By: Matt
3. Pittsburgh Steelers vs. San Diego Chargers
This rematch of last years AFC Divisional Playoff game features two of the most interesting teams in the AFC. The Steelers won Super Bowl XLIII despite having the toughest schedule in the league. This year’s version of the Steelers seems to lack the clutch that brought last year’s team to the Super Bowl and to victory. Last year the Steelers were a team defined by their ability to make a late, game-winning drive. In two opportunities this year they have fallen short both times. The Steelers have also lost their ability to run the football, the traditional definition of the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Chargers are also a team lacking their traditional identity. For years the Chargers have been defined as LaDainian Tomlinson’s team, this year he has missed 2 games and was on the bench when his backup scored the go ahead touchdown late in week 1. The Chargers are now Phillip Rivers’ team and have shown that their passing offense is one of the leagues best. The Chargers have been playing good football recently and would clearly like revenge for their loss in last year’s playoffs. The Steelers are desperate for a win and will look to get back to .500 by beating the early season Super Bowl favorites. This game will likely be a shootout and the winner could be decided by whichever defense steps up and makes the big plays.
2. Minnesota Vikings vs. Green Bay Packers
This will mark the first time that Brett Favre will play against the team with which he spent over a decade. Last week Favre showed that he still has the magic that made him beloved in Green Bay by throwing the go-ahead touchdown with just 2 seconds remaining. Green Bay has been up and down this year, dissembling the division rival Bears before falling to a seemingly weak Cincinnati squad. Aaron Rodgers would love the chance to prove that he is better than Brett Favre in a head-to-head matchup, but this game will revolve around Adrian Peterson. The consensus best running back in football was slowed down in San Francisco and will look to rebound against a Green Bay defense that has been solid, despite having changed to a 3-4 system this off-season. If Peterson is able to run effectively the Vikings should win this game and reach 4-0, if not, this game could again come down to Brett Favre’s being able to lead the Vikings late in the game. This game will likely be decided by the ground game, whichever team can run the football effectively should be able to win.
The top matchup of week four features a battle between two of the league’s remaining undefeated teams. The Jets fell just short of the playoffs last year but under rookie Head Coach Rex Ryan the team has featured one of the leagues most stifling defenses. The Jets have beaten the Patriots, Titans, and Texans, none of who were under .500 last year and all of whom have offenses that can explode on any given Sunday. Rookie Quarterback Mark Sanchez has been simply amazing, making good decisions and serving as the team’s primary offensive playmaker in 2009. While the Jets feature an elite defense, the New Orleans Saints offense has been unbelievable this year. Quarterback Drew Brees is averaging 3 touchdowns per game and the Saints finally appear to have a running game – power backs Mike Bell and Pierre Thomas have each wowed with former #2 draft pick Reggie Bush providing a spark off the bench. The Saints defense has not been particularly impressive, allowing the Lions to score 28 points in week 1 and giving up over 300 passing yards to Eagles backup signal caller Kevin Kolb. Despite their defensive weakness the Saints appear capable of outscoring any team in the league. This game will likely be decided by whichever of these two elite groups is able to better the other. If the Saints offense is able to continue scoring at will the Jets rookie led offense will never keep up, however, if the Jets are able to stop Drew Brees and the Saints, New Orleans’ defense has yet to prove that they can make game-breaking plays. In the end, nobody can know who will win, we can only hope for 60 minutes of great entertainment.
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