Here's a look at all the key matchups to watch in Week 12:
Tampa Bay CB Aqib Talib vs. Atlanta WR Roddy White
Tampa has won 10 of 15 in this series since 2000. After Week 13 last season, Tampa Bay was tied for first in the NFC South. Since then, it has won just one game. If the Falcons are going to return to the playoffs, it's important for them to sweep the next three games, all of which are in the Georgia Dome.
Talib is the Buccaneers’ leader with five interceptions (three came in one game vs. Washington). Talib plays man on the opposition’s leading receiver most of the time. He’s a tall player, and it’s hard to throw over him. He has good hands (he played some receiver in college), and will tackle vs. the run. Quick receivers give him a hard time. He loves to talk trash.
White is second on the Falcons in receptions, and first in TD catches. He’s not getting as many passes thrown to him as last year when he was selected for the Pro Bowl. After missing some of training camp because of a contract dispute, he’s rounding into shape. He catches crossing routes, has good hands, a burst of speed and good leaping ability. | |
Miami RB Ricky Williams vs. Buffalo DT Kyle Williams
After Miami opened the season 0-3, it started to turn things around with a 38-10 win over the Bills. At one time in this series, Miami had won 20 consecutive games, still the all-time record streak for one team over another. Since their Week 4 meeting, the Dolphins have lost two offensive starters for the season -- Chad Pennington and Ronnie Brown -- yet they remain in the playoff hunt. The Bills played well last week against Jacksonville.
Williams is coming off a three-TD game, and he’s rushed for more than 100 yards in back-to-back games. He has 22 100-yard rushing games as a Dolphin, the most in club history. Williams is playing well at age 32, having regained the skills that he showed years ago. He is also a good receiver.
Kyle Williams is a four-year starter for Buffalo. He missed two games due to injury earlier this season. He lacks height and great speed, but is very athletic with good quickness and strength. He has a very big motor, and plays every play to the whistle. He is a throwback player that makes a lot of tackles in the running game. | |
Indianapolis QB Peyton Manning vs. Houston QB Matt Schaub
The Colts have won more games than any other NFL team since 2000 (111), including 14 against Houston since 2002. If the Texans are to make the playoffs for the first time in franchise history, they need to win this game. Both quarterbacks are exceptional players and exceptional citizens. And both play for outstanding organizations.
Manning is on pace for 5,073 yards, which would be an NFL record, and 33 TDs. The Colts lead the NFL with 313 passing yards per game. Manning has unbelievable passion for the game. Teams have tried everything to stop him -- blitz him, force him out of the pocket or up in the pocket -- but nothing seems to work.
Schaub is on pace for 30 TD passes -- he already has a career-high 19 -- and 4,730 yards. The Texans average 284 passing yards per game, third best in the NFL. Schaub is very smart, and makes excellent decisions. He has great poise, and is always looking down field. He throws the slant, sideline and deep passes well, and moves around well. | |
Carolina RB DeAngelo Williams vs. N.Y. Jets LB David Harris
These teams have met only four times, with each winning twice. Both teams run more than they pass, and both are in desperate situations with identical 4-6 records.
Williams has rushed for 922 yards. Last week, he had 13 carries for 122 yards (9.4 average) against a good Miami run defense. He has outstanding traits for a running back. He has very good vision, can run inside or bounce it outside, with quickness and power. He’s an outstanding leader off the field, and plays big against the best teams.
Harris is a third-year player, who is playing at a Pro Bowl level. He had 14 tackles last week vs. the Patriots, and for the season he has 27 more tackles than the second-leading tackler on the Jets. He also has 3.5 sacks and one interception. He is very active and aggressive, takes good angles, is a good tackler and has very good instincts. He’s an up-and-coming player to watch. | |
Cleveland QB Brady Quinn vs. Cincinnati CB Johnathan Joseph
This is the 73rd meeting between these teams, both of which were founded and have been coached by Paul Brown. The Bengals won a close Week 4 game in Cleveland, 23-20, in which Browns players were the individual leaders in passing, rushing and receiving yards.
Which Quinn will we see this week -- the one who last week led his team to a franchise-record 24 points in the first quarter, or the one who struggled in games prior? Quinn makes good decisions, but does not have very good receivers, and he will miss on some throws. He is athletic with good arm strength and good work habits. This will be a big test for him.
Joseph made his fifth interception last week in Oakland, and he has returned one of those five for a TD. He’s a top athlete with outstanding speed (4.35 40), very good man coverage skills, good recovery speed and good tackling ability. The Bengals have 12 interceptions after 10 games -- as many as they had all last season.
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Washington QB Jason Campbell vs. Philadelphia QB Donovan McNabb
These rivals have met twice a year in the regular season since 1944. The series started in 1934 when the Redskins were in Boston. Earlier this year, the Eagles beat Washington, 27-17, on Monday night. Washington’s offense has been a M.A.S.H. unit, but the defense is very good.
Campbell passed for 287 yards in the first loss to Philadelphia, and he led Washington to two wins over the Eagles in 2008. He has a long throwing motion, and a nice overall delivery with a high release point. His poise has improved since he came into the league, but he still has trouble with accuracy on the deep ball. He can win with enough good players around him, like he had at Auburn.
The Eagles pass more than 60 percent of the time, and McNabb throws a very catchable ball. He doesn’t move like he did when he entered league, but he knows where to throw the ball, and has good recognition. I think everybody would be happy if their sons grew up with the character traits that he has. | |
Seattle LB David Hawthorne vs. St. Louis RB Steven Jackson
St. Louis is scoring just 11 points per game, and the Rams are without starting QB Marc Bulger this week. Both teams play hard, but injuries and a lack of talent hurt them.
Hawthorne is an undersized player with an oversized heart. An undrafted free agent in his second year with Seattle, he took over the starting MLB spot when Lofa Tatupu got hurt, and he’s the Seahawks’ leading tackler. He also has three sacks and three interceptions. Hawthorne, who made 14 tackles last week vs. Minnesota, is a tough competitor, who plays with passion. He’s not real tall, but he moves well and is good at being in the right place.
Jackson does everything. He runs, blocks and catches passes. He has rushed for 1,031 yards and caught 35 passes in 10 games. He gained 116 yards last week vs. Arizona, not only against a defense geared to stop him, but also with an offensive line that had three position changes during the game. | |
Kansas City RB Jamaal Charles vs. San Diego LB Stephen Cooper
Including one playoff game, this will be the 100th meeting between these two rivals, with the Chiefs holding a three-game edge. San Diego, after starting 2-3, has won five straight, four of them on the road.
Charles opened last week’s game against Pittsburgh with a 97-yard kickoff return TD, then caught the game-tying TD pass in regulation. Averaging 4.9 yards per carry, he has world-class speed (4.40 at combine) and is an outside runner, who is a threat to go all the way any time he touches the ball. He needs to take better care of the ball, however.
Cooper was an undrafted free agent out of Maine, who has started the last three seasons at inside linebacker. He is the team’s leading tackler, playing all downs. He’s better vs. the run than the pass, and is a smart and aggressive player. | |
Jacksonville RB Maurice Jones-Drew vs. San Francisco LB Patrick Willis
Jacksonville leads the short series, 2-0, but has never played in San Francisco. The Jaguars, a surprising 6-4, need a win here to keep pace for the wild card. Their next three games after this one are at home.
Jones-Drew is having an outstanding year, averaging 93 yards per game with 13 rushing TDs, and he’s doing it playing behind two rookie offensive tackles. Jones-Drew is a short, but strong, back with natural running skills. He has outstanding strength and balance, is very quick to the hole and is a good receiver. He is still the only player in UCLA history to score five TDs in a game -- and he did it twice.
Willis is the 49ers’ leading tackler, and he has 32 more than the team’s second-leading tackler. He also has 2.5 sacks and two interceptions, one which he brought back for a TD. Willis gives great effort on every play. He has the strength needed to play off blocks, and is an outstanding athlete, who scored 30 touchdowns as a high school running back. He’s a terrific tackler, and he loves to play the game. | |
Chicago DE Adewale Ogunleye vs. Minnesota QB Brett Favre
Minnesota leads the regular-season series, 51-42. The Vikings won the first game they ever played as an expansion team against the Bears in Minnesota.
Ogunleye leads the Bears with five sacks. He has long arms, big hands and most everything he does starts with a hump move. He gets upfield quickly, and is hard to throw the ball over. He is a very good tackler of the quarterback once he’s in the pocket. He’s not a real powerful player, but has very good speed. He’s going against a rookie right tackle, Phil Loadholt, who is playing extremely well.
Favre seems to be back in control, and is doing what he likes to do with the offense. He no longer does what he once did, but still has a canon arm and puts the ball in tight places. What’s unheard of is that he’s had two games this season completing over 85 percent, after never having completed 80 percent of his passes in a game before this season. He passed Dan Marino last week, throwing four TDs in a game for the 22nd time in his career. He’s thrown the ball 310 times with only three interceptions, and two of those were tipped passes. | |
Arizona LB Karlos Dansby vs. Tennessee RB Chris Johnson
The Cardinals lead this series, 5-3. Tennessee has won four straight after an 0-6 start, something that has never been done before in NFL history. Arizona has a three-game lead in the NFC West and would be the fourth seed in the playoffs, if they started this weekend.
Last week’s game vs. the Rams was one of the few times Dansby didn’t have double-digit tackles -- and he still has 25 more tackles than the team’s second-leading tackler. He can play in space, and is a good tackler against the run. He plays every down.
Johnson ran for 151 yards Monday night against Houston, a team in the middle of the pack in run defense. He’s having a monster season, running inside and outside, and is a threat to make a long run every time he touches the ball. He’s a very good receiver. Johnson ran the fastest 40 time at the 2007 combine in 15 years -- 4.24. | |
Pittsburgh LB James Harrison vs. Baltimore OT Jared Gaither
Pittsburgh leads the all-time series, 16-10, and these rivals last met in last season’s AFC title game. This is always a very physical game, and this one is very important for both teams. It’s more important for Baltimore, however, as a loss here does not hurt the Steelers as much as it does the Ravens.
Harrison is the Steelers’ second-leading tackler, with four forced fumbles and 10 sacks. He’s on pace for 16 sacks, the same number he had in 2008. After a slow start, he’s picked up his game. The loss of DE Aaron Smith may have been a factor earlier in the year. Harrison plays with great leverage. He’s a very good blitzer, and he plays well in space. He knows how to hit gaps, and never stops running.
Gaither is just 23 years old, and he only played two years of high school football, so he is still developing. But he’s already very good. He is very athletic, plays with power, has long arms and a massive body. Gaither missed games against Minnesota and Cincinnati with an injury. This should be a good battle between two very good players. | |
New England QB Tom Brady vs. New Orleans QB Drew Brees
The Patriots have lost just once in the Superdome (5-1 vs. the Saints). In 1999, Brady and Michigan defeated Brees and Purdue. This is one of those great matchups that doesn’t occur very often, and the Superdome will rock. Reggie Bush, Sedrick Ellis and Jabari Greer should all be back this week for New Orleans.
Brady is 24-4 vs. the NFC, including 9-1 indoors and 2-0 vs. the Saints. His TD-INT ratio is 7-0 in those two games against New Orleans. Brady is excellent vs. the blitz, and he’ll have to be this week against Gregg Williams’ defense. He is one of the best ever at throwing the deep pass with great accuracy. He’s not real fast, but is great at feeling pressure.
Brees has never played New England as a Saint, but with San Diego he was 2-0 vs. Bill Belichick with a TD-INT ratio of 3-0. Since coming to New Orleans in 2006, Brees leads the NFL in passing yards. He has very good athletic ability. He’s not real tall, but makes up for it with a quick release and the ability to read coverages. He spreads the ball around to all his receivers. | |
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