By Jim Lenz

Washington

New head coach Jim Zorn goes up against the Super Bowl champions in his first game as a head coach.  The Redskins will employ a West Coast Offense, which should provide some fireworks; hopefully the defense can keep up.  Jason Campbell gets the start, looking to improve on his 12 TD season from a year ago.  He now has 20 games under his belt with 22 TD’s and 17 Int’s.  The preseason went well for him playing well in the Hall of Fame game and in week three against the Panthers.  He is catching on with the offense and will use his strong arm and accuracy to ignite the offense.  In two games against the Giants, Campbell threw for 220 yards and 2 TD’s and 190 yards and 1 TD.  Not bad games, though, not great ones either.  The Giants are still feeling the sting of losing Osi Umenyiora on defense.  The line is still good, though not as good as it was with Osi and retired Michael Strahan.  The offensive line will need to keep Mathias Kiwanuka and Justin Tuck out of Campbell’s face.  The secondary will prove to be a challenge with Aaron Ross and Sam Madison flanking the receiver.  We see a solid game in week one, though keep in mind defenses start faster then offense so no big numbers.  Rookie Colt Brennan was impressive during the preseason and will be the third quarterback. 

Clinton Portis gets the start at running back with Ladell Betts backing him up.  The new offense will take some of the focus away from the running game which is a good thing.  Portis played in one game during the preseason, rushing for 32 yards on 8 carries.  He showed good quickness and knowledge of the new offense.  Over the last three seasons, Portis has 29 touchdowns, average 4.1 yards per carry.  He scored in both games against the Giants last season, combining for 186 yards in those two games.  The game in New York was the best with 126 yards rushing.  Portis will get his 20 carries, though don’t expect more than a couple receptions.  The backup job goes to Betts.  He played in two preseason games, rushing for 51 yards on 13 carries. He started week three, running with the first team offense, though only averaged 2.4 yards per carry.  The Giants defensive line is still in turmoil and will allow yards to Portis. 

With the new offense, what can we expect from the receivers?  Santana Moss and Antwaan Randle El are the starters with James Thrash playing the slot.  We will see many three and four receiver sets so we should also see rookie Devin Thomas.  Moss had a quiet preseason with 2 catches for 18 yards in two games.  Coach Zorn has promised to use Moss as a deep threat, however, he will need to stay healthy.  So far, Moss has not had any injury troubles during the preseason.  Moss matches up against veteran CB Sam Madison.  Madison has lost a step so look for Campbell to go deep a couple of times.  Moss had has some good games against the Giants, catching 6 balls for 157 yards last season.  He has scored once in the last four games.  Despite having a broken bone in his left hand, wide receiver Antwaan Randle El expects to start in the opener against the Giants, Jason Reid reports.   "It's doing good," said Randle El, who plans to wear a protective brace in the game. "We're going to protect it as much as we can in practice, but it's nothing that's going to hold me out."   Randle El has not scored in four meetings with the Giants, catching seven passes in those four games.  We will see him moved around playing on the outside and in the slot.  In the first preseason game, he caught a 20-yard TD pass.  He only had 2 catches for 9 yards after that.  He is not known as a big touchdown guy, catching 11 TD’s over seven seasons.  His best year was 2006 where he had three.  While we expect him to see more receptions, he had 51 last season, Moss and Cooley will be the TD guys.  Thrash had 2 TD’s last season and as many as 8 TD’s back in 2001.  Rookie Devin Thomas will be the fourth receiver and Malcolm Kelly is not expected to play.  Zorn made it clear that receiver Kelly (knee) is a long, longshot to be able to play Thursday. Kelly won't be placed on the injured-reserve list, Zorn said, but as for being active against the Giants: "I don't think so at all." Zorn figures Kelly is out two more weeks.  

Chris Cooley is one of the top tight ends in the league, scoring 27 TD’s over the last four seasons.  He didn’t play much during the preseason, catching 2 balls for 22 yards.  In the past, Cooley would move into the slot but with the team playing more three and four receiver sets, this could hurt his production.  Still, he is an excellent safety valve for Campbell and the top redzone target.  S Sammy Knight will have a tough job on limiting Cooley.  The Giants allowed 7 TD’s to tight ends last season, one of them was to Cooley.  He has scored once in the last four games and is averaging 36 yards per game in those four games.  We like him but don’t see a big game against the healthy Giants secondary. 

Shaun Suisham gets the start and would like to improve on the 29 field goals from last season.  He was in the upper half of the league, converting 83% of his kicks.  The offense is expected to be better, though they may struggle in the redzone which could help Suisham.  He has had a solid preseason converting 100% of his kicks.  

N.Y. Giants

Will the Giants have the dreaded Super Bowl hangover?  They showed in 2007 that their team has come along way, especially quarterback Eli Manning.  Manning has not missed a game in three years, with touchdown totals of 24, 24 and 23.  Talk about a consistent quarterback.  Going into the season, his weapons are dinged up.  Plaxico Burress has not played during the preseason, Amani Toomer has missed time as have other receivers.  He will need to rely on the power running game to open up the passing game.  Anyway, Manning gets the start with David Carr backing him up.  Carr had a tremendous game last week, so the Giants should be set if anything happens to Manning.  Isn’t it amazing what you can do with a good offensive line.  During the preseason, Manning was 16 of 30 for 184 yards and 2 TD’s.  He did not throw an interception, though his completion rate was only 53.3%.  It will get better when his top receiver is back on the field.  The Redskins defense struggled during the preseason.  Yes, they have had some injuries in the secondary, though that wasn’t all of it.  Over the last four games against the Redskins, Manning has 1 TD in each game.  He is averaging 193 yards per game with 184 yards in the home game last season.  We see the offense, running the ball as much as possible taking advantage of their big guys.  Manning will have a decent game, though not a great one. 

Going into the season, they are loaded at running back.  Add in that all three of the backs are healthy.  Brandon Jacobs will start with Derrick Ward and then Ahmad Bradshaw.  Jacobs rushed for 109 yards on 18 carries, 6.1 yards per carry average.  Bradshaw rushed for 90 yards on 30 carries with 2 TD’s and Ward rushed for 84 yards on 15 carries.  The only two rushing TD’s during the preseason went to Bradshaw.  Jacobs is a strong inside runner with a nose for the endzone.  He has 20 TD’s over the last three years.  The problem with him is that he cannot stay healthy.  He missed five games last season due to knee and ankle injuries.  Fortunately, he is healthy now and will get 20 carries.  The Giants offensive line is very good, earning an “A” from us. The Redskins run defense played well last season and should be much of the same in ’08.  The yards will be tough to come by, though look for Jacobs to get into the endzone once.  Bradshaw will be the change of pace back.  He is more of an outside runner, who has good quickness and versatility.  The biggest issue is his off the field problems. He spent 30 days in jail during the offseason and that is all behind him.  In ’07, he averaged 8.3 yards per carry with 1 TD.  He should touch the ball 5 to 8 times.  Ward broke his leg last season and is fully healed.  He has shared reps with the other two backs during practice so how he is used when the season starts is up in the air.  When Jacobs went down, he came in and averaged almost five yards per carry, until the injury.  Look for a few carries.

The key to the passing game will be the health of Plaxico Burress.  Burress did not play during the preseason due to an ankle injury.  Plaxico Burress went through his third full practice today and, he said, he went full-speed with no limitations for the first time since last year. “Nobody’s more excited than me,” Burress said. “I’m back out there doing some of the things I wasn’t able to do over the past year or so. I’m getting my feet back under me and getting into game shape.” Burress said that for the first time in more than a year and a half he has no lingering ankle issues at all, and that the right ankle sprain that his bothered him all summer has apparently healed. As a result, he expects “to be a lot better than I was last year,” which is pretty amazing when you consider how good he was last year.  While he has been bothered by injuries the last couple of years, he has only missed one game in three years.  Talk about a tough receiver.  He will start and as usual get the best of veteran CB Shawn Springs.  Springs gives up 5 inches in height but has the speed to keep up with Burress.  Burress has scored in two of the last four games against the Redskins and is averaging 54 yards per game.  Amani Toomer is the other starter with Steve Smith the third receiver.  Toomer matches up against CB Fred Smoot.  Toomer is a good possession receiver.  He has been bothered by a knee injury, so the top three receivers have all been injured during the preseason.  Toomer caught 1 pass during the preseason, showing the small amount of time that he played.  Toomer has not scored the last two games against the Redskins and is averaging 52 yards per game.  Smith has been bothered by groin and hamstring injuries.  He returned to practice the third week of August, playing in the third preseason game.  Overall, he caught 7 balls for 53 yards during the preseason.  He has excellent speed and is best used in the slot.  A young receiver, who should catch a couple of passes.

Jeremy Shockey is gone, meaning more receptions will go to the receivers.  Kevin Boss takes his spot and will get the start.  He has soft hands, though is not the best blocker so look for him to rotate with Michael Matthews.  Boss dropped 10 pounds during the offseason to increase his speed.  He did not have much activity during the preseason, catching 2 balls for 20 yards.  In ’07, he caught 14 balls, 2 of them for touchdowns.  Teams will have to pay attention to Boss as he will make defenses pay.  S LaRon Landry is not 100% after missing time due to a hamstring injury.  This could help Boss.  Boss is a decent backup tight end, not quite starting material.

Lawrence Tynes underwent exploratory surgery on his knee two weeks ago and will not play in week one.  It is quite possible he will miss multiple games due to his knee sprain.  Josh Huston was cut Sunday so the Giants were without a kicker.  Not for long as they signed John Carney who will take over until Tynes is ready.  Carney has decent accuracy and a good leg and should be a decent fill in.  We don’t expect any long field goals, so look for 3 extra points and 1 field goal. 

 

Quick Stats	Rank	Rush	Pass	TD Rush	TD Pass	YPG Rush	YPG Pass
Washington Offense	15	12	14	15	18	117	216
NY Giants Defense	8	8	11	12	21	97	208
NY Giants Offense	16	4	21	15	23	134	197
Washington Defense	7	4	16	10	20	91	214
Last Three Games
Washington Offense	15	12	14	15	18	117	216
NY Giants Defense	8	8	11	12	21	97	208
NY Giants Offense	16	4	21	15	23	134	197
Washington Defense	7	4	16	10	20	91	214

 

Detroit

The best thing to happen in Detroit was Mike Martz leaving for San Francisco.  Over the last two years, Jon Kitna has been on his back so often due to the mid to long range passing game that he will welcome the running game taking on more responsibility.  We expect the run game to dominate the preseason as the old days of four receiver sets would be gone.  Well, that didn’t seem to happen.  There were 5 TD’s through the air and 2 on the ground in four games.  Kitna was on fire completing 18 of 21 passes for 280 yards and 2 TD’s.  We see him having a better year in ’08 with the balanced offense.  The Falcons pass defense was horrible last season, allowing almost 2 TD’s per game.  The run defense wasn’t much better allowing 128 yards per game.  The only advantage they have now is that they are healthy going into week one.  The last time Kitna faced the Falcons, he threw for 321 yards and 1 TD.  We expect the Lions to go with the run game first, if that does not work or they get behind, look for Kitna to air it out to his top two receivers. 

Rookie Kevin Smith gets the start with veteran Rudi Johnson backing him up.  Johnson agreed to terms on a one-year contract with the team Monday. Because the deal was struck after 4 p.m., after the league offices closed, the signing wasn’t official until Tuesday morning. Johnson, who rushed for 1,000 yards in three straight seasons with the Cincinnati Bengals (2004-06), replaces Tatum Bell as the No. 2 running back behind starter Kevin Smith.  Bell was released Monday.  The starting job was Bell’s going into the preseason, unfortunately for him, he was not able to produce.  Smith carried the ball 22 times for 86 yards with 1 TD.  Overall, the run game was not effective averaging 3.3 yards per carry.  The offensive line is one of the worst in the league, garnering an “F” under our formula.  Combine that with an average defensive line of the Falcons and what do you get?  Smith will see 20+ carries and be around 65 to 75 yards.  We see the Lions doing their scoring through the air or by field goal.  Artose Pinner was cut and Aveion Cason and Brian Calhoun were placed on injured reserve. 

One of the best duos in the league is Roy Williams and Calvin Johnson.  Williams is a veteran, many question whether he has enough left to be a number one receiver?  While Johnson is the up and comer and will take over that spot, we still see Williams as #1 and Johnson #1a.  The Falcons cornerbacks are young and will be tested.  Chris Houston and Brent Grimes could be in a lot of trouble.  Grimes will cover Johnson while Houston gets Williams.  Look for Johnson to burn Grimes deep early in the game for a TD.  Williams caught 5 passes for 87 yards and 1 TD while Johnson had 9 catches for 170 yards and 1 TD.  The only receiver to score more was Brandon Middleton and that was against the scrubs.  Kitna will spread the ball around, making both of these receivers valuable.  Mike Furrey and Shaun McDonald will see some playing time, though not as much as they have in the past.  This offense doesn’t employ multiple receiver sets often so these two guys will be on the sidelines a lot. 

Dan Campbell played in one game last season due to an elbow injury and missed most of the preseason due to that same injury.  He finally saw some playing time late in preseason, not catching a pass.  Campbell is a big guy who has decent hands but is far down the depth chart.  Michael Gaines is the pass catcher of the group and will start.  He has soft hands for a big guy but like Campbell is not a huge threat to put up big numbers. 

Early in the preseason, Jason Hanson strained his thigh kicking a 50 yard field goal.  He took 2 ½ weeks off, returning to practice last week.  He did play in the preseason finale, kicking 1 field goal and 1 extra point.  He has a decent leg and career accuracy at 81.6%.  We see a couple field goals and extra points. 

Atlanta

The quarterback competition was fierce going down to the last week before rookie Matt Ryan was named the starter.  Chris Redman had a good effort and did complete 71% of his passes, though never had a chance with the rookie.  Ryan completed 57.6% of his passes with 2 TD’s and 1 Int.  You know the old saying about rookie quarterbacks, this is going to be a long year.  There are a few over the years that have had good rookie season, Ben Roethlisberger is the last one, though it doesn’t happen often.  It does help that he faces a Lions team that was very weak on defense in ’07.  They have improved in the secondary with two cover-two corners.  Still, he will be nervous Sunday and will make mistakes.  Look for 190 yards and 1 TD.  Redman will back the rookie up with Joey Harrington the third quarterback. 

Where the Falcons will do well is running the ball.  Michael Turner comes over from San Diego, going from one of the best offensive lines in the league to one of the worst.  Turner had an excellent preseason rushing for 169 yards on 18 carries.  He did have rushes of 52 and 63 in one game so most of his yards came in one game.  He did not score a TD.  To take pressure off the rookie, Turner will get the ball 22 to 25 times.  The Lions run defense is not that great, allowing 119 yards per game last season.  Turner will have success on the ground, rushing for 80+ yards and scoring once.  Jerious Norwood also had a good preseason rushing for 104 yards on 20 carries.  Turner will carry the major load at running back, but the Falcons also plan to utilize Norwood’s speed and pass-catching ability.  He hopes that his role will develop into a situational third-down back, who will also show up as a wide receiver in some four- and five-receiver sets.  Norwood has scored 3 times in two seasons so don’t expect much production from him. 

Roddy White and Michael Jenkins start at receiver.  White had a spectacular ’07 season with 83 receptions and 6 TD’s.  He was thrown to 137 times so Redman really only looked his way.  The passing game hasn’t added much help as the second receiver is still weak and there is no good receiving tight end.  White has developed a good rapport with Ryan, so they will need to take advantage of that.  During the preseason, White caught 9 balls for 81 yards and 1 TD.  He will go up against CB Brian Kelly who is good but aging and can be beat.  It won’t be a huge game, look for White to score once.  Michael Jenkins leaped over Laurent Robinson for the starting split end job.  Robinson was a huge disappointment during the preseason, working on the third team.  Jenkins has not done much during this career and we don’t expect much from him now.  He has 14 TD’s in three years, most of them coming in ’06.  As the second receiver, he will matchup against CB Travis Fisher and have a tough time. 

The tight end situation is interesting.  Ben Hartsock will get the start.  He is an excellent blocker and will play special teams.  Over the last two years in Tennessee, he has 18 receptions with no touchdowns.  He will be more of a blocker, not the receiving tight end.  Martrez Milner will back him up and get the work as the receiver.  Milner had a horrible preseason, at one time was fourth on the depth chart.  We would avoid the tight end.

Jason Elam comes over from Denver to finish out his career.  It will be real nice kicking indoors vs. the elements in Denver.  He was 5 of 6 on field goals during the preseason and brings his 84.8% field goal conversion over the last three years.  He has 27 field goals each of the last two years and if he gets the chance, he will reach that number again.  Unfortunately, the offense is not that good so look for somewhere in the 24 range. 

 

Quick Stats	Rank	Rush	Pass	TD Rush	TD Pass	YPG Rush	YPG Pass
Detroit Offense	19	31	9	13	19	80	242
Atlanta Defense	29	26	23	12	27	128	228
Atlanta Offense	23	26	18	7	18	95	206
Detroit Defense	32	23	31	19	27	119	258
Last Three Games
Detroit Offense	19	31	9	13	19	80	242
Atlanta Defense	29	26	23	12	27	128	228
Atlanta Offense	23	26	18	7	18	95	206
Detroit Defense	32	23	31	19	27	119	258

 

Cincinnati

It has been a tumultuous preseason for the Bengals.  Are they distracted?  Will it carry over into the season?  Besides the injuries to Rudi Johnson, Chad Johnson and T.J. Houshmandzadeh, the team re-signed Chris Henry.  Someone they said would never return to the team.  Considering Palmer did not have any weapons to throw too during the preseason, he converted 58% of his passes with 1 TD and 1 Int.  Backup Ryan Fitzpatrick outperformed him going 24 of 35 passing for 218 yards, 2 TDs, no interceptions and a 104.2 passer rating, PLUS 9 rushes for 79 yards (8.8).  If something happens to Palmer, the Bengals are in good position.  The team travels to Baltimore where they face an aged defense.  These teams know each other well as they have played many times over the years.  The Ravens defense is not what it used to be, though it is still very good.  Palmer did suffer a broken nose in the third preseason game but will be fine.  The last two games, Palmer has played against Baltimore on the road, he has 1 TD.  He has fared better at home with 3 TD’s.  The defense will put pressure on him and force him to get rid of the ball early.  Without playing with his receivers much, there could be some timing issues.  We don’t expect the offense to light it up right away, only 1 TD for Palmer.  The offensive line has played poorly during the preseason, despite any injuries.  They have a lot of potential and are one of the better in the league. 

Going into the training camp, Rudi Johnson was supposed to be the starter.  He did not play during the preseason due to a hamstring injury and rumors swirled about him being on the trading block.  Coach Lewis said that he would need to see Johnson play during the preseason before he gave him the starting job.  Johnson was cut Sunday leaving the starting job to Chris Perry.  Perry completed the preseason with 39 carries for 121 yards and two touchdowns.  Perry, the team's first-round pick in 2004, has played in just 22 of a possible 64 games over four seasons and hadn't played since Nov. 26, 2006, at Cleveland, where he dislocated his ankle and injured his shin.  As a third-down back in 2005, Perry had 51 receptions. He is dangerous with the ball in the open field.  "We felt very comfortable keeping him in there on third down, so I think he'll log more playing time than anyone we've had back there for a while," Lewis said.  He is a tough, physical runner who can wear down opponents.  He has excellent hands, catching 51 passes in ’05.  The problem that Perry has is he is facing the Ravens run defense which is very good.  They were second in the league last season, definitely the strength of the defense.  It will be tough finding running room against this defense.  He will grind out 60+ yards on 20 carries and catch a couple of passes.  Backing Perry up will be Kenny Watson.  Watson filled in admirably for Johnson last season and can run and catch the ball.  He will spell Perry, probably seeing 7 to 10 touches.  DeDe Dorsey is the third back and could also see a few carries. 

Wide receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh felt good enough to go before the Bengals' 27-7 victory over the Colts with his usual pregame workout.   "I thought I was playing. But the coaches just told me, 'No need,' and I said, 'Cool,' '' Houshmandzadeh said. "I think they saw that I had a good couple of practices this week, so they figured why push it."   Houshmandzadeh, who hadn't practiced for a month with a nagging hamstring problem.  He returned to practice Monday and will be ready to go.  "I guess they wanted to be cautious; fine with me," he said. "I'm ready to lock and load."   Chad “Ocho Cinco” Johnson has been a concern for the Bengals this season. He unsuccessfully lobbied for a trade in the offseason, threatening to sit out if he didn’t get his way. When the Bengals refused, he relented and showed up for minicamp, but complained that his right ankle was bothering him.  He had bone spurs removed from the ankle and was limited at the start of training camp. In the second preseason game, he landed awkwardly and temporarily dislocated his left shoulder. Johnson is wearing a harness and expects to play in the season opener against Baltimore.  So you have one of the best tandems in the league, that hasn’t played together.  If you look back at the recent meetings between these teams, T.J. has had the most success.  He has scored in three of the last four games while Johnson has scored once.  We like the matchup between T.J. and Chris McAlister.  Johnson matches up against Samari Rolle.  Both cornerbacks are good, though not as good as they used to be.  Chris Henry will be the number three receiver when he returns in week five after his four game suspension.  He is an excellent slot receiver and will add another dimension to the offense.  Until then, Glenn Holt deserves to be the No. 3 receiver.  He caught 4 passes for 20 yards, including a 9-yard TD from Ryan Fitzpatrick in the fourth preseason game. If Holt doesn’t get the third job, Antonio Chatman will fill that role. 

Tight end is one of the positions that the Bengals wanted to improve.  They went out and signed Ben Utecht, formerly of the Colts. Utecht has had a strong training camp catching 10 balls for 108 yards and 1 TD.  I can’t remember the last time the Bengals had a good receiving tight end.  The playbook has some “special stuff” as Palmer puts it for the tight end and thinks Utecht will have a big year.  With Henry out the first four games, Utecht will see more action.  The Ravens linebackers are very good against tight ends, allowing 4 TD’s in ’07. He is a good number two tight end. 

The Bengals have one of the best kickers in the league in Shayne Graham.  He was 31 of 34 last season, an average of 2 field goals per game.  Over the last three seasons, he has 84 field goals.  The Bengals offense is very good at moving the ball and giving him chances to kick.  The Ravens allowed the second most field goals in the league last season at 37.  Graham will have at least two field goals and a couple extra points. 

Baltimore

At the beginning of training camp, the quarterback job was Kyle Boller’s to lose.  It turned into a three horse race with Boller, rookie Joe Flacco and Troy Smith.  Boller suffered a serious shoulder injury and Smith came down with tonsillitis and has lost 20 points.  The job is now Flacco’s.  For the preseason, Flacco completed 36 of 68 passes for 298 yards, no interceptions and a team-high 69.4 quarterback rating. He has thrown the Ravens' lone touchdown pass.  Another rookie, another tough year.  The only problem we see with Flacco is that he has not produced much offense.  He has 1 TD pass during the preseason.  We expect to see more running with the likes of Willis McGahee and Ray Rice to take the pressure off him.  What that could do is lead the Bengals to stack the line, forcing Flacco to pass.  The Bengals pass defense is not very good.  They allowed almost 2 TD’s per game last season.  The only advantage they have is they are facing a rookie who will be nervous and has not produced many points.  We see 1 TD at the most.  It is possible that Smith, when healthy could come back and take the job if Flacco is unable to produce.  Joey Harrington was signed Monday and will backup Flacco until Smith is healthy.  The offensive line has had a tough training camp.  With Adam Terry and Jared Gaither starting at right and left tackles, respectively, for the first time this preseason, the first offensive line's play in the fourth preseason game was a positive development.  Overall, the offensive line is not very good, in the bottom ten of the league. 

Willis McGahee returned to practice Monday. McGahee, who has missed all four preseason games after undergoing arthroscopic surgery on his left knee, has sat out only three regular-season contests in two seasons with the Ravens. "I wouldn’t say he’s 100 percent just [from] watching him run around out there," Harbaugh said of McGahee. "But he was out there. We’ll just have to see how he progresses this week. He wants to be out there, I know that.” He is questionable with his status not being known until later in the week.  If he is unable to play this week, Ray Rice will get the start.  If he does play, look for a decreased workload with backup Ray Rice sharing carries.  McGahee rushed for 1207 yards and 7 TD’s last season.  He is a good straight-line runner with 18 TD’s over the last three years.   Rookie Ray Rice has performed well leading the team in rushing with 146 yards on 26 carries.  He averaged 5.6 yards per carry and scored once.  If McGahee isn’t ready, he is.  Our concern is that if defenses will stack the box and stop the run because Flacco is not a threat.  The Bengals run defense is not that good, so that is not a huge concern this week. 

Veterans Derrick Mason and Mark Clayton will start with Demetrius Williams the third receiver.  Mason has been in the league 11 years but had his best receiving year ever in ’07.  He caught 103 passes for 1087 yards and 5 TD’s.  He has 47 career touchdowns with 10 over the last three seasons.  We don’t expect big TD numbers, though look for him to see 5 to 7 receptions per game.  Clayton did not have a TD last season and 7 over the last three seasons.  He is a good possession guy with not much expected from him. The third receiver, Williams has a better chance of scoring.  Williams missed the first three weeks of camp due to injury, finally playing in the fourth preseason game.  He is good for two to three receptions and a touchdown every so often.  The Bengals cornerbacks get lucky as they get to face the rookie quarterback. 

Tight end Todd Heap, missed most of the preseason due to a calf injury.   He missed ten games last season due to injury and has had trouble staying healthy.  Heap did not have a catch in the preseason finale, but he was pleased with his first action of the preseason. "It felt good," he said. "I just got out there and got into the flow a little bit. It felt good to be out there. I can't wait for next week." Heap is one of the best tight ends and will be a target for Flacco.  In past games against the Bengals, Heap has not had much success.  He has not scored the last four games and is averaging 45 yards per game.  Daniel Wilcox will backup Heap and knowing Heap’s injury history, he will play some time this season.  However, Wilcox is not durable also, so look for him to get injured some time this season also. 

Matt Stover has been in the league for 16 seasons and continues to have success.  He has had at least 30 field goal attempts the last four years, converting 84% during his career.  We don’t expect the offense to have much success in the redzone, so Stover should have a big game.  We see 2 to 3 field goals.  The Ravens signed Steve Hauschka Monday.  The Ravens got a chance to see Hauschka make three of three field-goal attempts, including the 48-yarder, in a 23-15 preseason loss to the Vikings on Aug. 16. Hauschka also made both of extra-point attempts. The Ravens also have veteran Matt Stover on their roster so it’s not clear exactly what type of role Hauschka will have with the team.

 

Quick Stats	Rank	Rush	Pass	TD Rush	TD Pass	YPG Rush	YPG Pass
Cincinnati Offense	10	24	7	10	26	97	250
Baltimore Defense	6	2	20	9	27	80	222
Baltimore Offense	22	16	24	11	11	112	189
Cincinnati Defense	27	21	26	11	29	118	230
Last Three Games
Cincinnati Offense	10	24	7	10	26	97	250
Baltimore Defense	6	2	20	9	27	80	222
Baltimore Offense	22	16	24	11	11	112	189
Cincinnati Defense	27	21	26	11	29	118	230

 

Seattle

Will Seattle have enough receivers to play Sunday?  Yes, this is sarcastic but they have lost three of their top five receivers to injury.  Matt Hasselbeck has been bothered by a sore back, causing him to miss three of the four preseason games.  When he did play, he was effective completing 7 of 8 passes for 70 yards and 1 TD.  Overall, the Seattle passing game was effective during the preseason with Charlie Frye and Seneca Wallace playing well.  Hasselbeck’s back should be fine, as long as he doesn’t get knocked down too much.  The focus will be on the run game, though we expect the passing game to do its fair share of damage.  Defenses are ahead of offenses and with the injuries at receiver, we don’t expect a high scoring game.  The Bills defense was not very good against the pass last season, allowing 238 yards per game.  Seattle will be playing from behind, which will cause them to throw the ball more than they like.  Still, we see 250 yards and 1 TD. 

When Julius Jones was signed during free agency, the expectation was that he would be the starter c