NFL GridIron Gab Daily Digest

The Basics

The 10-5 Bengals host the 8-7 Jets in front of a sellout at The Meadowlands.  The game was flexed to the final Sunday Night Football game of the year. Kickoff is scheduled for 8:15 PM EST Sunday night.

What's at stake

For the Bengals, not too much.  They secured a place at the playoff table last week with a victory over Kansas City last week.  Depending upon the outcomes of the earlier games, the Bengals may be locked into the fourth seed with nothing to play for.  At most, they may have an opportunity to secure the 3^rd seed if the Patriots lose to New England.  In this case, they'd potentially get a rematch with San Diego in the second round.

For the Jets, this will be their biggest game of the season.  Win the game, and they punch their ticket into the playoffs, and most likely, a rematch with the Bengals in Cincinnati in the first round.  The results of the early games have no impact on their ability to get in with a win. With a loss however, the Jets are most likely out.

Last Week

The Jets beat the Colts in Indianapolis 29-15.  The Colts, who have secured home field advantage, rested starters in the second half.  Cincinnati defeated Kansas City at home 17-10, locking up the AFC North division championship and at least the fourth seed in the AFC playoffs.

Records & Rankings
Bengals:  10-5-0

• Offense:  20^th overall (6^th rushing, 22^nd passing)
• Defense:  4^th overall (2^nd rushing, 14^th passing)

Jets:  8-7-0

• Offense:  21^st overall (1^st rushing, 30^th passing)
• Defense:  1^st overall (9^th rushing, 1^st passing)

Key Injuries:

Bengals:  It is difficult to be able to predict who will play and that may not be determined until just prior to kick-off.  Officially, Starting S Chris Crocker (ankle) is doubtful and hasn't practiced all week.  Everyone else should be good to go per Coach Marvin Lewis, with DT Tank Johnson, DT Domata Peko, DE Robert Geathers, and TE J. P. Foschi listed as questionable.

Jets:  Starting CB Donald Strickland is out.  DE Shaun Ellis did not participate in Friday's practice and is listed as questionable.  P Steve Weatherford practiced fully and is listed as questionable.

Yard sticks

• If the Bengals lose and the Ravens win, the Bengals will likely face the Jets two weeks in a row, and the Jets would visit Cincinnati in the wildcard round.
• Bengals WR Chad Ochocinco and Jets CB Darrelle Revis exchanged trash-talk via twitter all week.
• Bengals RB Cedric Benson broke a franchise record last week as he recorded his 6^th 100-yard rushing game of the season. Larry Johnson and Bernard Scott also have 100-yard rushing efforts this year for the Bengals.
• WR Chad Ochocinco needs 48 yards receiving to get to 10,000 receiving yards in his career.
• The game will be the last regular season football game held at The Meadowlands.  Cincinnati is 0-10 all time at the stadium, including a 0-7 mark against the Jets.
• This will be Cincinnati's first prime-time nationally televised game of the season.

Game Preview

Obviously, a lot depends upon what Bengals coach Marvin Lewis decides to do with his starters after the results of the early games are in.  If the Ravens or Patriots lose, the Bengals may take a more aggressive approach to the game.  If both win, it may look more like a preseason game from the names on the field.  The Jets, on the other hand, will play all their starters in an effort to secure a playoff spot.

The Jets and Bengals are very similar in their styles of play. Both teams play exceptional defense and lean heavily on the running game on offense.  The Jets are the only team in the league with more rushing attempts than the Bengals, as HB Thomas Jones has been their bell-cow all year.  Rookie Shonn Greene also has 95 carriers and 478 yards in a relief role.

On defense, the Jets utilize a 3-4, similar to the look the Bengals face from all three AFC North foes.

Neither team should change radically for this game.  Both will try to manage field position and attack with the running game. The Jets will try to keep QB Mark Sanchez out of 3^rd-and-long situations as he leads the league with 20 interceptions. The Jet offense will rely heavily on Jones and Greene, but may have difficulty gaining yardage against the Bengals' 2^nd ranked run defense. The Bengals will want to stuff the run and force Sanchez to throw.  Bengals defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer may dial up more blitzes in 3^rd down situations this week in an effort to force Sanchez into bad throws.  However, that may be risky with Tom Nelson slated to start again at safety for the injured Chris Crocker.  Nelson has been late in coverage and has been shy in the run game playing in Crocker's spot.

On offense, Cincinnati will also want to lean on the running game, particularly if Carson Palmer is out or plays sparingly.  However, the Jets are ranked 9^th in rush defense, and will load the box to force the Bengals to throw.  The Bengals continue to have difficulties in the passing game, and the Jets will try to exploit that weakness.

Prediction

How this game plays out will primarily be determined by games earlier in the day.  With the game being flexed to Sunday night, Marvin Lewis has the luxury of knowing if there is anything worth playing for before kick-off.  Assuming the Bengals are headed for the fourth seed, look for J.T. O'Sullivan and Larry Johnson to lead the Bengal offense, and the Jets to pull it out, 24-13.

If the Bengals have something to play for, and Lewis lets his starters play, the game will be much more competitive, and the Bengals should be the more talented group on the field.  However, my money would still be on the Jets, who have more at stake and are playing at home.  In this scenario, the Jets win a close one 17-16.

Well, one last game. At this point, the Giants are playing for pride, or, a better draft spot if they lose. Giants are banged up, physically and emotionally. The Vikes need a win to secure the number 2 seed and a first round bye in the playoffs. Here are 5 Keys to Beating the Vikings.

1. Stop Adrian Peterson

And of course, that's easier said than done. Even though AP hasn't had a 100 yard game in awhile, he's still the best back in the league. And after Johnathan Stewart's performance, Peterson could have a huge day. The key is tackling. None of the reaching crap we saw last week. Go for the man, not for the ball. If you tackle strong, then AP can be limited. But, there needs to be that effort.

2. Percy Harvin

Percy Harvin is one off the most electric players in the league, and he's only a rookie. He can beat you many different ways. How do you stop him? Well, you have to be physical with him on the line. Don't give him a cushion. Make him uncomfortable at the line of scrimmage. Bump him as much as you can in those first five yards. Teams haven't done that enough.

3. Run the ball!

Even though Jacobs is out, and Bradshaw is limited, the Vikings run defense has taken a hit since EJ Henderson has gotten hurt. Jasper Brinkley just can't seem to get the job done. With Gartrell Johnson looking to get the majority of carries, you have to attack Brinkley. Run right at him. Johnson is pretty shifty. He's capable of having a big day against Brinkley.

4. Tackling

A special note on tackling: The Giants suck at it, for whatever reason. No form, no technique. No passion either. The Giants, I'm sure, watched a lot of film, and saw themselves reaching for the ball, not the man. Here's a tip, Giants: Square up the player, hit him hard. Don't worry about knocking the ball loose. You should be worrying about knocking his teeth out. Lean your shoulder in. Don't reach for the ball. If you do that, 4 yard losses won't become 10 yard gains.

5. Compete

I know it's the last game. And I know it means nothing. And I know a loss improves the draft position. But, you don't want to end the season like you played against Carolina. You want to have some momentum heading into the offseason. You don't want to end the season with a stinker. You want to play hard. You want to show the fans–and yourselves–that you're capable of putting forth a great effort, that you're playing to win.

Wishing our readers a Happy New Year!!!

A Must Win!

After coming off a frustrating loss to the Steelers, the Ravens (8-7) travel Oakland to take on the Raiders (5-10). With a win the team can seal a Wild-Card spot and head to the Playoffs. This past game the Ravens had golden opportunities but they were derailed by miscues and penalties. They need to clean up these miscues and take care of business. The team will also need to put the disappointment of a loss behind them and be prepared to play a competitive Oakland team. The Raiders will be motivated playing their final home game and have plans to upset the Ravens playoff hopes. There is no love loss; in their Super Bowl run the Ravens traveled to Oakland and won—the fans will be fired up for this one.

The Raiders

Oakland is inconsistent, yet dangerous. Of their five wins, four have been upsets beating Philadelphia, Cincinnati, Denver and Pittsburg. This is a sign that the team is turning the corner and cannot be taken lightly.

OFFENSE: The quarterback postion has been a sore subject in Oakland due to inconsistency. First it was JaMarcus Russell who played for a number of weeks but was erratic. Russell was benched and Bruce Gradkowski started and led the team to an upset win over the Steelers. However, Gradkowski suffered an injury and Charlie Frye took over. Charlie Frye, who once played for Cleveland, has been biding his time to become a starter in the NFL.   Frye brings some mobility along with some experience to the position.  Finding consistency in the passing game has not been a strong suit as they are ranked 31^st in passing yards averaging around 141 yards a game.  Against the Browns, Frye was 26/45 and threw for 333 yards and had 3 interceptions.  The offensive line has been decent at run blocking but struggled in pass protection—they have given up 44 sacks. Some of the sacks were due to QB Russell's inability to recognize pressure.

Oakland has their own version of the three-headed monster with running backs with Darren McFadden, Justin Fargas, and Michael Bush. Bush is a strong runner and has had a few good games. McFadden has missed some time with an injury; however he is a talented back and has returned to the line-up.  Bush has 550 yards rushing and is averaging 5.0 per carry. Fargas is a powerful runner with 500 yards rushing averaging 3.8 yards per carry. McFadden and Bush are also good receivers out of the backfield.

At the Tight end position Zack Miller has emerged as a solid receiver and leads the team with 59 receptions for 767 yards and averages 13.0 yards per catch. Rookie WR Darrius Heyward-Bey (Univ. of Maryland) has break away speed. They mostly spread the ball around to Chad Schilens and rookie Louis Murphy. Murphy has been a great addition to the receiving core.  Though Murphy has only 28 receptions he averages 16 yards per catch with 4 TD's.

Lately: The unit ranks 31^st in points scored at 14.1 points per game. However, timing is everything and the offense has moved the ball when it had to late in games to pull out a few victories. With Running back McFadden back in the line-up that should add some spark to the offense.

DEFENSE: The unit ranks 29 in the league against the run, allowing 149 rushing yards per game. They rank 15^th against the pass, allowing 221 yards per game. In a trade this year with the Patriots the team landed DE Richard Seymour who is an excellent player.  DE Greg Ellis has 7 sacks and DE rookie Matt Shaughnessy has 4 sacks.  Middle Linebacker Kirk Morrison has over 123 combined tackles.  OLB Thomas Howard stays busy too with over 76 combined tackles. OLB Trevor Scott has 6 sacks.

The secondary features Cornerback Nnamdi Asmugha who is and excellent cornerback—excels in man-to-man coverage. Asmugha was just voted to the Pro-Bowl this year. Strong Safety Tyone Branch has over 121 combined tackles. Branch is aggressive in the secondary and at the line of scrimmage against the run.  Any team playing this secondary has to account for these players.

Lately: The Defense has some playmakers with DE Seymour, DE Ellis, CB Asmugha and MLB Morrison. Though statistically not great, they have the talent to compete and are playing better as a whole the last 6 games. This year the unit shut down the Eagles and has helped their team stay close in games where they pulled some big upsets.

MATCH-UPS: Chalk It Up!

Ravens offensive game plan: While Oakland is playing much better the unit still has problems defending the run. Expect Ray Rice to get a lot of carries. Flacco and company must be wary of CB Asmugha and SS Branch. Keys: Run the Ball! In seven games the Raiders have allowed over 100 yards to the opposing starting running back.

Ravens O-line: Jared Gaither has been out with an injury and Oher has filled in the at the left tackle position.  Right Tackel Oneil Cousins got beat many times and was called for a personal foul that took the team out of scoring position.  You might see the Ravens go with Yanda at right tackle for this game.

Keys: Slowing down the pass rush of DE Richard Seymour & DE Greg Ellis.

Ray Rice vs. MLB Kirk Morrison: Expect Rice and company to be busy. Rice ran well and was exceptionally physical against the Steelers. Middle Linebacker Morrison leads the team with tackles.

Ravens defensive game plan: QB Charlie Frye will make only his third start of the season and the defense must make him uncomfortable with a few extra blitz packages. Frye had 3 interceptions in his last game.

Keys: Getting pressure on QB Frye. LB Antwan Barnes seems to always get pressure on the QB when in the game—his skills should be utilized. The Raiders do have talent at the running back position and the defense must expect a heavy dose of the running game.

OLB Terrell Suggs vs. O-line: The Raiders offensive line has given up 44 sacks. In two starts Frye has been sacked 4 times and has 4 interceptions.

WR Louis Murphy, Heyward-Bey & Chad Schilens vs. Secondary: Rookie Darrius Heyward-Bay is an explosive player but the Ravens will also turn their attention to rookie receiver Louis Murphy. The Secondary played decent last game and will be challenged again as the Raiders have three good receivers. CB Walker, CB Foxworth and CB Carr will have their hands full. Key: Minimize the big passing plays. There is a possibility that Saftey Ed Reed May be back in the line-up.

Containing TE Zach Miller: The Raiders do spread the ball around to their receivers, but they count on their Tight end Zach Miller who is their leading receiver.  Containment on TE Miller must be a priority.

Special Teams: Punter Shane Lechler is an excellent punter with an average of 51 yards per punt. Field position is important on the road and the Ravens need to focus on blocking in the return game. Kicker Sebastian Janikowski made a 61-yard field in last week's game against the Browns.  Return Game Boost: The Ravens running back Jalen Parmele did a good job in kick returns against the Steelers. If Parmele can stay consistent it may help fill the void left by rookie Lardarius Webb.

Battle of Penalties: The Ravens had 11 penalties for 113 yards in their last game. The Raiders had 13 penalties for 126 yards in their last game. To be a serious contender the Ravens must is eliminate mental mistakes and costly penalties. The veterans on the team will need to step up, assert themselves, and lead this team in the right direction.