Michael Robinson (VIP Sports)

November 10, 2004 

This article was written for, and is the exclusive property of VIP Sports

Week 9 selections were a mixed bag with two wins and two losses, not a good way to make up some ground. The year to date record is 16-21. 

The first win was Pittsburgh getting one point at home against Philadelphia. Running back Duce Staley was an unexpected scratch from this game, but Jerome Bettis rushed for 149 yards in his absence. This game was never in doubt as the Steelers opened up a 21-0 lead en route to an easy 27-3 blowout win. 

The second win was Baltimore giving six points to Cleveland at home on Sunday Night Football. The game started off in shocking fashion, as Cleveland returned the opening kickoff for a touchdown, Baltimore’s offense struggled at times, but an Ed Reed interception return for a touchdown sealed a 27-13 win.  

The first loss was Kansas City getting three points on the road at Tampa Bay. This was a back and forth game, with Kansas City having a 31-27 lead in the fourth quarter. Tampa Bay got a three yard touchdown run from Michael Pittman to take a 34-31 lead, and the Buccaneer defense was able to hold on from there. 

The second loss was the New York Jets giving three points on the road to Buffalo. Buffalo is a good home team, but this was clearly a winnable game for a Jets team that had only one loss this season. Running back, Willis McGahee had other ideas though, and he rushed for 132 yards to propel the Bills to a 22-17 win.

Cincinnati (+3) at Washington

The Redskins (3-5) are the number one ranked defense in the league, giving up only 16.6 points and 261 yards per game. Part of reason is they have played a lot of bad offensive teams like Chicago, Detroit, and Baltimore. Still, defensive coordinator Greg Williams deserves a lot of credit for their improvement. 

Washington needs a good defense because they have one of the worst passing offenses in the NFL. Quarterback, Mark Brunell is only 34 years old, but his skills have deteriorated rapidly. Coach, Joe Gibbs has so far refused to insert the younger Patrick Ramsey, but Brunell’s days as a starter could be numbered.  

Cincinnati (3-5) is coming off their best game of the year, a 26-3 win over the Cowboys. The Bengals are now 3-1 at home and 0-4 on the road. In order for Cincinnati to win this game, they must slow down Redskins’ running back Clinton Portis, who is averaging 129 yards rushing the last three weeks. 

The Bengals will try to take the pressure off of quarterback, Carson Palmer by running Rudi Johnson early. Johnson has had an up and down year, but he is 12th in the NFL in rushing yards, although his yards per carry are down to just 3.9. Running the ball though will not be easy against a stingy Redskins run defense. 

Brunell only threw for 58 yards in Washington’s win over Detroit last week, and in their other two wins this year, he averaged 110 yards passing. So clearly, they can win even when he struggles. Expect Portis to go over the 100 yard mark versus the porous Bengals interior defense, and they will get the win at home.   

Pick: Washington

Baltimore (-2) at NY Jets

The Jets dropped to 6-2 after losing to Buffalo 22-17. The Bills are a good team at home, but that is a game that New York needed to win if they want to contend for the AFC title. Their schedule now gets much tougher in the second half with Pittsburgh, Seattle, New England and St. Louis on the docket.  

If the Buffalo loss wasn’t bad enough, the Jets found out that they lost their franchise quarterback, Chad Pennington for 2-4 weeks with a bruised rotator cuff. Quincy Carter was signed earlier in the year to provide depth in such a situation, but he has no regular season experience in the Jets’ offense.  

The Ravens (5-3) moved over .500 last week with a 27-13 win over Cleveland. The 27 points is a little misleading as it includes four fields goals and an interception return for a touchdown. Kyle Boller and the passing offense continue to struggle as the teams relies on their defense and rushing attack to win games. 

Baltimore needs a more effective game from Jamal Lewis to come out of New York with a victory. Lewis returned last week from a two game suspension, but he had just 81 yards on 22 carries. Not a bad night for most running backs, but below Lewis’ lofty standards.  Lewis should have 25-30 carries this week. 

If Pennington is playing in this game, the Jets are a 3.5 point favorite at home. Carter is a big question mark however, and the Jets players could be demoralized by losing Pennington to injury for the second consecutive year. Look for Baltimore and Lewis to provide just enough offense for a field goal win.

Pick: Baltimore

Pittsburgh (-4) at Cleveland 

Pittsburgh is 7-1 after a complete dismantling of Philadelphia 27-3. The Steelers made history in the process as they became the first team in NFL history to beat teams with at least a 6-0 record in consecutive weeks. Pittsburgh had put an almost equal beating on New England the week before, winning 34-20.

A key to the Steelers offense this week is the possible return of Duce Staley. Staley was inactive against Philadelphia with a hamstring injury. Jerome Bettis filled in remarkably well, but will the “Bus” be able to do it two weeks in a row? The Browns would love to see Staley rest himself at least one more week. 

Cleveland (3-5) was not as fortunate as Pittsburgh last week, losing to Baltimore, 27-13. There were some bright spots for the Browns to take away from the game, as they had a chance to tie the game with under a minute left, and they held Ravens star running back, Jamal Lewis in check for most of the game.

The Browns return home where they are 3-1, with their only loss being an overtime affair against the Eagles. Cleveland should have some success running the ball this week with their “two headed monster” of Lee Suggs and William Green. Receiver Andre Davis is questionable to play with an ongoing turf toe. 

This is a classic trap game for Pittsburgh after coming off two emotional wins. There is a big difference in playing at home and the road for a rookie quarterback, so it wouldn’t be surprising to see Ben Roethlisberger come back to earth a little bit. The Steelers may win, but it will be a tight one either way. 

Pick: Cleveland

Buffalo (+8) at New England 

Buffalo’s 22-17 win over the Jets puts them at 3-5 for the year, meaning they still have a chance for the playoffs. Buffalo needs to prove that they can win on the road where they are 0-3 this year. Since five of their final eight games will be away from home, this game is as close to a must win as you can get.

The Bills’ three wins in their last four games can be directly attributed to the emergence of running back Willis McGahee. McGahee is just the third runner since 1970 to rush for 100 yards in his first three starts. He will find the going much tougher though against a Patriots defense that can shut down any runner.

New England (7-1) is feeling really good about themselves after a 40-22 win in St. Louis. The Patriots won every facet of the game including offense, defense, special teams and coaching. Running back, Corey Dillon returned from a one week hiatus to rush for 112 yards, and he will be used heavily again this week.  

The Patriots were able to win the St. Louis game despite injuries at the cornerback position. Ty Law and Tyrone Poole were inactive, and Asante Samuel missed most of the game. It got so bad that New England had Randall Gay and Earthwind Moreland as starters, and receiver Troy Brown at nickel back.  

Samuel should be able to play this week, which will really help. Drew Bledsoe will take his shots down the field, but New England coach, Bill Belichick has had great success in defending him. Buffalo may be able to keep this game close in the first half, but a boisterous Sunday Night crowd helps makes this a big win.  

Pick: New England