InSpin

Cincinnati vs. Houston

The Bengals have a chance this weekend.  When you are 0-7, that means a lot. The winless Bengals travel to Houston to visit the Texans at Reliant Stadium this Sunday. The Texans are wrapping up a solid month at home after Hurricane Gustav skewed their schedule into three road games to start out the year. All told the month respite has been positive for Houston as they have gone 2-1, having won the last two in a row over Miami and Detroit. They could be 3-0 at home this season if they could have held on to that lead in their home opener October 5 against Indianapolis.

The Cincinnati Bengals have a chance in this game simply because they have trends on their side. No one since the 1976 Tampa Bay Buccaneers (0-14) have gone winless and no one has gone 0-16, so odds are Cincinnati will get a victory at some point this season. And why not against Houston whom the Bengals are 3-0 against all time.

Of course trends do not play games and the reality of the situation is the Bengals are a banged up team.

Carson Palmer appears done for 2008. The All-Pro quarterback has missed two games, is out for Houston for sure and it looks as if IR is looming on the horizon. After a throttling at the hands of Pittsburgh 35-7, times may be getting tougher and not better for Cincinnati. If backup quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick will be taking over for the rest of the year, the Bengals offense line better give him more protection or he won’t be starting for very long either. The Steelers sack Fitzpatrick seven times last week. That increased the total to 15 in the four game Fitzpatrick has started. He was able to stay upright enough time to get the ball to Chad Johnson, who caught a season high eight passes and a touchdown last week, but his yards after catch were almost nonexistent, as he recored only 52 yards with those eight catches.

Until just a few weeks ago, the Houston Texans were also trying to find their first win. Three weeks later they are 2-4 and seeing a winnable game at home to go one step closer to .500. Many people saw the Texans as a sleeper in this year’s AFC until Gustav put a kink in their hopes. Houston is in last place and must not only win but hope division mates Indianapolis, Jacksonville and Tennessee start to falter. This may be a too tough of a request as two of those teams made last years’ postseason and the other is currently the NFL’s lone undefeated team. Nonetheless, Houston (2-4) got a little more confidence with their second straight win last week against Detroit and will do what they can do to get back in the AFC race.

InSpin.com

Philadelphia -9 vs. Atlanta

"Welcome home Matt Ryan, BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!" Ryan, a hometown Philadelphia boy, should not expect a heroe's welcome as his Atlanta Falcons travel to the City of Brotherly Love for Sunday afternoon battle at Lincoln Financial Field.

Certainly any love Philly fans may have for a local boy who has made it will evaporate around 1pm Sunday.  After a promising start to the season the 3-3 Philadelphia Eagles find themselves the losers of three of their last five games and find themselves in last place of the competitive NFC East. The Eagles need this game to take advantage of slumping Washington and Dallas and climb back into the heart of the playoff race. To do this, Philadelphia, who is in the upper echelon of the NFL in sacks, more than likely has a game plan probably involves planting the local boy into the turf.

Philadelphia is actually coming off a win in their last time out, two weeks ago. Before last week's bye, the Eagles scored 23 late points to beat the 49ers in San Francisco 40-26. Philly hopes this is the game that will get their season turned around.

Meanwhile the surprising season in Atlanta continues, largely on the play of rookie quarterback Ryan. The Exton, Pennsylvania native and alumni of Philadelphia's Penn Charter School has noticeably picked his game up recently. He has thrown for four touchdowns against one interception over the past four games, three of which were Atlanta victories. The Falcons will look to claim a road victory to extend their winning streak to three games. Last week Atlanta enjoyed a week off after an energizing last second field goal win over Chicago, 22-20, on October 12. The win over Chicago was the second straight impressive victory, after the Falcons beat the Packers in Lambeau. Atlanta probably wishes for NFL realignment with placement in the NFC North. The Atlanta Falcons have feasted on the division this season, going 3-0 against Detroit, Green Bay and Chicago with one more game at Minnesota on the horizon.

Odds are San Diego is upset they let Michael Turner get away. With Ladanian Tomlison's injury issues this year, the Chargers have had virtually no running attack. Not so in Atlanta as Turner is third in the NFL with 597 yards and six touchdowns.

Bye weeks have been good for Andy Reid and his Eagles. During his tenure he has never lost following a bye in nine seasons. The team is getting healthier as running back Bryant Westbrook and receiver Kevin Curtis are hoping to go. For Curtis it will be the first time he has hit the field all season long, which should greatly help Donovan McNabb and the Eagles' offense.

The Eagles have not lost to the Falcons in Philadelphia since 1988 in four contests including two postseason games in 2002 and 2005.

InSpin.com