Falcons Look For the #1 Seed, Jets Try to Avoid Panic Mode, and Tebow Time
By Jason Lisk
Seattle’s secondary has really struggled of late, so Roddy White should find plenty of opportunities to make plays. The Falcons defense has been vulnerable at times to wide receivers, and Mike Williams is returning from an ankle injury just in time for a Seattle offense that has been inconsistent.
In Pittsburgh, Troy Polamalu is out, and the Steelers’ unit has not been as good with him out of the lineup in recent years. He made big plays in each of the last two games (the forced fumble against Flacco, and the interception return last week) that have directly impacted the outcome. The Steelers’ offense, though, has been struggling to score touchdowns lately. The Steelers defense has been the toughest to run against all year, so if the Jets are going to win, they likely need to spread the field. Mark Sanchez is going to need a good game, and will have to complete a higher percentage of passes than he has been doing. The better way to avoid third and long against the Steelers is to control the early downs with short passes, rather than run on them.
Finally, in Denver, it is Tim Tebow time. With high winds above 15 mph forecast for the game, I expect the Broncos to have a conservative game plan with Tebow, getting him on the perimeter, and relying on Knowshown Moreno and safe passes early. The bigger problem for the Broncos is on the other side of the ball, where Darren McFadden ripped Denver the last time the teams met, and the Raiders scored 59 points.
[photo via Getty]