Chris Smith - Tidbits

The Cardinals have had one winning season (9-7 back in 1998) in the last 19 seasons.
The Cardinals are now 0-6 on the road. They average 11.3 points scored per game and are giving up 33.8 points per game.
The Cardinals haven't rushed for 100 yards in a road game as a team once this season.
The Cardinals haven't had a 200-yard rushing day from a running back since week four in 1996 (RB LaShon Johnson put up 214 against the Saints)
The Cardinals average 18.5 carries per game for only 47.7 rushing yards on the road.
WR Anquan Boldin now has 1032 receiving yards. The other receivers combined only have 593 receiving yards.
RB Comparison:
- Marcel Shipp has carried the ball 171 times for 662 rushing yards and caught 25 passes for 162 receiving yards
- Emmitt Smith has carried the ball 66 times for 189 rushing yards and caught 7 passes for 32 receiving yards
The Cardinals' running backs have only scored one touchdown all season (Emmitt Smith back in week four).

Atlanta Falcons

The Falcons have yet to win at home this season (0-6 on the season)
The Falcons have never (not including .500 seasons) had back-to-back winning seasons in their 37-year history.
QB Michael Vick completed 8 of 11 passes and rushed for 16 yards in his first taste of action this season.
RB T.J. Duckett now has 8 rushing touchdowns in only 113 attempts this season.
Duckett has enjoyed success against the Panthers. In three games he has 213 rushing yards on 48 carries and has scored 3 touchdowns.
Falcons' running backs have rushed for 1210 yards on only 257 carries this season (4.7 YPC).

Baltimore Ravens

The Ravens are 5-1 at home this season.
Watch out football fans. Here comes WR Marcus Robinson! He has 202 receiving yards and 5 touchdowns in his last two starts.
Robinson has been targeted 23 times in the past three weeks.
In his last two starts, QB Anthony Wright has thrown 6 touchdown passes against only 1 interception.
Wright has a QB rating of 85.8 on the season. In comparison, Kyle Boller is at 62.1 and Chris Redman is brutally low at only 26.0
RB Jamal Lewis has 1442 yards rushing already. He is on a pace to rush for 1923 yards on the season.
Lewis has eight 100-yard rushing games on the season.
Lewis has faced the Bengals five times in his career. He ran for more than 100 yards in each of the five contests (582 rushing yards)

Buffalo Bills

The Bills lost 30 to 3 to the Jets in New York back in week six.
The Bills are 3-3 at home this season.
After a slow start this season, RB Travis Henry is on pace to rush for 1293 yards and score 12 touchdowns.
In four career games against the Jets, Henry has rushed for 398 yards and 4 touchdowns.
QB Drew Bledsoe has only tossed 8 touchdown passes this year.
Bledsoe threw more TD passes in week 13 (2) than he had in the previous six games combined (1).
The Bills have really missed a healthy RB Eric Moulds this year. Moulds still leads in receptions but only has 49 grabs for 646 yards and one score.
Moulds has a weird streak going. His best seasons are only during even-numbered seasons
- 1998: 67 receptions for 1368 receiving yards and 9 touchdowns
- 1999: 65 receptions for 994 receiving yards and 7 touchdowns
- 2000: 94 receptions for 1326 receiving yards and 5 touchdowns
- 2001: 67 receptions for 904 receiving yards and 5 touchdowns
- 2002: 100 receptions for 1281 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns
- 2003: 65 receptions for 861 receiving yards and 1 touchdown (on pace for)

Carolina Panthers

The Panthers defeated the Falcons 23 to 3 back in week four.
The Panthers are only 3-4 in the last seven games.
The Panthers are 3-2 on the road this season but have lost the last two games (to Dallas and Houston)
Back in week seven, RB Stephen Davis was on pace to rush for 2051 rushing yards. Now he is on pace to rush for 1677 yards.
RB Stephen Davis has carried the ball 77 times in the last three weeks.
Davis rushed for 153 yards against the Panthers earlier this season.
QB Jake Delhomme is completing 57.5% of his passes this season and has a solid YPA of 7.28. His TD to INT ratio is 13 to 11.
WR Steve Smith has been solid over the last five weeks (27 receptions for 363 yards and 3 scores) but hasn't had a 100-yard receiving game in that time.

Chicago Bears

The Bears are 4-2 in the past six games. In that stretch they have only given up 71 points (11.8 PA per game)
The Bears are 1-5 on the road this season.
The Bears have managed to win two of the past four games against the Packers in Green Bay.
Since giving up 38 points to the Packers back in week four, the Bears have only surrendered 136 points in nine games.
The Bears trailed the Packers 38 to 16 in the first meeting this year until scoring a garbage touchdown late in the game.
QB Comparison:
- Kordell Stewart: 104 completions on 196 attempts (53.1%) for 1076 passing yards, 6 touchdowns and 7 interceptions; 266 rushing yards and 3 touchdowns
- Chris Chandler: 101 completions on 175 attempts (57.7%) for 969 passing yards, 3 touchdowns and 7 interceptions; 31 rushing yards and 0 touchdowns
- Stewart has accounted for 9 touchdowns (6 pass, 3 rush) and Chandler has accounted for 3 touchdowns
Stewart threw for 201 yards and 2 interceptions against the Packers earlier this season.
Bears' running backs have rushed for 1041 yards on 251 carries (4.1 YPC) on the season. They have scored 8 touchdowns.
WR Dez White is continuing to get balls thrown his way. He has been targeted 22 times in the last three weeks. He has caught 9 of them and scored twice.

Cincinnati Bengals

The Bengals are 6-1 in the past seven games. That is their best stretch since 1996 when they finished the season 7-2.
The Bengals beat the Ravens 34 to 26 in Cincinnati earlier this season (week seven)
The Bengals lost two games in the final seconds this season (to Buffalo in O/T and the Raiders in the waning seconds)
The Bengals haven't defeated the Ravens in Baltimore since 1996 (Ravens first season in Baltimore). They have lost six straight meetings.
Jon Kitna continues to have an MVP caliber season:
- He has completed 61.0% of his throws and averaged 7.03 YPA
- He has thrown for 234.3 yards per game
- He has thrown 22 touchdowns against only 9 interceptions (who is QB Carson Palmer again?)
In his last three games against the Ravens, Kitna has averaged 284.7 passing yards per game and tossed 7 touchdowns.
WR Chad Johnson wants to be known as the best receiver in the game. With 1105 receiving yards and 9 touchdowns so far this season, he is on his way.
Johnson has caught 65.7 % of the ball thrown his way in the last three weeks.

Cleveland Browns

The Browns are only 1-5 in the past six games.
The Browns are 2-4 at home this season.
The Browns have scored 14 points or less in eight games this season.
The Browns have only rushed for 1064 yards as a team this season.
The Browns' running backs have only gained 957 yards on 261 carries this season (3.66 YPC). They have only scored 4 touchdowns.
The leading receiver only has 502 receiving yards on 48 receptions (WR Dennis Northcutt).
QB Kelly Holcomb has yet to prove he can win at this level. He has only led the Browns to two wins this season.

Dallas Cowboys

The Cowboys defeated the Eagles 23 to 21 in Dallas back in week six.
The Cowboys have lost four straight games to the Eagles in Philadelphia.
After going five straight games with less than 200 passing yards (week 6 thru 10), QB Quincy Carter has now topped 200 yards in three straight games.
Carter is supposedly having a breakout season this year (and he is) but surprisingly his QB rating has slipped this year from 72.3 to 71.9.
In two career games against the Eagles, Carter has thrown for 347 yards and has no touchdowns against 2 interceptions.
RB Troy Hambrick has only gained 102 rushing yards on 44 carries (2.3 YPC) in his last four games.
Hambrick gained 46 yards on 18 carries against the Eagles earlier this season but did manage to score a touchdown.
The Cowboys have three receivers vying for the team lead:
- WR Joey Galloway has 30 receptions for 537 yards (and 2 scores)
- WR Antonio Bryant has 31 receptions for 473 yards (and 2 scores)

Denver Broncos

The Broncos are 4-2 on home field
The Broncos lost a heart breaker 24 to 23 to the Chiefs back in week five.
The Broncos have won the last two games against the Chiefs in Denver.
RB Clinton Portis rushed for 141 yards on 23 carries in the first meeting between the two teams.
Portis has rushed for 341 yards; caught 11 passes for 169 yards and scored 6 touchdowns against the Chiefs in just three meetings.
Portis has enjoyed four straight 100-yard rushing games and has eclipsed the 100-yard mark in eight of his eleven games.
The Broncos haven't had a 300-yard passer since week seven of last season.
WR Rod Smith has only had one 100-yard receiving game is his last thirty contests.
In the first four weeks, WR Ashley Lelie had nine receptions for 229 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Since then he has 16 receptions for 193 yards and no scores.
Lelie has only been targeted 10 times in the last three weeks.

Detroit Lions

The Lions have a winning record at home this season (4-2).
The Lions have only given up 37 points in their last three home games (all wins).
This week against the Chargers may be the last win of the season for the Lions. They finish up on the road in Kansas City and Carolina and home to St. Louis.
WR Az-Zahir Hakim has become a weapon again. He has 19 receptions for 186 yards in the last three games. He has also scored twice during that period.
Hakim has been targeted an impressive 34 times in the last three weeks.
QB Joey Harrington has a QB Rating of only 59.1 on the season.

Green Bay Packers

The Packers are only 3-3 at home this season.
The Packers have defeated the Bears in six straight football games.
QB Brett Favre hasn't enjoyed a 300-yard passing game since week ten of the 2002 season.
In his last six games against the Bears (all wins), Favre has tossed 12 touchdown passes against only 4 interceptions.
WR Javon Walker has only caught 5 passes in the last three weeks. However those five receptions have accounted for 165 yards and 2 touchdowns.
RB Ahman Green is on pace to rush for 1844 yards; to catch 60 passes for 451 yards and score 18 touchdowns. Nice season!
Green had his lowest number of attempts in a game this season last week against the Lions. Green got only 13 carries.
Earlier this season, Green lit up the Bears to the tune of 176 rushing yards and 2 scores.

Houston Texans

The Texans are 2-1 against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
The Texans are 3-2 over the last five games.
The Texans are 2-4 on the road this season.
RB Domanick Davis has had three straight games with 24 or more carries and has rushed for 100+ rushing yards in four games this year.
WR Andre Johnson has been targeted 25 times in the last three games but has managed to catch only 9 of them (36%).

Indianapolis Colts

The Colts have only faced the Titans once in Tennessee. It was last season and they lost 27 to 17.
The Colts defeated the Titans 33 to 7 in Indianapolis earlier this season.
The Colts are 5-1 on the road this season.
In three games against the Titans, WR Marvin Harrison has caught 23 passes for 234 yards and 2 scores.
WR Reggie Wayne has been targeted 29 times in the past three weeks.
RB Edgerrin James rushed for 120 yards on 30 carries against the Titans back in week two.
James has had 89 carries in the past three weeks (for 323 yards and 5 touchdowns).
QB Peyton Manning is on pace to throw for 4511 yards and toss 31 touchdown passes.

Jacksonville Jaguars

The Jaguars defense is beginning to dominate. They have only given up 33 points in the last three games.
RB Fred Taylor has rushed for more than 100 yards in three of the past four games.
Taylor is on pace to rush for 1383 yards this season.
Taylor has only scored 1 touchdown against the Texan in three career games.
WR Jimmy Smith has been targeted 38 times in the past three weeks (he caught 17 of them for 206 yards and a score)
QB Byron Leftwich has a decent QB rating of 72.6.
Leftwich had his best outing since week five last week against the Buccaneers. He threw for 224 yards and a pair of scores.

Kansas City Chiefs

The Chiefs have struggled to defeat both the Raiders and Chargers in consecutive weeks after losing to the Bengals back in week eleven.
RB Priest Holmes is a touchdown machine. He has scored a staggering 41 times in his last 26 games.
Holmes has had at least 98 total yards in every game he has played in this season.
In his last four games against the Broncos, Holmes has rushed for 492 yards and scored 4 touchdowns.
TE Tony Gonzalez has caught 8 touchdown passes in the last nine games.
Gonzalez has 21 targets over the past three weeks and has caught 16 of them (76.2%).

Miami Dolphins

The Dolphins are 5-1 on the road this season.
The Dolphins are 2-2 against the Patriots on the road in the last four meetings.
RB Ricky Williams has rushed for over 100 yards in three straight football games. He is on pace to carry the ball 400 times this season.
Williams has rushed for 384 yards against the Patriots in the last three meetings.
QB Jay Fiedler has a QB rating of 81.5 on the season. Brian Griese only managed a 69.2 rating while filling in for Fiedler.
Fiedler has thrown 8 touchdowns and only 5 interceptions against the Patriots in the last seven meetings.
Fiedler is 4-3 against the Patriots.
WR Chris Chambers has scored 9 touchdowns on the season. His 3-touchdown performance last week was a career best.

Minnesota Vikings

The Vikings are 1-5 in their last six games. They have been outscored 131 to 191 in those six games.
The Vikings are 4-2 at home this season.
RB Michael Bennett is back! He has 171 rushing yards in the last two games on only 29 carries (5.9 YPC).
QB Daunte Culpepper didn't have an interception through the first seven weeks of the season. Since then he has thrown 8.
Culpepper has had three 300-yard passing games in the past four weeks. All three of those efforts were losses though.
WR Randy Moss is on pace to catch 109 passes for 1652 yards and score 15 touchdowns.
Moss has been targeted 40 times in the last three weeks (and caught 20 of them).

New England Patriots

The Patriots have won eight games in a row.
In the last six games the Patriots have won five of them by six points or less (won the other game 12-0 against the Cowboys).
WR Deion Branch has emerged as the go-to receiver for the Patriots. He has been targeted 28 times in the last three weeks.
QB Tom Brady is 30-13 as the starting quarterback for the Patriots.
Brady has six games this season where he has thrown 2 or more touchdown passes.
Brady has thrown 11 interceptions in four games this season. In the other eight games he has been intercepted only once.
In his last three meetings against the Dolphins, Brady has thrown for 744 yards and tossed 5 touchdowns.
RB Mike Cloud has become a touchdown maker. He has scored 5 times on only 27 carries.
RB Antowain Smith is only averaging 3.3 YPC this season and has only 429 combined yards from scrimmage.
RB Kevin Faulk leads the Patriots with 966 yards from scrimmage but hasn't scored a touchdown.

New Orleans Saints

The Saints are 5-2 in the last seven games.
The Saints have defeated the Buccaneers in three straight games.
RB Deuce McAllister has rushed for more than 100-yards in nine straight games.
In his last three starts, McAllister has rushed for 522 yards and scored 4 touchdowns.
McAllister is on pace to rush for 1857 yards on the season.
In three games against the Buccaneers, McAllister has rushed for 318 yards.

New York Giants

The Giants have lost four straight games by a combined score of 37 to 98.
The Giants have won three in a row against the Redskins and five of the past six.
QB Kerry Collins has only thrown 7 touchdown passes in the last nine weeks while serving up 13 interceptions.
Collins has thrown 11 touchdowns against only 7 interceptions against the Redskins in the last seven meetings.
RB Tiki Barber hasn't broken a run longer than 27 yards this season. Last year he had seven different games where he broke longer runs than that off.
In his last two games against the Redskins, Barber has rushed for 222 yards and score one touchdown.
WR Amani Toomer has only caught 40.5% of the passes thrown to him this season.

New York Jets

The Jets are 3-1 in the past four games.
The Jets have won the last two games against the Bills in Buffalo and four of the last five games overall.
RB Curtis Martin finally scored his first touchdown of the season last week.
Martin is on pace to rush for 1159 yards which would be his ninth straight 1000-yard season.
WR Curtis Conway is leading the team in targets the last three weeks with 21 passes thrown his way. He has caught 10 of them.
QB Chad Pennington has a QB rating of 99.2 on the season. He is completing 65.7 % of his passes and has 12 touchdown passes against only 6 interceptions.

Oakland Raiders

The Raiders are 0-6 on the road this season.
RB Tyrone Wheatley has enjoyed a nice four game stretch. He has 346 rushing yards in the last four outings.
WR Jerry Porter has emerged as the go-to receiver for the team. He has caught 13 passes in the last three weeks and leads the team in targets with 21.
QB Rick Mirer is at the helm of a very conservative offensive attack but is doing well. He has a decent 78.1 QB rating.
RB Charlie Garner doesn't have a 100-yard rushing game this season and has only 3 touchdowns.

Philadelphia Eagles

The Eagles have won seven games in a row and nine of the last ten games erasing a horrible start to the season.
QB Donovan McNabb's QB rating is up to 74.5 on the season. He has only thrown 1 interception in the past five weeks.
McNabb has thrown at least one touchdown pass in eight of the last nine weeks.
McNabb has completed 63.6% or more of his passes in five of the last six weeks.
McNabb only has one rushing touchdown on the season.
RB Brian Westbrook continues to be productive with limited touches. He has gained 164 rushing yards in the last three weeks on only 30 carries.
Westbrook also has 13 receptions in the past three games for 139 yards and a pair of scores.
WR Freddie Mitchell has caught 9 of the last 12 passes thrown his way and is up to 24 receptions on the season.

Pittsburgh Steelers

The Steelers are 2-7 in the last nine games.
RB Jerome Bettis has led the team in rushing in seven consecutive weeks. He is on pace to rush for only 624 yards though.
QB Tommy Maddox has been up and down all season. His completion percentage, YPA and touchdown passes are down from a season ago.
WR Hines Ward is on pace to eclipse 100 receptions on the season once again. He has caught 9 touchdown passes to lead the team.
WR Plaxico Burress has been better of late but still only has one touchdown reception on the season.

San Diego Chargers

The Chargers are only 1-4 under QB Doug Flutie prompting speculation that Drew Brees may get the nod this week.
The Chargers are 1-5 on the road this season.
WR David Boston has led the Chargers in receiving in five of the past six weeks.
Boston has caught 16 of the last 24 passes thrown his way (66.7%)
Boston is now on pace to catch 75 passes for 977 yards and score 8 touchdowns.
Flutie is only completing 52.3% of his throws but has managed to toss 7 touchdown passes against 3 interceptions.
RB LaDainian Tomlinson hasn't carried the ball more than 19 times in the past five weeks.

San Francisco 49ers

The 49ers are 5-1 at home this season. They have outscored their opponents 169 to 68.
RB Kevan Barlow will get the reps this week with Garrison Hearst 'OUT' for the week.
In his last seven games, QB Jeff Garcia has only thrown 4 touchdown passes and has been intercepted 10 times.
WR Terrell Owens is only on pace to score 8 touchdowns this season. That would be his lowest total since 1999.

Seattle Seahawks

The Seahawks are 7-0 at home this season but only 1-4 on the road.
Three of the last four Seahawks' games are on the road.
QB Matt Hasselbeck continues to shine. He is on pace to toss 29 touchdown passes against only 12 interceptions.
WR Darrell Jackson has had 30 passes thrown his way in the last three weeks. He has caught 19 of them for 304 yards and 4 touchdowns.
Jackson is on pace to finish with 1211 receiving yards and 11 touchdowns.
RB Shaun Alexander has rushed for 1034 yards on the season. He has scored 11 touchdowns.

St. Louis Rams

The Rams are 8-1 in the past nine games.
The Rams are only 3-3 on the road this season.
RB Marshall Faulk has three straight 100-yard rushing games.
WR Torry Holt has three straight 100-yard receiving games and eight this season.
Holt is on pace to catch 123 passes this season for 1849 yards and 13 touchdowns.
QB Marc Bulger has taken heat because of his interceptions this season but is still completing 63.8% of his passes and is on pace for 3983 passing yards.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The Buccaneers are 1-4 in the last five games.
The Buccaneers are only averaging 14.7 points scored in the past seven weeks.
The Buccaneers have lost to the Saints in three consecutive games dating back to last season.
In his last seven games, QB Brad Johnson has thrown only 8 touchdown passes against 10 interceptions.
In his last four games against the Saints, Johnson has thrown for 1094 yards and 9 touchdowns against only 3 interceptions.
RB Michael Pittman has five straight games with less than 61 rushing yards.
WR Keenan McCardell has been targeted 31 times in the last three weeks and caught 22 of those passes.
WR Charles Lee has caught 11 of the 15 passes thrown his way.

Tennessee Titans

The Titans lost to the Colts earlier this season in Indianapolis 33 to 7.
QB Steve McNair hasn't thrown for 300 yards in the last six games.
In his last three games against the Colts, McNair has thrown for only 457 yards. He did throw 3 touchdowns and 0 interceptions though.
In his last three games against the Colts, WR Derrick Mason has caught 21 passes for 216 yards and no touchdowns.
WR Derrick Mason has caught 20 of the last 26 passes thrown his way (76.9%).
RB Eddie George is on pace to rush for 996 yards on the season.
In his last three games, George has carried the ball 64 times for 261 yards (4.1 YPC).
George has scored two touchdowns against the Colts in the last three games.

Washington Redskins

The Redskins are 1-7 in the last eight games.
The Redskins have lost the last three games by a total of eight points.
The Redskins have lost three straight games to the Giants.
RB Trung Canidate has rushed for 184 combined yards in the past two games.
WR Laveranues Coles has been targeted 34 times in the past three weeks but has caught only 14 of those passes (41.2%)