Houston, 4-2, will play Indianapolis, 4-2, on Monday night. It will be difficult for the Colts to stop the Texans’ running attack. In their first meeting, Indianapolis allowed Arian Foster to rush for 231 yards and three scores.
Peyton Manning lost one of his prime targets, Dallas Clark, for the season, but still has Austin Collie and his favorite receiver, Reggie Wayne, who has averaged 13.4 yards per reception in 2010. Houston is ranked 31st in passing yards allowed, and you can expect Manning to exploit their secondary.
Winner: Indianapolis
Pittsburgh, 5-1, will travel to New Orleans, 4-3. Pittsburgh has looked much better with Ben Roethlisberger playing. Roethlisberger has led his team to two wins while throwing for 559 yards and five touchdowns with only one interception.
Drew Brees has thrown 10 interceptions thus far, and had only thrown 11 all last year. They have struggled without Reggie Bush and Pierre Thomas, averaging 98.3 yards rushing per game. This stat will not improve considering they are facing the best run-stopping defense in the NFL on Sunday.
Winner: Steelers
The 5-1 New England Patriots will host Randy Moss and the 2-4 Minnesota Vikings. The Patriots have a new identity without Moss and it will be interesting to see how fans welcome him back.
Their offense is ranked first in points scored and their defense, which has struggled at times, has forced 10 turnovers while compiling nine sacks in their last four games.
Brett Favre has struggled, as well as the Viking defense, sacking opposing quarterbacks only six times this season. Moss and Percy Harvin may be able to exploit New England’s defensive weaknesses, but if the Patriots can stay balanced on offense, they will get the victory.
Winner: Patriots
The Packers, 4-3, will travel to New York to take on the 5-1 Jets. Green Bay has struggled to establish a rushing attack after losing Ryan Grant for the season. These struggles will continue considering they are facing the fourth ranked rushing defense.
The Jets will be coming off of their bye week and will come out of the gates rejuvenated. You can expect LaDainian Tomlinson and the second ranked rushing offense to thrive against Green Bay’s front seven, which has allowed 112.3 rushing yards per game.
Winner: Jets
Chris Johnson and the 5-2 Titans will face the Chargers, 2-4. The Titans found a new star in Kenny Britt, who had 225 yards and three touchdowns in only two and a half quarters last week.
However, the Titans may have problems against the Chargers’ sixth ranked rushing defense. If the Chargers can cut down on mental errors, they can win.
Winner: Chargers
Joe Beaudoin can be reached at jbeaudoin@spartans.ut.edu.