JCarney

TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS (7-4) @ NEW ORLEANS SAINTS (3-8)
New Orleans is red hot, riding a 1 game winning streak as they host the Bucs somewhere inside the contiguous 48 states. Ok, now that I’ve aborted by comedic career in one sentence, the Bucs are still stinging from their tough loss last week to Chicago and look to take their anger out on the nomadic Saints. Don’t be fooled by the gift the Saints were handed by the Jets last week, the Saints are a very bad team and they’ll be reminded of it this week. The Bucs Defense will have no problem bringing Aaron Brooks back to Earth and expect Chris Simms to continue his resurgence against a porous Saints Defense. I’m not sure where the Saints are playing this week and in reality, it doesn’t matter. They could play this game on an oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico with the same result. Bucs smoke the Saints.

JCarney

Here is another...

Thanks to Brady, the Patriots' passing game has put up impressive numbers. But with weapons like wide receiver David Givens and Troy Brown, as well as tight end Daniel Graham all questionable heading into the game, New England might be wise to focus on the Saints' porous run defense, which is has allowed an astounding 139.3 rushing yards per game. The only question is who will be doing the running for New England. Starter Corey Dillon was involved in just one play from scrimmage last week before leaving because of a calf injury. Backup Heath Evans picked up the slack, rushing for 84 yards. With Dillon's status up in the air � he said after the Miami game he's not interested in coming back until he's 100 percent � it could be running back by committee for the Patriots this weekend. But that doesn't mean New England will change their game plan.

JCarney

Another...


Saints, Jets, Share Misery at Meadowlands

(Sports Network) - In the NFL's recent past, particularly in the 1980s, the annual matchups of particularly inept teams from Green Bay and Tampa Bay were jokingly referred to as "Bay of Pigs" games.

This week, when the New Orleans Saints drag their still Hurricane-ravaged road show into the swamps of Jersey to square off with the equally ravaged -- albeit by injury and not act of God -- New York Jets, a new phrase might have to be coined.

In the interim, call it "Bad New"s.

The Saints come in on a one-game "played well but lost anyway" streak, having put up a fight in Foxboro last week before dropping a 24-17 decision to the two-time defending Super Bowl champion New England Patriots. The Jets, meanwhile, dropped their fifth straight in particularly woeful fashion, falling 27-0 to the Denver Broncos.

The loss marked the second time this season that New York lost two quarterbacks to injury in the same game. The Jets had seen both starter Chad Pennington and backup Jay Fiedler leave with shoulder injuries in a Week 3 loss to Jacksonville.

Against the Broncos, both interim starter Brooks Bollinger (head) and comebacking fill-in Vinny Testaverde (ankle) went out, leaving the controls in the hands of someone named Kliff Kingsbury, who completed one of his first two NFL passes for 17 yards.

Bollinger will reportedly return for the start this week, meaning there's no truth to the rumor that his head malady was simply the product of wise career planning or that the NFL fossil Testaverde's injury -- which came when he crumpled to the turf in the fourth quarter without being touched by a Denver player -- was due to a heart attack or a stroke.


SERIES HISTORY

The Jets have a 5-4 edge in their all-time series with the Saints, and were 16-9 road winners when the clubs last met, in 2001. New Orleans has won the last two games played between the two at Giants Stadium, with the victories coming in 1992 and 1995. The Jets' last home triumph in the series came in 1986.

Jets head coach Herman Edwards is 1-0 in his career against the Saints. New Orleans' Jim Haslett is 0-1 head-to-head against both Edwards and the Jets.


SAINTS OFFENSE VS. JETS DEFENSE

A few quick stats to illustrate the state of affairs at Jet Central.

Justin McCareins was the team's leading rusher in last week's loss to Denver, racking up eight yards on one carry.

Meanwhile, Curtis Martin, who entered the week needing just 26 yards to reach 14,000 for his career, still needs 19. Martin gained seven yards on four carries, being outgained by McCareins and equaled by Bollinger, who advanced seven yards on his lone rushing attempt.

In addition, Martin now needs 21 carries to become the third player in league history with at least 3,500, joining Emmitt Smith and Walter Payton. The former University of Pittsburgh standout has 615 yards in 181 carries -- a 3.4-yard average -- and five touchdowns this season.

Through the air, Laveranues Coles has been the favorite target of the Pennington/Fiedler/Bollinger/Testaverde/Kingsbury quintet, catching a team-best 50 passes for 541 yards -- 10.8 per catch -- and two touchdowns. He leads the AFC in third-down receptions with 17 and has caught at least five passes in 45 of his 87 career games -- 51.7 percent.

McCareins is fourth in the NFL among receivers with 20-plus catches, averaging 17.6 yards per reception on 27 catches.

And Bollinger, for whom the team has scored six points in his three starts -- losses to Baltimore (13-3), Carolina (30-3) and Denver (27-0) -- nonetheless threw two touchdown passes and posted a 103.3 passer rating in his lone appearance at home this season, a loss to San Diego on Nov. 6 in which he replaced an injured Testaverde.

The former sixth-round draft pick from the University of Wisconsin has completed 52 of 94 passes this season for 473 yards, two touchdowns and four interceptions. He has an overall passer rating of 58.5.

Defensively, the Saints haven't exactly been the 1985 Chicago Bears.

They've surrendered an average of 309.0 total yards per game, though that number is a far cry more than the paltry 237.7 per outing that the Jets offense has been mustering.

Also, the teams' respective turnover ratios indicate that one side will perform out of character this weekend. New Orleans is a minus-13, while New York is minus-9.

However, second-year defensive lineman Will Smith leads the team with 5.5 sacks after posting 7.5 as a rookie last season, and defensive backs Jason Craft and Dwight Smith have each picked off two passes.

Defensive end Darren Howard has five sacks in his last six games against AFC opponents, and the defensive unit as a whole ranks third in the NFL in passing yards allowed per game -- 170.4. Against the run, there have been problems. New Orleans is 16th and last in the NFC in rushing yards allowed per game (138.6) and 14th in the conference in rushing yards allowed per play (4.4).


JETS OFFENSE VS. SAINTS DEFENSE

The Saints, without question, do have weapons on offense. Quarterback Aaron Brooks threw for 343 yards and two touchdowns last week against the Patriots, giving him 116 career TD throws and 10 300-yard passing games. Those totals surpassed the previous franchise records of Archie Manning -- 115 touchdowns, nine 300-yard games.

Brooks has completed 178 of 328 passes this season, for 2,267 yards and nine touchdowns against 13 interceptions and a 68.7 passer rating.

His most frequent target has been wide receiver Donte Stallworth, who's caught 44 balls for 624 yards -- a 14.2-yard average -- and five touchdowns.

Two of those TD catches came against New England, and Stallworth has gone for more than 100 yards in two of his last four outings against AFC opponents. Thirty-four of his 44 catches (77.3 percent) have resulted in a first down.

Fellow wideout Joe Horn has 46 career receiving touchdowns and needs three to pass Eric Martin for the all-time franchise lead. He's averaged 106.8 receiving yards in his last four games against AFC foes, including 18.4 yards per catch.

On the ground, veteran Antowain Smith is averaging a career-best 4.6 yards per carry and leads the team for the season with 392 yards on 86 rushes with two touchdowns.

The Jets have shown flashes on defense, but those bursts have been fewer and farther between during the five-game losing streak that's followed the upset win over then-unbeaten Tampa Bay in week five -- quarterback Testaverde's Cinderella return game.

New York has allowed an average of 314.6 total yards per game, compared to the 329.5 yards that the sometimes-potent Saints offense has mustered.

The Jets have been statistically solid but situationally poor, ranking fifth in the 16-team AFC in total yards allowed and fourth in yards per play, but tied for 13th in first downs allowed and 16th in fourth-down efficiency. They've given up 141.1 yards rushing per game and 173.2 via the pass, both worse than the Saints' marks in the same categories.

Abraham has a team-high 5.5 sacks and cornerback Ty Law is tied for second in the AFC and third in the NFL with five interceptions.


OVERALL ANALYSIS

A tough one to call. Both teams can conceivably thrive in the areas where the other is porous, meaning the Saints could hit for big plays while Martin may have a chance at a good number on the ground.

The Saints played well last week and have momentum but the Jets are home for a prime-time game, albeit after a two-week stretch in which they've been outscored 57-3 and faced claims that their collective effort has been waning. Overall, it's those recent performances that could be the most indicative.


Sports Network Predicted Outcome: Saints 24, Jets 21


11/25 13:14:36 ET

saintz08

Provide links to your articles ......

saintswhodi

I thought......Never mind.