Monday Night Football Preview and Prediction: New Orleans Saints (10-4) at Atlanta Falcons (12-2)

texans-eagles-preview-prediction-point-spread-monday-night-footballEditor’s Note: Griffin Gotta’s weekly MNF and Thursday Night Football coverage on MSF is sponsored for the second straight year by Sadler’s Smokehouse, a producer of premium pit smoked meats that are best described by Sadler’s slogan: Legendary since 1948.

Sadler’s premium meats are perfect for tailgating on Saturday, for grilling out at home on Sunday, or for when you are hosting a group of friends, or even just the family, on Monday night.

With a variety of delicious choices (beef, pork, ribs, turkey, brisket, and more) and availability at grocery stores throughout the U.S., Sadler’s meats are the tasty, convenient choice when you want to watch the big game and eat well while you’re doing it.

Visit the Sadler’s Smokehouse website: Sadler’s Smokehouse

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For a game that should be as good as this one looks to be, there’s only one significant change that could be made playoff positioning-wise for these teams, or so says our old friend, the ESPN Playoff Machine.

The Falcons have such a stranglehold on the rest of the NFC that the only way they won’t be the conference’s number one seed is to lose Monday night and in the final week at home against Carolina. If this happened, the Saints would still have to defeat those plunderers of the close loss (or is it more apt to say they steal victories from themselves? I don’t know.), the Buccaneers, in New Orleans to take over the number one seed spot.

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Monday Night Football Preview and Prediction: Chicago Bears (9-4) at Minnesota Vikings (5-8)

texans-eagles-preview-prediction-point-spread-monday-night-footballEditor’s Note: Griffin Gotta’s weekly MNF and Thursday Night Football coverage on MSF is sponsored for the second straight year by Sadler’s Smokehouse, a producer of premium pit smoked meats that are best described by Sadler’s slogan: Legendary since 1948.

Sadler’s premium meats are perfect for tailgating on Saturday, for grilling out at home on Sunday, or for when you are hosting a group of friends, or even just the family, on Monday night.

With a variety of delicious choices (beef, pork, ribs, turkey, brisket, and more) and availability at grocery stores throughout the U.S., Sadler’s meats are the tasty, convenient choice when you want to watch the big game and eat well while you’re doing it.

Visit the Sadler’s Smokehouse website: Sadler’s Smokehouse

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This is clearly not the game ESPN signed up for.

Actually, it has the feel of a game everyone would rather just skip, but as a fan of the team in the middle of these two in the NFC North standings, it was almost the ideal game, if there were ever going to be one, to do something crazy; it presented the rare opportunity to buck up and cheer for the purple cannibals.

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Monday Night Football Preview and Prediction: Baltimore Ravens (8-4) at Houston Texans (5-7)

texans-eagles-preview-prediction-point-spread-monday-night-footballEditor’s Note: Griffin Gotta’s weekly MNF and Thursday Night Football coverage on MSF is sponsored for the second straight year by Sadler’s Smokehouse, a producer of premium pit smoked meats that are best described by Sadler’s slogan: Legendary since 1948.

Sadler’s premium meats are perfect for tailgating on Saturday, for grilling out at home on Sunday, or for when you are hosting a group of friends, or even just the family, on Monday night.

With a variety of delicious choices (beef, pork, ribs, turkey, brisket, and more) and availability at grocery stores throughout the U.S., Sadler’s meats are the tasty, convenient choice when you want to watch the big game and eat well while you’re doing it.

Visit the Sadler’s Smokehouse website: Sadler’s Smokehouse

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Doing these previews this season has been a lot of fun.  I’ve had to pay attention to the league as a whole on a regular basis, think about teams I normally wouldn’t be thinking of, and click on tabs and links that say something other than “NFC North.”

It’s probably been good for me to get out there into the NFL world a little bit, to get away (but not too far away) from my cozy little corner of football, where all I only think of things such as Charles Woodson, predatory mammals, and Brett Favre’s dick.  Uh, yeah, I probably needed some fresh air.

That said, I never thought I’d spend as much time as I have – or at least as it feels like I have – writing and thinking about the AFC freaking South.  Boy, the league sure did seem to have high hopes for these guys.  And especially now with the Colts at the tipping point, there’s been some excitement from this division, it’s pretty safe to say it’s been a disappointment as a whole.

With the Texans’ appearance on Monday night, we have reached the last time a team from the AFC South will play on a Monday or Thursday night (I made sure to look ahead this time).  Between this, and covering the Colts/Titans Thursday night game, it makes sense that the one team I won’t be writing about just so happens to be the one likeliest to make the playoffs.

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Monday Night Football Preview and Prediction: New York Jets (9-2) at New England Patriots (9-2)

texans-eagles-preview-prediction-point-spread-monday-night-footballEditor’s Note: Griffin Gotta’s weekly MNF and Thursday Night Football coverage on MSF is sponsored for the second straight year by Sadler’s Smokehouse, a producer of premium pit smoked meats that are best described by Sadler’s slogan: Legendary since 1948.

Sadler’s premium meats are perfect for tailgating on Saturday, for grilling out at home on Sunday, or for when you are hosting a group of friends, or even just the family, on Monday night.

With a variety of delicious choices (beef, pork, ribs, turkey, brisket, and more) and availability at grocery stores throughout the U.S., Sadler’s meats are the tasty, convenient choice when you want to watch the big game and eat well while you’re doing it.

Visit the Sadler’s Smokehouse website: Sadler’s Smokehouse

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Now this, unlike last week, is a Monday night game worth watching.

The Jets win and they sweep the season series with their Yankees-Red Sox-induced rivals and jump a full two games ahead of them in the AFC East. New England wins and takes the division lead back with four weeks remaining.

In those last four weeks following this showdown, both the Jets and Patriots play Miami and Buffalo again, they’ll each make a trip to Chicago, and while the Jets play at Pittsburgh, New England gets Green Bay in Foxboro.

This is to say: There’s still quality opponents left on those respective schedules, but Monday night’s winner gets one less thing to worry about, a little more room to breathe.

For the moment, at least.

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Monday Night Football Preview and Prediction: San Francisco 49ers (3-7) at Arizona Cardinals (3-7)

ravens-falcons-preview-prediction-point-spread-picks-thursday-night-football-time-nfl-network-kickoffEditor’s Note: Griffin Gotta’s weekly MNF and Thursday Night Football coverage on MSF is sponsored for the second straight year by Sadler’s Smokehouse, a producer of premium pit smoked meats that are best described by Sadler’s slogan: Legendary since 1948.

Sadler’s premium meats are perfect for tailgating on Saturday, for grilling out at home on Sunday, or for when you are hosting a group of friends, or even just the family, on Monday night.

With a variety of delicious choices (beef, pork, ribs, turkey, brisket, and more) and availability at grocery stores throughout the U.S., Sadler’s meats are the tasty, convenient choice when you want to watch the big game and eat well while you’re doing it.

Visit the Sadler’s Smokehouse website: Sadler’s Smokehouse

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This game is nothing.

The outcome of this game changes nothing.

The game-changing play that will take place sometime in this game changes nothing.

As I sit here on the Friday after Thanksgiving, the fact that I already put any thought into this game at all, when I should be completing my marathon viewing of Season Two of “The OC” (don’t judge me), makes me a little sad, a little worse a person, and probably, drives me a little closer to insane.

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Monday Night Football Preview and Prediction: Denver Broncos (3-6) at San Diego Chargers (4-5)

Philip Rivers

ravens-falcons-preview-prediction-point-spread-picks-thursday-night-football-time-nfl-network-kickoffEditor’s Note: Griffin Gotta’s weekly MNF and Thursday Night Football coverage on MSF is sponsored for the second straight year by Sadler’s Smokehouse, a producer of premium pit smoked meats that are best described by Sadler’s slogan: Legendary since 1948.

Sadler’s premium meats are perfect for tailgating on Saturday, for grilling out at home on Sunday, or for when you are hosting a group of friends, or even just the family, on Monday night.

With a variety of delicious choices (beef, pork, ribs, turkey, brisket, and more) and availability at grocery stores throughout the U.S., Sadler’s meats are the tasty, convenient choice when you want to watch the big game and eat well while you’re doing it.

Visit the Sadler’s Smokehouse website: Sadler’s Smokehouse

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Well, I tried. I tried to envision a scenario different from every season’s outcome in the AFC West since 2006, but it’s not happening. Sure, it’s fun to imagine the Chiefs or Raiders hanging on to win the AFC West and lose fantastically in the playoffs, but that kind of thing doesn’t happen in this here division.

[Read more...]

Monday Night Football Preview and Prediction: Philadelphia Eagles (5-3) at Washington Redskins (4-4)

eagles-redskins-spread-pick-prediction-preview-monday-night-football-mnf

ravens-falcons-preview-prediction-point-spread-picks-thursday-night-football-time-nfl-network-kickoffEditor’s Note: Griffin Gotta’s weekly MNF and Thursday Night Football coverage on MSF is sponsored for the second straight year by Sadler’s Smokehouse, a producer of premium pit smoked meats that are best described by Sadler’s slogan: Legendary since 1948.

Sadler’s premium meats are perfect for tailgating on Saturday, for grilling out at home on Sunday, or for when you are hosting a group of friends, or even just the family, on Monday night.

With a variety of delicious choices (beef, pork, ribs, turkey, brisket, and more) and availability at grocery stores throughout the U.S., Sadler’s meats are the tasty, convenient choice when you want to watch the big game and eat well while you’re doing it.

Visit the Sadler’s Smokehouse website: Sadler’s Smokehouse

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BREAKING NEWS:

Donovan McNabb has signed a contract extension with the Redskins (seriously). Get all the details and a few laughs here.

There are at least three schools of thought you can subscribe to in this Donovan McNabb/Mike Shanahan/Rex Grossman Washington Redskins debacle.

School of Thought #1

Donovan McNabb is out of shape, and in the case he did accidentally complete a pass downfield in a two-minute drill scenario, would not have been capable of running up to the line of scrimmage in a timely fashion without the aid of a timeout or chocolate milkshake.

[Read more...]

MNF Preview and Prediction: Pittsburgh Steelers (5-2) at Cincinnati Bengals (2-5)

Carson Palmer

steelers-bengals-preview-prediction-point-spread-monday-night-footballEditor’s Note: Griffin Gotta’s weekly MNF coverage on MSF is sponsored for the second straight year by Sadler’s Smokehouse, a producer of premium pit smoked meats that are best described by Sadler’s slogan: Legendary since 1948.

Sadler’s premium meats are perfect for tailgating on Saturday, for grilling out at home on Sunday, or for when you are hosting a group of friends, or even just the family, on Monday night.

With a variety of delicious choices (beef, pork, ribs, turkey, brisket, and more) and availability at grocery stores throughout the U.S., Sadler’s meats are the tasty, convenient choice when you want to watch the big game and eat well while you’re doing it.

Visit the Sadler’s Smokehouse website: Sadler’s Smokehouse

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The Cincinnati Bengals went undefeated in the AFC North last season. To go unbeaten in that division, or any division really (save for the AFC West; sorry, Chargers), is quite the accomplishment. The division title and bragging rights that went along with this are things the Bengals and their fans were presumably, and with good reason, very proud of.

To have the upper hand over the Cleveland Browns isn’t unique; the Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers at the same time, though? That’s not something that happens too often; that’s something anyone would be happy about.

Now, at the midway point of this year’s NFL campaign, the feelings of that perfect division run will only get warmer and fuzzier as last season fades further into the past; because for Cincinnati, it’s not going to happen again for awhile.

[Read more...]

MNF Preview and Prediction: Houston Texans (4-2) at Indianapolis Colts (4-2)

fantasy-football-week-3-start-em-sit-em-projections-dallas-clark

titans-jaguars-preview-prediction-point-spread-monday-night-footballEditor’s Note: Griffin Gotta’s weekly MNF coverage on MSF is sponsored for the second straight year by Sadler’s Smokehouse, a producer of premium pit smoked meats that are best described by Sadler’s slogan: Legendary since 1948.

Sadler’s premium meats are perfect for tailgating on Saturday, for grilling out at home on Sunday, or for when you are hosting a group of friends, or even just the family, on Monday night.

With a variety of delicious choices (beef, pork, ribs, turkey, brisket, and more) and availability at grocery stores throughout the U.S., Sadler’s meats are the tasty, convenient choice when you want to watch the big game and eat well while you’re doing it.

Visit the Sadler’s Smokehouse website: Sadler’s Smokehouse

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We last left the AFC South division two weeks ago. Had I known – or, had I been smart enough to look ahead – the schedule makers were going to hit us with another showdown from this division, I probably wouldn’t have recapped the whole freaking thing last time.

Worry not though, readers, because both the Colts and Texans are coming off bye weeks which were anything but relaxing weeks away from the game.

[Read more...]

MNF Preview and Prediction: New York Giants (4-2) at Dallas Cowboys (1-4)

cowboys-redskins-preview-spread-pick-prediction-monday-night-football

titans-jaguars-preview-prediction-point-spread-monday-night-footballEditor’s Note: Griffin Gotta’s weekly MNF coverage on MSF is sponsored for the second straight year by Sadler’s Smokehouse, a producer of premium pit smoked meats that are best described by Sadler’s slogan: Legendary since 1948.

Sadler’s premium meats are perfect for tailgating on Saturday, for grilling out at home on Sunday, or for when you are hosting a group of friends, or even just the family, on Monday night.

With a variety of delicious choices (beef, pork, ribs, turkey, brisket, and more) and availability at grocery stores throughout the U.S., Sadler’s meats are the tasty, convenient choice when you want to watch the big game and eat well while you’re doing it.

Visit the Sadler’s Smokehouse website: Sadler’s Smokehouse

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I don’t know if you’ve heard, but the Super Bowl is in Dallas this year. Everyone is pretty excited about it.

That big fancy new stadium built down there was made just for momentous events like this – the NFL’s battle for king of the castle. Yup, it’s going to be a helluva show put on by owner Jerry Jones and his Dallas Cowboys, who will be the first NFL team ever to play a Super Bowl in their home stadium. This is a huge advantage in and of itself, of course, and that’s before we even talk about this team.

The Cowboys are surely the most talented, explosive, devastating assembly of football prowess seen in quite some time – probably not since those old Cowboy teams with Aikman, Smith and Irvin, actually. To be an opponent of theirs is to be hunted by Ted Nugent; that is to say, you are screwed.

Whoever does become the AFC’s representative in the Dallas Cowboys’ Victory March can at least take solace in being there, on the same field as these champions, the ones who brought the long-deserved Vince Lombardi trophy back home to Dallas. There is no shame in this. This is much bigger than all of us. This is fate.

Oh, shoot. There is the matter of this pesky regular season thing. The Cowboys may not have thought it was going to be this big of a problem, but as they stand on the brink of falling out of playoff contention, and with the surging New York Giants on tap for Week 7, it certainly is a problem now.

[Read more...]

MNF Preview and Prediction: Tennessee Titans (3-2) at Jacksonville Jaguars (3-2)

Vince Young

titans-jaguars-preview-prediction-point-spread-monday-night-footballEditor’s Note: Griffin Gotta’s weekly MNF coverage on MSF is sponsored for the second straight year by Sadler’s Smokehouse, a producer of premium pit smoked meats that are best described by Sadler’s slogan: Legendary since 1948.

Sadler’s premium meats are perfect for tailgating on Saturday, for grilling out at home on Sunday, or for when you are hosting a group of friends, or even just the family, on Monday night.

With a variety of delicious choices (beef, pork, ribs, turkey, brisket, and more) and availability at grocery stores throughout the U.S., Sadler’s meats are the tasty, convenient choice when you want to watch the big game and eat well while you’re doing it.

Visit the Sadler’s Smokehouse website: Sadler’s Smokehouse

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The best illustration of the confusing blend of parity and random occurrence we have seen so far this NFL season can perhaps be found by taking a look at the AFC South division standings:

All four teams – the Colts, Texans, Titans and Jaguars – sit tied for first at 3-2; and that’s about all they have in common. 3-2 can look, feel and be judged in very different ways, as we can see here in this division.

Monday night’s tilt between the Titans and Jaguars brings two of the teams in this logjam to the forefront – the one that could be the most complete and the one nobody really invited to the party.

[Read more...]

MNF Preview and Prediction: Minnesota Vikings (1-2) at New York Jets (3-1)

giants-redskins-spread-pick-prediction-monday-night-football-washington-new-yorkEditor’s Note: Griffin Gotta’s weekly MNF coverage on MSF is sponsored for the second straight year by Sadler’s Smokehouse, a producer of premium pit smoked meats that are best described by Sadler’s slogan: Legendary since 1948.

Sadler’s premium meats are perfect for tailgating on Saturday, for grilling out at home on Sunday, or for when you are hosting a group of friends, or even just the family, on Monday night.

With a variety of delicious choices (beef, pork, ribs, turkey, brisket, and more) and availability at grocery stores throughout the U.S., Sadler’s meats are the tasty, convenient choice when you want to watch the big game and eat well while you’re doing it.

Visit the Sadler’s Smokehouse website: Sadler’s Smokehouse

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When the Vikings take the field Monday night, it will have been two full weeks since we’ve last seen them. If any team needed the time off, it was Minnesota. Injuries, execution and ambivalent emotions – they had all been problems for the Vikes before the bye week hit; a little bit of regrouping was in order.

But they will need that refresh button they tried to hit over the break to take effect right away, because the New York Jets are rolling into this one.

[Read more...]

MNF Preview and Prediction: Green Bay Packers (2-0) at Chicago Bears (2-0)

packers-bears-preview-mnf-spread-pick-prediction

giants-redskins-spread-pick-prediction-monday-night-football-washington-new-yorkEditor’s Note: Griffin Gotta’s weekly MNF coverage on MSF is sponsored for the second straight year by Sadler’s Smokehouse, a producer of premium pit smoked meats that are best described by Sadler’s slogan: Legendary since 1948.

Sadler’s premium meats are perfect for tailgating on Saturday, for grilling out at home on Sunday, or for when you are hosting a group of friends, or even just the family, on Monday night.

With a variety of delicious choices (beef, pork, ribs, turkey, brisket, and more) and availability at grocery stores throughout the U.S., Sadler’s meats are the tasty, convenient choice when you want to watch the big game and eat well while you’re doing it.

Visit the Sadler’s Smokehouse website: Sadler’s Smokehouse

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The 2009 NFL season’s opening Sunday night game brought the Chicago Bears to Green Bay. This matchup is usually good for a primetime slot every year because they are the Ancient Rivals Who Don’t Like Each Other. They play hard-nosed football, you can throw out the records, and yadda-yadda-yadda.

Most importantly, it allows whatever network that is hosting the game to dust off the old highlights of Dick Butkus and Ray Nitschke and wax poetic on the “black and blue” division and of blue-collar Midwestern work ethic. No matter what changes in the NFL, the Packers and Bears will always be battling on top the gridirons of yesteryear. It’s a football purist’s wet dream.

[Read more...]

MNF Preview and Prediction: New Orleans Saints at San Francisco 49ers

giants-redskins-spread-pick-prediction-monday-night-football-washington-new-yorkEditor’s Note: Griffin Gotta’s weekly MNF coverage on MSF is sponsored for the second straight year by Sadler’s Smokehouse, a producer of premium pit smoked meats that are best described by Sadler’s slogan: Legendary since 1948.

Sadler’s premium meats are perfect for tailgating on Saturday, for grilling out at home on Sunday, or for when you are hosting a group of friends, or even just the family, on Monday night.

With a variety of delicious choices (beef, pork, ribs, turkey, brisket, and more) and availability at grocery stores throughout the U.S., Sadler’s meats are the tasty, convenient choice when you want to watch the big game and eat well while you’re doing it.

Visit the Sadler’s Smokehouse website: Sadler’s Smokehouse

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Because I write these previews on Thursday, I can’t very well give you my thoughts on yesterday’s slate of games at the moment. This is something you’re all torn up about, I’m sure, but that’s the way it goes.

Instead, I want to fill the little intro this week with an irrelevant wish:

After spacing out and driving straight on a green arrow signal, I wish there was a way I could tell the person I cut off, through some kind of mind signal, that I’m not really an asshole, just an idiot, my bad. That’d make me feel better.

With that, let’s take a look at the Monday night matchup between the New Orleans Saints (-6) at San Francisco 49ers.

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MNF Preview and Prediction: Baltimore Ravens at New York Jets

ravens-jets-preview-prediction-point-spread-pick

MSF’s weekly coverage of Monday Night Football is sponsored for the second straight year by Sadler’s Smokehouse.

Sadler’s, North America’s leader in premium, pit-smoked meats, recently announced the launch of the new Tailgate Ready Beef Brisket featuring, a specially sized package and easy instructions for heating on the grill.

Click for more information on Sadler’s Tailgate Ready Beef Brisket, and click here for Sadler’s tailgating flyer that counts down the 32 best tailgating cities in America. You can also become a fan of Sadler’s on Facebook.

sadlers-monday-night-football

Well hello hello, NFL, and welcome back. Sit down; take your boots off, stay awhile, will ya? It’s so nice having you back, and to think – it’s only the beginning.

Once the opening Sunday of NFL 2010 passes, we’ll be almost done with the opening weekend of football; but, of course, not until Monday night is over. And once again this year, we’ve got two Monday night games to watch/wager on (though not illegally, of course)/drink through/or, if you’re a fan of these teams, scream through…and that is a beautiful thing.

So let’s preview the Monday night games for Week 1, starting with the Baltimore Ravens at the New York Jets.

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