So there are two BIG games for NY teams this week. Here are my picks and why:
Jets @ Bills (1 PM)
The Jets finally seem to have found some sort of rhythm after looking fairly anemic for the first few weeks. Shonn Greene has had 100 yard rushing games for the last few weeks, and Mark Sanchez has stopped turning it over as much. This matchup should be scary for him though, as the Bills intercept the ball more than any other team this year. The Jets have the great Santonio Holmes, who I expect to have a good game, and Plaxico Burress, the huge redzone target. I'd be surprised if he isn't heavily involved today.
The Buffalo Bills have had almost unstoppable offense this year, and while the Jets have great D, I think that the weapons of the Bills are just going to be too much. Stevie Johnson will probably be stranded on Revis Island, and I get that, but the 6'5" David Nelson should be tough to handle for Antonio Cromartie, whose had trouble with the similarly sized Brandon Marshall in the past (A couple years ago when Marshall was with the Broncos and Cromartie was with the Chargers, Marshall had something like 16 catches against him. That's REALLY good.). Scott Chandler is a TD machine, and I really cant say enough about Fred Jackson. The previously undrafted running back has just been a monster this year. He can catch out of the backfield too which should really help against the aggressive Jets D.
I'm picking the Bills in a close matchup 24-20.
Giants @ Patriots
This rematch of the superbowl from a few years ago could really go either way.The Patriots offense has really fallen off in the last several games, and it won't be easy to get going against the ferocious Giants D. Tom Brady, as good as he is, has the mobility of a statue, and the pass-rushing tandem of Justin Tuck, Jason Pierre-Paul and Osi Umenyiora should give him fits today. If they can't get to Brady though, he might be able to pick apart the suspect Giants secondary.
Theres also the issue of David Baas, Ahmad Bradshaw and Hakeem Nicks and their injuries. As of my writing this, all of those players will be inactive today. This could be a huge blow to the Giants offense, missing their starting center, running back and number 1 receiver. It might not be a death sentence though, with the strong Brandon Jacobs getting the nod at running back. Jacobs used to be the starter, and he recently expressed the hunger he has to prove his doubters wrong.
My pick? Giants over Patriots 28-21
(Full disclosure: I'm both Giants fan and a Jets hater, so feel free to take these with a grain of salt.)
