Favre Watch: Previewing the Packers-Vikings Week 4 Game

AP Photo

AP Photo

In perhaps the most intriguing game of the year, the Green Bay Packers will travel to Minnesota to take on the Brett Favre led Vikings. This will be the first time that Favre has played his old team, and the second time in my memory where a young star quarterback has faced the icon that he replaced. In the 90′s, the 49ers, with Steve Young, faced Joe Montana and Chiefs. That time, Montana came out on top. Now, it will be Aaron Rodgers facing his old teammate. Will Favre get his revenge on the Packers, or will Rodgers help Green Bay fans forget about Brett? (Ok, I know Packers fans will never forget Brett.)

Previewing the Chargers-Steelers Week 4 Game

(AP Photo/Al Behrman)

AP Photo

This weekend, on Sunday Night Football, we will see what looked like one of the top matchups of the year prior to this season. In another matchup of top quarterbacks, the San Diego Chargers will travel to Pittsburgh to play the Steelers. I’m sure there will be some discussion about Ben Roethlisberger and Philip Rivers being in the same draft class, and many previews will talk about how this is the third meeting in less than a year between these teams.  But, to me, the main story is that both teams have struggled early in the season, with the Chargers winning a very close game in Oakland in week 1 and losing to the Ravens in week 2, and the Steelers twice losing second half leads in the last two weeks. While it has become expected almost for San Diego to struggle early in the year under Norv Turner, Pittsburgh has generally started strong since Mike Tomlin has taken over. So, will we see the Steelers get back to their winning ways this weekend, or will they find another way to lose? Or, will the Chargers just play outstanding football and overpower the ailing champs?

Falcons-Patriots Week 3 Preview

Matt Ryan

Tom Brady and Randy Moss

Yesterday, I said that the most exciting game of the coming NFL weekend may be the  Sunday Night Football game between the Indianapolis Colts and the Arizona Cardinals. If that’s so, this weekend’s meeting between the Atlanta Falcons and the New England Patriots should be right up there as well. This game will feature an intriguing matchup between one of the NFL’s budding stars in Matt Ryan, whose rookie season last year was among the best ever, and Tom Brady, considered by many the best QB in the game today, but who was also known for his early career success. Ryan has looked strong so far this year, while Brady has struggled. Will that trend continue, or will Brady return more to his 2007 form?

Colts-Cardinals Week 3 Preview

Peyton Manning

Larry Fitzgerald

The most exciting game of the coming NFL weekend may be the  Sunday Night Football game between the Indianapolis Colts and the Arizona Cardinals. Both teams’ offenses have been high scoring and explosive in recent years, particularly in the passing game. Of course, Larry Fitzgerald’s  historic playoff run last season is fresh on our minds. And, what can you say about Peyton Manning; he has only thrown for over 4000 yards in 9 of the past 10 seasons. It’s not a stretch to expect plenty of offensive fireworks in this game. But, when it’s all over, who can we expect to have the advantage?

Giants-Cowboys Week 2 Preview

Can the Giants keep the Cowboys from celebrating again?

Looking forward to the upcoming NFL week, it looks to me like the most anticipated game nationally will be the Sunday Night Football matchup between the New York Giants and the Dallas Cowboys. This should be an exciting matchup of marquis quarterbacks and two of the more accomplished teams in the NFL, with a combined 8 Super Bowl championships. In some ways it may be considered a clashing of styles, with the historically smash mouth Giants going to Dallas to visit the more flashy Cowboys. You can find a complete traditional preview at this ESPN article. But for me, like I did in my recent statistical review posts, I wanted to look at this game from a statistical standpoint rather than discussing how this or that player looked in the last game.