vs. Broncos run defense - The Broncos are one of the worst teams in the NFL at stopping the run but the Chargers have had some struggles running the ball themselves. If the Broncos can get the better of this match-up then they can focus on stopping QB Phillip Rivers. I think they have a good chance at beating Rivers tonight because of veterans like S Brian Dawkins and CB Champ Bailey. Bailey is still one of the best corners in the NFL but seems to be forgotten because of the emergence of CB Darrelle Revis and other young corners.

Why the Broncos Will Win- The Chargers wont be ready for the Broncos passing attack. The Chargers really have not faced a balanced passing attack like the Broncos possess this year. I think the Broncos are going to go out and not even attempt to run against the Chargers; they are going to go out and spread the Chargers defense out and try to attack them through the air. If you look at the Chargers schedule this year, they have played some pretty mediocre teams (other than the Patriots). Everyone is forgetting that the Chargers are a 4-5 team this year and they have not even gotten to the hardest part of their schedule. I think the Broncos are a very underrated team and have a good chance of pulling off an upset against the Chargers, who have found ways to lose games all year.

Prediction: Broncos 31 Chargers 28

MNF: Cowboys Perspective

Players to watch:

WR Miles Austin – It is amazing how quickly Austin has become one of the best receivers in the NFL. Undrafted out of Monmouth University, Austin finally got his first start 5 weeks into the last years season. Since then he has simply dominated, putting up 100+ receptions 1700+ yards and 12 TD in the 17 games. He is big, strong, fast, and runs great routes. It would be hard for anyone to argue that he is not a top 5 receiver in the NFL right now.

CB Mike Jenkins– Jenkins has been picked on a lot in the last couple of games. The former first rounder out of South Florida has tons of skill but has been a little too aggressive and is often flagged for pass interference. Lets see if he can make some adjustments and make some plays against turnover prone QB Eli Manning.

The Offensive Line – To say the Giants defensive line has been disruptive so far would be a huge understatement. The Giants have 21 sacks, 23 tackles for loss and 14 forced fumbles to this point. The Cowboys O-line has done a pretty good job to this point only allowing 7 sacks, but they are really going to be tested tonight.

Key Matchup: WR Hakeem Nicks vs CB Terrance Newman

In only his second year Giants WR Hakeem Nicks is becoming a star receiver in the NFL. He will most likely be matched up against Newman, one of the top corners in the league. Nicks is coming off a hamstring injury so he may be slowed. Fortunately for Nicks his biggest strengths is his great route running ability and hands, he does not rely on pure speed like many receivers so Newman may still have his hands full. Nicks has showed that he can go off and single handedly win a game for the Giants, so if Newman can shut him down, it will go long way in helping the Cowboys win.

Why the Cowboys will win: The Cowboys really need this win. All the talent is there for the Cowboys and even though they are 1-4, they have been in every game losing by 7 or less. If the Cowboy team that showed up against a great Texans team on the road, can show up tonight I have no doubt they can win this game. There has been so much scrutiny and so many people bad mouthing the Cowboys, I think they cannot wait to show up to this game and prove everyone wrong. I think they will come in front of a huge home crowd and play with a chip on their shoulder. Look for Jason Witten, DeMarcus Ware, Keith Brooking, Bradie James and the other leaders on the Cowboys to come out and have big games.

Prediction: Cowboys 31 Giants 17

MNF: Jaguars Perspective

Players to watch:

TE Marcedes Lewis – The 6’6” 275 lbs tight end is off to the best start of his career. Lewis has great size and receiving skills, but he only had 7 TDs in his first 4 years. This year, however, he leads the team with 5 TDs and has finally become the legitimate weapon the Jaguars had been hoping he would turn into.

LB Kirk Morrison – After racking up 100+ tackles five years in a row with the Raiders, Morrison was traded to the Jaguars. It will be interesting to see if Morrison can still make plays sideline to sideline and help stop CJ2K.

RB Maurice Jones-Drew – Jones-Drew is the most important player to the Jaguars offense. This year he has struggled at times, and has only seen the end zone twice. Jone-Drew is simply too good of a player to continue this trend; look for him to have a break out game under the lights at home.

Key Matchup: Jaguars defense vs. RB Chris Johnson – I think every defensive coordinator in the NFL’s goal when playing the Titans is to do whatever it takes to stop Johnson and make QB Vince Young beat them. The only problem is stopping Johnson is a lot easier said than done. The key is to be extremely disciplined and contain the outside. The only teams that have done a good job against Chris Johnson are the Steelers and Broncos (they let up 34 yards and 53 yards, respectively.) Both run 3-4 based defenses, are very disciplined, hold their gaps, and contain the outside. Not surprisingly, the Titans lost both games that Chris Johnson had poor performances. It will be hard, but the Jaguars are going to have to do whatever it takes to slow him down.

Why the Jaguars will win: The Jaguars are coming off two big wins the last two weeks, QB David Garrard and the offense has shown that they are capable of spreading the ball and putting up some points (31 and 38 in the last two games.) The Jaguars defense has really struggled this season, but the one place they have excelled is stopping the run. If they are able to stop the run I have no doubt that will be able to come away with the victory.

Final Score: Jaguars 27 Titans 17