We've reached the (gulp) midway point of the 2012 NFL season. I can't believe it's halfway over already! With many teams looking forward to their BYE week already (see GTK), it's crunch time for all....to come together or fall apart for the rest of the season. Here are Week 8's key matchups.
1 pm EST on CBS, played in London!
The NFL has played one game every year since 2007 in London, billed as "The International Series". The game is played at Wembley Stadium, historic home of more Beatles, U2 and Queen concerts than you can shake a drumstick at. Tickets are in demand, with more than 500,000 bidders clamoring for the 80,000 available seats each year.
1. Even with team records only a game apart, the Patriots seem to be the favorite in every darn matchup they face, as they are here, favored by 7 points.
3. The Rams Top 10 defense has been HUGE this season. Many of their draft picks have been spent on the D the last few years, and it's paying off. This year's cornerback tandem of Jenkins (N. Alabama) and Finnegan (Samford) will be a huge obstacle for Wes Welker (Texas Tech) and the Patriot receiving corps. NE is weak at Left Tackle (Blind Side) and the Rams' Quinn is an ANIMAL. Watch for him to get after ol' blue eyes.
4. Bill Belichick is one of the most respected and most hated coaches in football. He's been cited for a signal-stealing scandal and is often ribbed for his less than inspired choice of attire on the sidelines. He wears a hoodie with the sleeves cut off to EVERY SINGLE GAME. Ugh. But his teams win. A lot.
1pm EST on FOX
1. Sports pundits are WAY more focused on the fact that Philly head coach and human/walrus hybrid, Andy Reid, is 13-0 after a BYE week than on the accomplishments of the leagues last undefeated team. Hmmm....11 of those wins have also been home games in a very less-than-friendly atmosphere for visiting teams.
2. Michael Vick, aka "The Dog Fighting Don", has fallen from grace ON the field lately, throwing INTs and turning the ball over at an alarming rate. They will run the ball OFTEN against a not-so-great Atlanta run defense, their potential Achilles heel.
1 pm EST on FOX
1. Two of the NFL's most celebrated quarterbacks with some of the best numbers we've ever seen. Ever: The Saints' Drew Brees and Denver's Peyton Manning. Manning is on his comeback tour with the Broncos after neck surgery saw him miss the entirety of the 2011 season in Indianapolis, and he is hitting his stride in Denver. He could exploit the Saints' glaring weakness on defense.
2. The Saints NEED this one. Bad. But their defense is nogoodterribleverybad, allowing a league-high 465.5 yards per game. (The 49ers are only allowing 272.3 yards per game.) Yikes, Saints. They've allowed 2,793 yards in the first six games....a dismal NFL record.
3. The good news for the Saints? Brees is back, doubling his numbers in all the right places in his last three games. And that's good, seeing as how he'll need to score big in order to overcome that abysmal defense.
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