Smith’s Football Tidbits Week Sixteen

*Note: For the final two games of the season, the Tidbits article will focus mostly on team performances and not individual highlights. With the fantasy seasons winding down, the final two Tidbits’ articles this year will be for the benefit of NFL Pool participants and wagering enthusiasts.

Friday Games

Green Bay @ Minnesota

The Packers are 43-42-1 lifetime against the Vikings
The Vikings are 4-2 at home against the Packers since the 1998 campaign
The last four games between these teams has been decided by five points or less
The Vikings are 5-2 at home this season
The Packers are 4-2 on the road this season
The Packers are 7-3 against divisional rivals over the last two seasons
The Vikings are 7-4 against divisional rivals over the last two seasons
The Vikings have only won one game by more than ten points over the last eight games
The Packers have surrendered 88 points in the last three games
The Vikings have given up 24+ points nine times on the year
The Vikings have the 9^th worst defense when it comes to points allowed and the Packers have the 10^th

Saturday Games

Oakland Raiders @ Kansas City Chiefs

The Raiders are 42-45-1 lifetime against the Chiefs
The Raiders have lost to the Chiefs in three straight games by a total of 17 points
The Raiders have gone 3-3 in the last six games despite not having a rusher gain more than 54 yards in one game
QB Kerry Collins has thrown 14 touchdowns against only 4 interceptions in the last five games
The Raiders are 2-5 on the road this year
The Raiders have given up 23+ points in eleven straight football games
The Chiefs have won three straight games and scored 128 points in the process
RB Larry Johnson has rushed for 373 yards in the last three games
The Chiefs are a surprisingly bad 3-4 at home this season
The Chiefs have scored 30+ points in seven games this year
QB Trent Green has thrown nine touchdown passes in the last three weeks
The Chiefs are 7-3 against divisional rivals over the last two seasons
The Raiders are 2-9 against divisional foes over the last two seasons
The Chiefs have the 2^nd highest scoring offense while the Raiders have the 18^th best offense
The Chiefs are averaging 278.7 passing yards per game while the Raiders are giving up 245.8 passing yards per game
The Chiefs are surrendering 270.4 passing yards per game while the Raiders are averaging 261.4 passing yards per game
The Chiefs average 161.4 rushing yards per game while the Raiders averaging a brutal 74.9 rushing yards per game
Not much defense… The Raiders are the worst defense in terms of points allowed while the Chiefs are 4^th worst

Denver Broncos @ Tennessee Titans

The Broncos are 13-21-1 against the Titans franchise
The Broncos are in danger of not making the playoffs after losing three of their last four games
QB Jake Plummer has thrown 9 interceptions and only 2 touchdown passes over the last four games
The Titans have lost four straight games despite scoring 118 points. Giving up 43 points a game will do that to a team
Reserve quarterback? Billy Volek has thrown for 918 yards and 8 touchdowns over the last two weeks
WR Drew Bennett has scored a staggering 8 touchdowns over the last three weeks
The Titans now have 10 losses on the season. It is the first time since 1994 they have hit double-digits in losses
The Titans have the 13^th best scoring offense but the 3^rd worst scoring defense
The Broncos have the 11^th best scoring defense and the 12^th best scoring offense
The Broncos are averaging 137.8 rushing yards and 246.7 passing yards on the season
The Titans are averaging 122.6 rushing yards and 236.1 passing yards
The Titans are a terrible 1-5 at home this season
The Broncos are 3-4 on the road this season

Sunday Games

New York Giants @ Cincinnati Bengals

The Giants and Bengals have only faced six times with the Bengals winning four of those games
The Giants have now lost seven games in a row
The Giants 30 points scored last week against the Steelers was more than the previous three weeks combined
The Giants have surrendered 128 points over the last four weeks
The Bengals are 4-3 at home this season
The Bengals are now definitely QB Carson Palmer’s team. Jon Kitna played last week in relief of injured Palmer but only managed 151 passing yards in a big loss to the Bills
The Bengals have given up 142 points over the last four weeks
QB Eli Manning has gone up against five of the top thirteen scoring defenses over the last five games. This week he gets the 9^th worst scoring D
The Giants are averaging 178.4 passing yards per game while the Bengals are averaging 212.2 passing yards per game
The Giants are 3-4 on the road this year

Chicago Bears @ Detroit Lions

The Bears are 83-61-5 lifetime against the Lions
The Bears have lost the last two games against the Lions
The Bears have only won two of the last ten games played in Detroit
The Bears have lost four of their last five games and scored only eight points in their last two games
The Bears haven’t had a 100-yard rusher since Anthony Thomas in week nine
The Bears have scored 10 points or less in seven games this season
In the last five games the Bears have been outscored 49 to 122
The Lions have lost seven of their last eight games
QB Joey Harrington finally put together a decent performance last week against the Vikings with 361 passing yards and 2 touchdowns
The Bears are averaging only 139.4 passing yards per game while the Lions are averaging 173.5 passing yards per contest
The Lions are 2-5 at home this season

San Diego Chargers @ Indianapolis Colts

The Chargers have won their last eight games and ten of the last eleven
The Chargers are 12-8 lifetime against the Colts
The Chargers have scored 20+ points in twelve games this season
RB LaDainian Tomlinson has rushed for 355 yards in the last three games
Tomlinson has scored a touchdown in eleven straight games
TE Antonio Gates set an NFL record for the tight end position with his 12^th touchdown reception
The Chargers are 11-3 on the season. They haven’t won 12 games in a season since 1979
The Colts have won their past seven games
The Colts haven’t scored less than 20 points in a game all season
The Colts defense has given up 14 points or less in five of the last six games
The Colts are 6-1 at home this season (only loss was to the Jaguars)
QB Peyton Manning only needs one more touchdown to tie Dan Marino with 48 in a season
RB Edgerrin James is on pace to set a personal best yards per carry mark (4.7)
The Chargers are averaging 139.6 rushing yards per game while the Colts surrender 123.6 rushing yards per game
The Colts are averaging 122.4 rushing yards per game while the Chargers surrender only 80.9 rushing yards per game
The Chargers are averaging 204.4 passing yards per game while the Colts surrender 240.9 passing yards per game
The Colts average 292.6 passing yards per game while the Chargers surrender 237.1 passing yards per game
WR Marvin Harrison needs two more touchdowns to set a personal best mark of 16

Houston Texans @ Jacksonville Jaguars

The Texans are 3-2 lifetime against the Jaguars
The Texans set a franchise record last week against the Bears with their 6^th win of the season
The Texans have scored 14 points or less in five of their last seven games
The Texans easily defeated the Jaguars earlier this season by a score of 20 to 6
The Jaguars have won their last two games to get back into the playoff hunt
RB Fred Taylor has rushed for 100 yards in four of the last six games
The Jaguars scored 28 points last week against the Packers. That was their highest offensive output of the season
The Texans are averaging 109.1 rushing yards on the season while the Jaguars surrender only 100.8 rushing yards per contest
The Jaguars average 118.7 rushing yards this season while the Texans surrender 115.1 on the year
The Texans average 216.4 rushing yards this season while the Jaguars surrender 222.1 yards on the year
The Jaguars are averaging 212.8 passing yards per game this season while the Texans give up 239.8 passing yards per game
The Jaguars are 2-3 vs. divisional foes this season
The Texans are 3-2 vs. divisional foes this season

Atlanta Falcons @ New Orleans Saints

The Falcons are 42-29 lifetime against the Saints
The Falcons have won six of their past seven games
The Falcons defeated the Saints in week twelve, 24 to 21
The Falcons have scored 69 points in the last two games after the Buccaneers shut them out in week thirteen
QB Michael Vick has only reached the 200-yard passing mark three times this entire season
The Falcons have given up 20 points or less nine times this season
The Streaky way of the Saints continues. The Saints have won their past two games to climb back into the playoff hunt at 6-8
The Saints have only given up 30 points combined in the last two games, holding opponents under 20 points for the first time this season
The Saints have only had two winning seasons in the last dozen years
The Falcons have the NFL’s best rushing offense with 169.6 rushing yards per game. The Saints give up a league worst 151 rushing yards per game
The Falcons are only averaging 149.5 passing yards per game. That is 3^rd worst in the NFL
The Saints are only averaging 91.6 rushing yards per game
The Saints are a miserable 2-5 at home this season
The Falcons are 4-2 on the road this year

Baltimore Ravens @ Pittsburgh Steelers

The Ravens are 6-11 lifetime against the Steelers
The Steelers only loss this season was to the Ravens in week two
The Steelers haven’t won 14 games since 1978. They’ll achieve that with a win this weekend
The Steelers have won 12 straight games for the first time in franchise history
The Steelers put up 33 points against the Giants last week. It was the first time since week eight the Steelers hit 30+ points in a game
On the flip side, the Steelers gave up 30 points last week. It was the first time since week five the team gave up more than 20 points in a game
RB Jerome Bettis has rushed for 100+ yards in five of the last seven games
With three losses in their last four games, the Ravens are in danger of missing the playoffs after a strong 7-3 start this season
The Ravens are only averaging 142.4 passing yards per game. That is 2^nd worst in the NFL while the Steelers defense only gives up 177.6 passing yards per contest
The Ravens rush for 128.7 rushing yards per game but are going up against the league’s best run stopping unit (80.9 rushing yards against per game)
The Steelers average 151.7 rushing yards per game but the Ravens are also good at defending the run (100.1 rushing yards per game)
The Steelers are giving up 15.7 points per game this season while the Ravens have allowed 16.1
The Ravens have not given up more than 27 points in a game this season
The Ravens have lost the last two games in Pittsburgh
The Ravens are 3-4 on the road this season
The Steelers are 7-0 at home this season

Carolina Panthers @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The Panthers are 4-4 lifetime against the Buccaneers
The Panthers lost a heart breaker to the Falcons last week ending their winning streak at five games.
The Panthers haven’t scored less than 20 points in a game since week eight
The Panthers are 3-4 on the road this season
The Panthers defeated the Buccaneers earlier this season 21 to 14
WR Muhsin Muhammad has now scored 12 touchdowns on the season
A good matchup is the Panthers strong passing attack against the league’s top ranked pass defense (161.2 passing yards per game)
The Buccaneers have lost two in a row and three of their last four. The sole win was a 27 to 0 slaughter against the Falcons
The Buccaneers have given up more than 20 points in five of the last seven games. In the other two, they gave up a total of 3 points
The Buccaneers are 4-3 at home this year
The Buccaneers are 2-3 vs. divisional foes this season

New England Patriots @ New York Jets

The Patriots are 41-47-1 lifetime against the Jets
Patriots are 5-2 on the road this season
The Jets are 6-1 at home this season
The Jets have given up 17 points or less in five straight games
The Jets have four wins in their last five games
RB Curtis Martin is up to 1,511 rushing yards on the year
The Jets are averaging a strong 154.4 rushing yards per game. The Patriots give up only 99.4 rushing yards per game
The Patriots are averaging 131.9 rushing yards per game and the Jets surrender only 100.4 rushing yards per contest
The Jets are only giving up 287.6 total yards per game while the Patriots are surrendering 312.5 yards per game
The Jets are only giving up 14.7 points per game
The Patriots haven’t lost two games in a row since the 2002 season
If the Jets win out, they’ll tie the franchise record of 12 wins in a season
If the Patriots win out they’ll tie the franchise record set last year of 14 wins in a season
The Jets lost 13 to 7 in New England earlier this season
The Patriots have won the last three games in this series

Buffalo Bills @ San Francisco 49ers

The Bills are 4-4 lifetime against the 49ers
The Bills have lost seven of their last eight games
The Bills have given up 17 points or less in ten of the games this season
The Bills are one win away from having their best season since 1999
The Bills have scored a staggering 187 points in the last five games
The 49ers have two wins on the season. Both came against the Cardinals by identical scores of 31 to 28 in overtime
QB Ken Dorsey has thrown 5 touchdowns in the last two games but saddled that with a 4 interception performance last week
The Bills are now 8^th in the NFL when it comes to points scored. They are up to 23.6 PPG on the season despite the sluggish start
The Bills are 7^th in the NFL in points allowed per game. They are averaging 17.7 against per game
The 49ers are giving up 27.9 points per game
The 49ers have given up 20 or more points in all but one game this year
The Bills are only 3-4 on the road this season but have won their last three
The 49ers are only 1-6 at home this year

Washington Redskins @ Dallas Cowboys

The Redskins are 34-53-2 lifetime against the Cowboys
The Redskins have given up 17 points or less in six of the last seven games and ten times overall this season
The Redskins have scored 71 points in the last three games after totaling only 77 points in the previous seven contests
RB Clinton Portis has carried the ball 333 times this season
QB Patrick Ramsey has thrown 4 touchdown passes against only 1 interception in the last three games
The Redskins lost 21 to 18 in Dallas earlier this season
The Redskins are 2-1 in the last three games and almost knocked off the Eagles in the loss
The Cowboys have lost two in a row and five of the last seven
The Redskins have lost three straight games to the Cowboys
Despite the recent offensive success, the Redskins are still ranked 2^nd to last in points scored with only 14.9 on the season
On the other hand, the Redskins have the 2^nd best defense when it comes to points allowed with only 16.7 given up per game
The Redskins are allowing only 83.1 rushing yards on the season and also have the 2^nd best defense in terms of YPG with only 261.1 surrendered
The Cowboys are giving up 26.2 points per game and scoring only 18.3
The Cowboys have scored only 20 points in the last two games
The Cowboys have scored over 21 points only twice this season
The Redskins are 3-4 on the road this season
The Cowboys are 3-4 at home this season

Arizona Cardinals @ Seattle Seahawks

The Cardinals are 7-4 lifetime against the Seahawks
The Cardinals have given up 17 points or less in seven games this season
The Cardinals defeated the Seahawks 25 to 17 earlier this season
QB Josh McCown has thrown for 594 yards in the last two games
The Seahawks are only 2-4 in the last six games
The Seahawks defense has given up 141 points in the last four games
The Cardinals are actually 15^th overall when it comes to points allowed per game (20.8)
The Seahawks are giving up 23.3 points per game this season
The Cardinals weakness on defense is stopping the run. They are giving up 133.4 rushing yards per game which is 6^th worst in the NFL
The Cardinals are 1-6 on the road this season
The Seahawks are 3-3 at home this season

Cleveland Browns @ Miami Dolphins

The Browns are 4-8 lifetime against the Dolphins
The Browns have lost eight straight games
The Browns have scored seven points in the last two games
The Browns have given up 158 points in the last four games
The Browns are 0-6 on the road this season and have given up 202 points in those six games
The Dolphins have won three of their past eight games after starting 0-6
The Dolphins haven’t scored less than 17 points since week eight. In the first six games this season they averaged 9 points per game
The Dolphins are now averaging 17.3 points scored per game this season. That is a big jump from the earlier woes this season
The Dolphins are giving up 140.7 rushing yards per game this year. That is the 3^rd worst mark in the NFL
The Browns are only averaging 98.4 rushing yards per game and may not be able to capitalize on the Dolphins weakness
The Dolphins allow only 164.8 passing yards per game and the Browns only averaging 175.3 passing yards per game on offense
The Dolphins are 2-5 at home this season

Monday Night Football

Philadelphia Eagles @ St. Louis Rams

In the past five games, the Eagles have given up a total of 50 points
In the past five games, the Rams have given up a total of 139 points
The Rams are 2-6 in the past eight games
The once vaunted Rams offense has only scored 64 points in the last five games and 14 points in the last two
The Rams are 4-2 at home this season
The Eagles started the season with seven straight wins, lost
Pittsburgh and now have reeled off six straight victories
The Eagles set a franchise record last week with their 13^th victory of the season
The Eagles offense has only scored 29 points in the last two games
WR Terrell Owens is out for the rest of the regular season and is questionable to play in the Super Bowl if the Eagles make it that far
The Eagles haven’t had a 100-yard rushing performance since week four
QB Donovan McNabb has only had one game with less than 200 passing yards this season (Steelers held him to only 109 passing yards)
WR Torry Holt has taken over the team lead with 1,181 receiving yards on the season bumping Isaac Bruce to 2^nd with 1,108 receiving yards
The Eagles are scoring 26.4 points per game while the Rams give up 25.4 yards per game
The Rams are averaging 19.1 points per game while the Eagles surrender only 14.4 points per game
The Rams give up 137.0 rushing yards per game this year