NFL prop shop: Rivers will outduel Roethlisberger
By David Chan
Philadelphia vs. New York
Most rushing yards: Westbrook vs. Jacobs
Play on Westbrook
I’m seeing substantial value with Brian Westbrook, largely due to Andy Reid’s tendency to shy away from the run. That wasn’t the case last Sunday as Westbrook carried the ball 20 times and even when it wasn’t working, Reid kept going back to the run.
The Giants are likely to see even more of Westbrook this week. The last time these two met, he carried the ball 33 times for 131 yards.
Brandon Jacobs wasn’t 100 percent healthy down the stretch and saw limited action. I’m thinking that Tom Coughlin gives plenty of touches to both Derrick Ward and Ahmad Bradshaw against this physical Eagles stop unit.
San Diego vs. Pittsburgh
Most passing yards: Rivers vs. Roethlisberger
Play on Rivers
Ben Roethlisberger is going to see a much different Chargers defense this time around.
The last time these two sides hooked up, Big Ben threw for over 300 yards in an 11-10 Steelers victory. Since that point we’ve watched this Chargers defense come together and look a lot more like the feared unit of years past.
Philip Rivers may be a relatively young quarterback, but he’s become a playoff veteran. I’m impressed with the poise he showed late in last Saturday’s come-from-behind win over the Colts and expect his success to carry over into this game.
This may turn out to be a higher scoring game than expected and I’m confident that Rivers wins the battle through the air