NFL Week 12: Five Things To Watch For

We are now 11 weeks into the 2009 NFL season, and we are still waiting for the first losses from the New Orleans Saints and Indianapolis Colts. In fact, many fans and experts are beginning to wonder if either teams will lose.

Well, with reasonably tough match-ups in Week 12 , this writer is hoping to finally nail the prediction we've all been chasing after.

Read on for some analysis on the Colts/Saints games, as well three more things to keep an eye on in this Week 12's Five Things to Watch For :


5. Can the Green Bay Packers Continue Their Hot Streak?

The title says it's hot, and for the Packers in 2009, it'll have to do. The Packers have won two straight, one with a great defensive effort, and another by the arm of Aaron Rodgers and the legs of Ryan Grant.

Normally when a team loses two star defensive players, in this case Aaron Kampman and Al Harris, you'd think a winning streak would come to an end. But, not when you face the Detroit Lions, and especially not when Matthew Stafford and Calvin Johnson are both doubtful for the game.

Packers 34, Lions 10

4. Will the Denver Broncos End Their Slide?

The AFC's version of the New York Giants will take their own disappointing four-game skid into a match-up with the Giants, who got off the schneid with their first win in five games in Week 11.

We're going with the team that has looked fairly solid in two straight games, rather than the one that has look absolutely atrocious for four straight.

Giants 26, Broncos 23

3. Will Chris Johnson Keep his Streak, and the Titans' Alive?

Johnson has been on an absolute tear, running for 100+ yards in five straight games, while guiding the Titans to four straight wins. The Titans appear to be for real on both sides of the ball, as their pass defense has gotten stingy and their offense has played smart football during their streak.

They face a decent Arizona Cardinals run defense this week, but can we really start betting against CJ and Vince Young now? We wouldn't.

Titans 24, Cardinals 20

2. Can the New England Patriots Expose the New Orleans Saints?

Every other team not named the Tampa Bay Buccaneers can, so why not?

The Patriots have made a strong commitment to getting their ground attack going in recent weeks, and they've done a very good job of running against their opponents. The Saints, while also stalwarts at rushing the ball, have no answer for the opposition's ground attack, which in turn negatively effects their usually stellar pass defense.

Plain and simple: If the Saints are going to lose in the regular season, this is as safe a bet as any.

Patriots 31, Saints 27

1. Can the Houston Texans Bounce-Back and Get Their Revenge on the Indianapolis Colts?

I believe they can. They put up a decent fight against an inspired Tennessee team and a star running back (Chris Johnson) that simply will not be denied.

It doesn't say a whole lot for their own resilience, but they still could be looking at a 7-3 record, instead of being 5-5, if their kicker (Kris Brown) could have sent them into overtime in their first game against the Colts, as well as last week's game against the Titans.

Indy has to lose sometime, and this is a must-win week for Houston if they're serious about making a run at the playoffs .

Texans 27, Colts 24