Denver Broncos vs. San Francisco 49ers Preview and Predictions 2018-12-09
The Denver Broncos have reeled off three straight victories to remain in the AFC wild-card race and look to add another triumph when they visit the San Francisco 49es on Sunday. But the Broncos were dealt a couple of blows to overcome in the forms of a season-ending injury to receiver Emmanuel Sanders and a probable season-ender for cornerback Chris Harris Jr.
Harris fractured a bone in his lower right leg in last Sunday's 24-10 victory over Cincinnati while Sanders tore his left Achilles during practice on Wednesday. "It's tough," Broncos quarterback Case Keenum told reporters. "You don't really replace guys. Emmanuel is one of the best guys I've ever worked with. ... It surpassed all my expectations, far and away." San Francisco is far removed from the NFC playoff race and has allowed an average of 32.3 points during its three-game slide. The 49ers have lost five games by double digits, including last Sunday's 43-16 setback against Seattle.
TV: 4:05 p.m. ET, CBS. LINE: Broncos -4. O/U: 45.5.
ABOUT THE BRONCOS (6-6): Keenum has passed for 2,953 yards with 14 touchdowns and 10 interceptions, but it won't be a surprise if Denver opts for a run-heavy attack due to its inexperienced receiving group minus Sanders. Red-hot rookie running back Phillip Lindsay has topped 100 rushing yards in back-to-back games, and his season-best 157 against the Bengals has elevated him to fourth in the NFL with 937. The loss of three-time Pro Bowler Harris will hurt a defensive unit that is receiving standout seasons from pass rushers Von Miller (second in the NFL with 12.5 sacks) and Bradley Chubb (rookie-high 10 sacks).
ABOUT THE 49ERS (2-10): Quarterback Nick Mullens passed for a career-best 414 yards in the loss to the Seahawks and has a stellar target in tight end George Kittle (62 receptions, 893 yards), who is 73 yards away from surpassing the franchise record for a tight end (Vernon Davis with 965 in 2009). "Obviously, it hasn't mattered what quarterback is in there," Mullens told reporters of Kittle. "He's been making plays since Day One. You can credit him to that chemistry because it doesn't matter who is in there. He's going to catch it and step up and make plays." Defensive end DeForest Buckner leads the club with nine sacks, but the defensive unit has allowed more than 30 points on four occasions.
EXTRA POINTS
1. Lindsay is averaging an NFL-best 6.1 yards per carry.
2. Denver claimed WR Andre Holmes off waivers from Buffalo shortly after Sanders was injured.
3. San Francisco LS Kyle Nelson was suspended 10 games for violating the NFL's policy on performance-enhancing substances.
PREDICTION: Broncos 26, 49ers 13
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Detroit Lions vs. Arizona Cardinals Preview and Predictions 2018-12-09
The Arizona Cardinals attempt to post back-to-back victories for the first time this season when they host the Detroit Lions on Sunday. Arizona recorded its first win of 2018 against a team other than San Francisco last week as it recorded a 20-17 triumph at Green Bay that led to the firing of Packers coach Mike McCarthy.
The Cardinals registered a season-high 182 yards on the ground against Green Bay behind an offensive line that saw two more members land on injured reserve this week, bringing the current total to six. Arizona's chances at a second straight win appear good, as the team has won seven of its last eight meetings with Detroit. The Lions hopes to avoid its second three-game losing streak of the season after dropping home decisions against Chicago and the league-leading Los Angeles Rams. Detroit halted its seven-game slide in the all-time series in the last meeting as it posted a 35-23 home victory on Sept. 10, 2017.
TV: 4:25 p.m. ET, FOX. LINE: Lions -3. O/U: 40.5
ABOUT THE LIONS (4-8): Matthew Stafford, who threw four touchdown passes in last season's win over Arizona, has been limited in practice this week due to a back ailment but figures to be under center on Sunday. The 30-year-old has been impressive on the road this season, passing for 1,344 yards with nine touchdowns and only two interceptions in five contests. LeGarrette Blount has rushed for 43 scores since 2013, the second-most among active players.
ABOUT THE CARDINALS (3-9): Tackle D.J. Humphries and guard Mike Iupati both landed on injured reserve with knee injuries, joining center A.Q. Shipley (knee), tackle John Wetzel (neck) and guards Jeremy Vujnovich (hamstring) and Justin Pugh (knee) on the shelf. Arizona also placed wide receiver Christian Kirk (foot), who leads the team with 590 receiving yards, and defensive tackle Olsen Pierre (knee) on IR. Veteran wideout Larry Fitzgerald is one reception away from passing Jerry Rice (1,281) for most by a player with one team in NFL history.
EXTRA POINTS
1. Lions RB Kerryon Johnson (knee) has not practiced this week and is expected to miss his third straight game.
2. Arizona signed Rees Odhiambo from Indianapolis' practice squad and inked fellow OL Joe Barksdale (released by the Chargers) while promoting DE Vontarrius Dora and WR Jalen Tolliver from its practice squad.
3. Detroit placed LB Jalen Reeves-Maybin on injured reserve with a neck injury.
PREDICTION: Cardinals 24, Lions 20
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Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Oakland Raiders Preview and Predictions 2018-12-09
The Pittsburgh Steelers' biggest fear has become reality, and they hope to overcome the obstacle and avoid a third straight loss when they visit the Oakland Raiders on Sunday. James Conner, who has filled in admirably as Pittsburgh's top running back this season, will miss the contest due to a sprained ankle - forcing the team to use a two-man approach.
Conner, who is fifth in the league with 909 rushing yards and is tied for fourth with 13 overall touchdowns, became the Steelers' feature back after Le'Veon Bell sat out the first half of the season before electing to remain home for the entire year. With the 23-year-old Conner sidelined, Pittsburgh figures to make both Stevan Ridley and rookie Jaylen Samuels part of the rushing attack this week. While the Steelers look to maintain their slim lead in the AFC North, the Raiders enter the contest even with San Francisco in the race for the first overall pick in next year's draft. Oakland came up empty at home last week as it came out on the wrong side of a 40-33 decision against conference-leading Kansas City.
TV: 4:25 p.m. ET, FOX. LINE: Steelers -10. O/U: 51.5
ABOUT THE STEELERS (7-4-1): Antonio Brown can make NFL history on Sunday with a repeat performance from last week's loss to the Los Angeles Chargers. The 30-year-old receiver made 10 catches in the setback and can pass Wes Welker (672 receptions from 2007-12) for the most by a player over a six-year span with another double-digit total. Ben Roethlisberger hopes to pad his numbers against Oakland as he leads the NFL with 3,945 passing yards and ranks second with 341 completions.
ABOUT THE RAIDERS (2-10): Oakland has continued to make multiple changes to its roster this week in order to find the right fit, signing running back C.J. Anderson, cornerback Bene Benwikere and defensive ends Damontre' Moore and Kony Ealy. Fellow end Fadol Brown was waived while receiver Martavis Bryant (knee), linebacker Shilique Calhoun (neck) and safety Reggie Nelson (shoulder) were placed on injured reserve. Jared Cook is one of three tight ends in the league with at least three games with 100 receiving yards while Derek Carr has gone seven straight contests without an interception.
EXTRA POINTS
1. The Steelers promoted RB Trey Edmunds from the practice squad, placed WR Justin Hunter (shoulder) on injured reserve and released LB Farrington Huguenin.
2. Oakland clamed Denzelle Good off waivers from Indianapolis and waived fellow OL Ian Silberman.
3. Pittsburgh has been better on the road than at home this season, going 4-1-1 in enemy territory.
PREDICTION: Steelers 41, Raiders 17
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Philadelphia Eagles vs. Dallas Cowboys Preview and Predictions 2018-12-09
The Dallas Cowboys began the turnaround to their season by watching Ezekiel Elliott score twice in a 27-20 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles on Nov. 11. The Cowboys bid to strengthen their grip atop the NFC East and push their winning streak to five games at AT&T Stadium on Sunday when they vie for their first season sweep of the Eagles since 2012.
Elliott rushed for 151 yards and added six catches for 36 yards in Philadelphia on that night, beginning a stretch of four games in which he totaled 666 scrimmage yards (469 rushing, 197 receiving) and five touchdowns. The 2016 NFL rushing leader hasn't spared the Eagles since entering the league, erupting for 476 scrimmage yards in three encounters. Philadelphia answered its setback to Dallas by getting shellacked by New Orleans, but has since regained its swagger with consecutive victories over NFC East rivals New York and Washington to remain one game behind the first-place Cowboys with four to play. "I mean, you look at Dallas' history, they always choke. So we'll go down there and make them choke." Eagles linebacker Kamu Grugier-Hill said, via NBC Philadelphia.
TV: 4:25 p.m. ET, FOX. LINE: Cowboys -3.5. O/U: 44
ABOUT THE EAGLES (6-6): Carson Wentz, who reached the 300-yard plateau for the fifth time this season in Monday's 28-13 win over the Redskins, threw for a season-high 360 yards to go along with a pair of touchdown passes to tight end Zach Ertz in the first meeting with Dallas. Ertz posted campaign bests in receptions (14) and receiving yards (145) in that contest and could become the fourth tight end in NFL history to record at least 100 receptions and 1,000 receiving yards in a single season with seven catches and 22 receiving yards on Sunday. In-season trade acquisition Golden Tate made his presence felt with seven receptions for 85 yards and a score against Washington and aims to light up the Cowboys for the second time this season, having done so with eight catches for 132 yards and two touchdowns in Detroit's 26-24 setback on Sept. 30. "I don't think about the individual too much. I just wanted to be available when my time came and wanted to help this team win and win a lot," the 30-year-old Tate said.
ABOUT THE COWBOYS (7-5): Dak Prescott was efficient in Thursday's 13-10 upset of New Orleans, completing a season-best 85.7 percent of his passes (24 of 28) for 249 yards. The 25-year-old has developed chemistry with in-season trade acquisition Amari Cooper, connecting eight times in back-to-back weeks and on six occasions in the first meeting with Philadelphia. Cole Beasley (team-leading 48 receptions) is dealing with an injured foot that had him limited in practice this week, but the 29-year-old feels he can contribute despite making just three catches for 14 yards over his last two outings. "I'm feeling good," Beasley told The Dallas Morning News. "If it was game time, I'd be able to go right now."
EXTRA POINTS
1. Philadelphia DE Michael Bennett recorded two of his team-leading 6.5 sacks in the first meeting with Dallas.
2. Cowboys rookie LB Leighton Vander Esch registered a season-high 13 tackles and an interception in the initial encounter with the Eagles.
3. Philadelphia DE Brandon Graham has four sacks and two forced fumbles in his past four outings versus Dallas.
PREDICTION: Eagles 23, Cowboys 21
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Los Angeles Rams vs. Chicago Bears Preview and Predictions 2018-12-09
The Los Angeles Rams are back in the driver's seat for the No. 1 overall seed and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs, but they face a major road test when they visit the NFC North-leading Chicago Bears on Sunday night. The Rams have won three in a row since their lone loss and will face a Chicago squad that had its five-game winning streak snapped last week.
Los Angeles (11-1) became the first team to clinch a division, wrapping up its second straight NFC West title with a 30-16 victory at the Detroit Lions a week ago. "It's a great feeling," Rams quarterback Jared Goff said. "I think it was kind of definitely different than last year. It was a bit more expected this year. It happened earlier on in the year and this is something that we put as a check mark early on in the year, and are able to mark that off now and it feels good." While the Bears' stingy defense will be tasked with slowing down Los Angeles' potent offense, Chicago also will receive a boost with the expected return of starting quarterback Mitchell Trubisky from a right shoulder injury that sidelined him for two games. The marquee matchup also will feature the NFL's two highest-paid defensive players -- Bears linebacker Khalil Mack and Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald.
TV: 8:20 p.m. ET, NBC. LINE: Rams -3. O/U: 51.5
ABOUT THE RAMS (11-1): Running back Todd Gurley had one of his worst games of the season before the Week 12 bye but he showed fresh legs against Detroit by rushing for 132 yards and putting the game away with a pair of fourth-quarter touchdowns. Goff is 246 yards shy of reaching 4,000 for the first time and needs one touchdown pass to match last season's total of 28 for Los Angeles, which is tied for second in the league with an average of 34.9 points. Wideouts Robert Woods and Brandin Cooks are Goff's top two targets with 64 and 63 receptions, respectively. The Rams rank in the middle of the pack defensively, but reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year Donald is having another monster season with a league-best 16.5 sacks.
ABOUT THE BEARS (8-4): Backup Chase Daniel was intercepted twice and sacked five times in last weekend's 30-27 loss at the New York Giants, but Trubisky is much more mobile and was not sacked more than twice in his last seven games. Trubisky, who has thrown for more than 300 yards four times but also has failed to surpass 200 in the same number of games, has rushed for at least 43 yards in five of his last seven contests. Jordan Howard heads an inconsistent running game while backfield mate Tarik Cohen leads Chicago in both catches (59) and receiving yards (659). Mack had 9.0 sacks for a defense that faltered against the Giants but ranks second against the run (85.8) and tops the league in interceptions (21) and touchdowns (5).
EXTRA POINTS
1. Donald can become the fourth player since 1982 to record at least two sacks in four consecutive games in one season.
2. Trubisky has 1,427 yards with 14 TDs and four interceptions in his last five at home.
3. Gurley has scored 18 touchdowns in his last eight games on the road.
PREDICTION: Rams 27, Bears 26
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