WEEK 12 GAME NOTES

Seahawks (2-6) at Dolphins (4-4)

The Seahawks head to the East Coast for the 4th time this season to face Miami for the first time since 2004, and the first time in Miami since 2000 when they were shut out 23-0. The Dolphins lead the all-time series 6-3 and have won 2 of the last 3 meetings.

Seattle has been dreadful in the Eastern Time Zone this season – they’re 0-3, having been outscored 98-26 – that includes 28-3 in the 1st quarter.

Seneca Wallace is 1-2 as a starter this season.  Wallace has a TD pass in all 7 career starts (12 TDs, 6 INTs in 7 games).

Julius Jones has averaged 39.4 rushing YPG in his last 5 games (0 TD).

The Seahawks 25:37 time of possession average is the worst in the NFL.

37% of the time, the Seahawks go 3-and-out.  That ranks last in the NFL.

The Dolphins have won 2 straight, with each of the last 2 wins having come against teams in 1st place in their respective divisions.

The Dolphins have gained 340+ yards in each of the last 6 games.  Last year they gained 340 yards a total of 4 times.

Miami’s defense has 12 takeaways in the last 3 games.  The Dolphins are +9 in turnover differential this season.

Chad Pennington has averaged 293.5 passing YPG in his last 4 starts.

Joey Porter has 11.5 sacks on the season and needs 2.5 more to equal the Dolphins’ single-season record for a linebacker, held by Bryan Cox, who had 14 in 1992.


Rams (2-6) at Jets (5-3)

The Rams head to the Meadowlands hoping to make it 8 straight wins over the Jets.  All-time, the Rams lead this series 9-2. In their last meeting in 2005, Marc Bulger threw for 450 yards and 3 TDs.  The Jets last win came on Sept. 25, 1983 at Shea Stadium.

The Rams have lost 2 straight games after winning two straight.  St. Louis has lost 6 straight games against AFC opponents.

Donnie Avery has 13 receptions for 244 yards in his last 3 games.

Oshiomogho Atogwe has 4 INTs in his last 5 games.  Chris Long leads all rookies with 4 sacks.

The Jets have won 4 of their last 5 games to exceed last year’s win total of 4.

Brett Favre is 7-3 in his career against the Rams.

Favre has 12 INTs this season, while only throwing 15 all of last season.  Since throwing for 6 TDs against the Cardinals, Favre has thrown 3 TDs and 8 INTs in his last 4 games.

The Jets have 1 takeaway in their 3 losses, while having 12 in their 5 wins.  Through eight games, six different players have led or tied for the lead in receptions in each game, and six different players have caught touchdown passes this season: Laveranues Coles, Jerricho Cotchery, Chansi Stuckey, Dustin Keller, Chris Baker, and Leon Washington.

The Jets have held four opponents under 50 yards rushing this season, twice more than any other defense, and are 5-0 when holding their opponent under 100 yards rushing.

Brett Favre This Season

                                    1st 4 games                   Last 4 games

Team W-L                           2-2                                 3-1

Attempts                             124                                139

Comp pct                           70.2                              66.9

Pass YPG                          233.8                             219.3

Yards/attempt                     7.5                                  6.3

TD                                      12                                   3

INT                                      4                                   8

Passer rating                    110.8                                67.3

Packers (4-4) at Vikings (4-4)

The Packers and Vikings are meeting for the 2nd time this season (Packers won 24-19 in Week 1) to make it 5 wins in a row over their NFC North Rival. Including the playoffs, this is the 96th all-time meeting between these two teams, with the Packers holding a 49-45-1 advantage.

Since starting the season 2-0, the Packers have lost 4 of their last 6 games – each of their last 2 losses have come by 3 points (including last week in OT).

The Packers are 0-4 when trailing at halftime this season.

The Packers have 2 turnovers in their 4 wins and 8 turnovers in their 4 losses.

Green Bay has allowed 17 sacks this season (they allowed 19 sacks all of last season).  The Packers have scored 3 TDs in 9 red zone possessions in the last 2 games (33.0%). They scored 9 TDs in 14 red zone possessions in the first 6 games (63.3%).

Donald Driver has a reception in 103 straight games which is tied for the longest streak in Packers history (Sterling Sharpe).

Aaron Rodgers threw for 178 yards and a TD in Week 1 against the Vikings.

Greg Jennings has 10 receptions of at least 20 yards this season.  Jennings has a 25+ yard reception in 7 of 8 games this year.

The Vikings have won 4 of their last 6 after an 0-2 start (all with Gus Frerotte under center).

Adrian Peterson has 100+ rushing yards in 3 straight games.  In divisional games, Peterson has rushed for 976 yards and 10 TDs in 9 games.

Bernard Berrian has a receiving TD in 4 straight games. 

Over the last two seasons, the Vikings are 4-1 in November.

The Vikings have scored 111 points (27.8 avg.) over the past 4 games after scoring 71 (17.8) through the first 4.

Bills (5-3) at Patriots (5-3)

The Bills have lost 3 of their last 4 games and have committed 11 turnovers in those 4 games.  Buffalo has 8 turnovers in their last 2 road games (both losses).

This is Trent Edwards first career start against the Patriots (came in off the bench last Sept and completed 10-20 for 97 yards and an INT).

The Bills defense allowed 18.3 PPG in their 1st 4 games.  Over the last 4 games, they’ve allowed 26.5 PPG.

Since the beginning of the 2003 season, the Patriots are 15-1 (.938) in games following a loss.  New England fell to the Indianapolis Colts last week, 18-15.

Over the last five-and-a-half seasons (2003-08), the Patriots have only lost back-to-back games on one occasion (Nov. 5 and Nov. 12, 2006).  The Patriots 9 straight wins over the Bills is the 3rd longest against one opponent in team history – they won 11 straight against the Bills from 1983-87 and 10 straight over the Chargers from 1973-01.

The Patriots defense has held the Bills to a touchdown or less in five of the last eight games.

Wes Welker has at least 6 receptions in 12 straight games, including the playoffs.  With 6 receptions against the Bills, Welker will break Jimmy Smith’s NFL record set in 2001 for the most consecutive games with 6+ receptions to start a season, with 8.

Randy Moss has 58 career 100-yd receiving games, which is the 3rd most in NFL history behind Jerry Rice (76) and Marvin Harrison (59). 

Rookie running back BenJarvus Green-Ellis has a TD in 3 straight games.

Ravens (5-3) at Texans (3-5)

(Game rescheduled from Week 2 due to Hurricane Ike)

The Ravens are 2-0 against the Texans.  Only 5 combined points have decided the 2 games.  Last meeting:  Dec. 4, 2005, Ravens 16, Texans 15.

The 5-3 Ravens have equaled their win total from 2007 (finished 5-11).

The Ravens defense has not been ranked lower than 2nd during the 2008 season. (Currently ranked 2nd).

Baltimore’s defense owns the NFL’s longest current streak of games without allowing a 100-yard rusher. Baltimore has not permitted a RB to hit the century mark in the last 27 contests (last 100-yd game: Larry Johnson 12/10/2006).

The Ravens’ defense has produced an NFL-high 33 “3 and outs” this season, forcing opponents off the field in 3 plays on 33 of 95 series (34.7%). That ranks as the NFL’s best mark.

Joe Flacco:  4 TDs, 0 INTs in his last 3 games (104.1 passer rating).  Ray Rice had 154 rushing yards in his last game.

Derrick Mason: 7.3 receptions per game, 107.5 receiving YPG on the road this season.  The Ravens have scored 31.0 PPG in their 3 straight wins.

The Texans have won 3 straight at home.  A win today would tie the franchise record of 4 straight home wins set in 2007, in November and December.

Andre Johnson has 100+ receiving yards in all 4 home games.  He leads the NFL with 834 yards receiving.

TE Owen Daniels leads all AFC tight ends with 43 receptions and 528 receiving yards.  Sage Rosenfels is 4-2 as a starter with Texans.

Defensive End Mario Williams ranks 7th in the NFL, with 22 sacks.  He has 6 sacks in his last 5 games.

Panthers (6-2) at Raiders (2-6)

The Panthers are looking for their third 7-2 start in team history (2003: SB XXXVIII, 2005: NFC Championship Game).

Jake Delhomme is 6-2 in his last 8 games against the AFC.

As starter, when Delhomme has a 110.0+ rating, the Panthers are 15-0.

In their last five games, the Panthers have allowed two sacks of Delhomme.   But face a Raiders defense today that has accumulated 19 sacks.

Steve Smith: 5+ receptions, 95+ yards in 4 straight games.

Muhsin Muhammad: 98.3 receiving YPG in 3 career games against Oakland

Justin Fargas: 87.7 rushing YPG in his last 7 home games.

Javon Walker needs 17 receiving yards to reach 4,000 for his career.

JaMarcus Russell: 81.2 passer rating and a 1-4 record in 5 career home starts

Carolina has 13 points in their last 2 road games (both losses).

Since Tom Cable took over, the Raiders have been outscored 100-29 in the last 4 games (1 win).

Colts (4-4) at Steelers (6-2)

Peyton Manning has 2 TD passes in each of his last 2 games.  He is 39-7 in his career when he passes for 2+ touchdowns.

This is that time of the year where the field in Pittsburgh gets slow and will affect the overall speed of the game. 

Manning has 9 INTs this season.  He had 14 total INTs last season.  Manning is 1-2, including playoffs, in his career against the Steelers.

Dallas Clark: 79.3 receiving YPG in his last 3 games.  The Colts defense has allowed 32.5 PPG in their last 2 road games (both losses).

Don’t expect the Colts to rush for very much.  They are last in rushing YPG with 70.1. The Steelers have the 3rd best rushing defense in the NFL, allowing 70.1.

The Steelers are 5-0 against the AFC this season – they have scored 30+ points in all 5 games.

The Steelers have won 9 of their last 11 at home.

Pittsburgh has 7 sacks in 2 of their last 3 games and leads the NFL with 32 sacks.

Look for the Colts to play more of their 4-4 defensive look like they did against the Titans.  It might be the only way they can handle the run. 

I thought the Patriots had the right formula to deal with the Colts defense:  run the clock down, mix in run and pass and take shots. 

Nate Washington: 3 straight games with a reception of 50+ yards.

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