NFL Trends and Indexes - Week 14 (Thursday, December 6 - Monday, December 10)

[Udog]

NFL weather watch: Snow expected at Lambeau

St. Louis at Buffalo (-3, 42)

Site: Ralph Wilson Stadium

Forecasts are calling for temperatures in the mid-30s with a 90 percent chance of showers. Winds will blow out of the east at 12 mph.

Atlanta Falcons at Carolina Panthers (3.5, 48)

Site: Bank of America Stadium

Forecasts are calling for temperatures in the mid-60s with a 20 percent chance of rain. Winds will blow out of the SSW at 6 mph.

Dallas Cowboys at Cincinnati Bengals (-3, 46)

Site: Paul Brown Stadium

Forecasts are calling for temperatures in the mid-50s with a 90 percent chance of showers. Winds will blow out of the SE at 13 mph.

Kansas City Chiefs at Cleveland Browns (-6.5, 38)

Site: Cleveland Browns Stadium

Forecasts are calling for temperatures in the mid-40s with a 95 percent of rain. Winds will blow out of the east at 12 mph.

San Diego Chargers at Pittsburgh Steelers (-9.5, 39)

Site: Heinz Field

Forecasts are calling for temperatures in the mid-40s with a 90 percent chance of showers. Winds will blow out of the ESE at 9 mph.

Baltimore Ravens at Washington Redskins (-1, 47.5)

Site: FedEx Field

Forecasts are calling for temperatures in the high-40s with a 75 percent chance of rain. Winds will blow out of the ENE at 6 mph.

New Orleans Saints at New York Giants (-4.5, 53)

Site: MetLife Stadium

Forecasts are projecting temperatures in the mid-40s with a 75 percent chance of showers. Winds will be light out of the NE at 3 mph.

Arizona Cardinals at Seattle Seahawks (-10, 36)

Site: CenturyLink Field

Forecasts are calling for temperatures in the mid-40s with a 70 percent chance of rain. Winds will blow out of the south at 12 mph.

Detroit Lions at Green Bay Packers (-7, 49)

Site: Lambeau Field

Forecasts are calling for temperatures around the freezing mark with a 100 percent chance of snow. Winds will blow out of the north at 6 mph.

[Udog]

NFL

Monday, December 10

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Monday Night Football: Texans at Patriots
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Houston Texans at New England Patriots (-4, 50.5)

The Houston Texans have already wrapped up a playoff berth and are two games clear of the pack in the race for the top seed and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. Still, despite the Texans' 11-1 record heading into Monday night's high-profile matchup at the New England Patriots, there is skepticism regarding Houston's legitimacy as a Super Bowl contender. Many of the doubts were spawned from another marquee night matchup, when the Texans were waylaid at home by Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers 42-24.

New England clinched the AFC East title last week and, like Houston, carries a six-game winning streak into Monday's matchup. The Patriots are battling division leaders Baltimore and Denver in the race for a first-round bye but could vault into the mix for the No. 1 seed by beating the Texans, who are 6-0 on the road.

TV: 8:30 p.m. ET, ESPN.

LINE: Patriots -4, O/U 50.5

WEATHER: Forecasts are calling for temperatures in the high-40s with a 90 percent of rain. Winds will blow out of the SW at 6 mph.

ABOUT THE TEXANS (11-1): Houston can all but clinch the top seed with a victory, having already defeated division leaders Denver and Baltimore. The Texans, who will be playing their third straight road game, finally got their defense straightened out in last week's 24-10 win at Tennessee after surrendering a total of 68 points in the previous two games - both of which went to overtime. Quarterback Matt Schaub has won 15 of his last 16 starts and directs a balanced offense featuring an elite wide receiver in Andre Johnson and a powerful running game led by Arian Foster, who is 98 yards shy of his third straight 1,200-yard season. DE J.J. Watt has 16.5 sacks and leads a unit that yields an average of 18.4 points. Houston's injury-riddled secondary will be tested by the league's best offense.

ABOUT THE PATRIOTS (9-3): New England tops the league in scoring at 35.8 points (more than six better than runner-up Houston) but had its second-lowest offensive output in last week's 23-16 win in Miami. Tom Brady was sacked four times and threw only his fourth interception but became the first quarterback in league history to win 10 division titles. Brady, who celebrated the birth of a baby daughter Wednesday, has thrown for 15 touchdowns and one pick during the winning streak. Wes Walker had 12 receptions against Miami and will continue to see a heavy workload with fellow wideout Julian Edelman joining star tight end Rob Gronkowski on the sidelines with a season-ending foot injury. New England's pass defense has improved markedly since the acquisition of CB Aqib Talib from Tampa Bay.

TRENDS:

* Texans are 9-1-1 ATS in their last 10 vs. a team with a winning record.
* Texans are 0-4 ATS in their last four Monday games.
* Patriots are 4-0 ATS in their last four Monday games.
* Under is 5-1 in Texans’ last six December games.

EXTRA POINTS:

1. The Patriots have won 12 straight games in December and are 10-1 in their last 11 Monday night games.

2. Houston, which is averaging 33.7 points in its last three games, can clinch the AFC South title with a win and a loss or tie by Indianapolis.

3. Brady has thrown a TD pass in 44 consecutive games, the third-longest streak in league history.


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[Udog]

NFL

Monday, December 10

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Tale of the tape: Texans at Patriots
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Offense

Houston, which is averaging 33.7 points over its last three games, is fourth in the league in total offense; the Patriots are first. The Texans boast a well-balanced attack led by RB Arian Foster, who leads the NFL with 15 touchdowns and the AFC with 1,102 yards rushing. Top receiver Andre Johnson is tied for fourth in the NFL with 1,114 yards receiving and is alone in fourth in the AFC with 74 catches.

New England tops the league in scoring at 35.8 points (more than six better than runner-up Houston) but had its second-lowest offensive output in last week's 23-16 win at Miami. Tom Brady was sacked four times and threw only his fourth interception. The Patriots will once again be without the services of Rob Gronkowski (forearm) but have Aaron Hernandez, who caught eight passes for 97 yards last week versus the Fish, to fill in.

Edge: Patriots


Defense

The Texans are without CB Brice McCain, their best slot defender, due to a broken foot and could march out top corner Johnathan Joseph at less than 100 percent. Joseph missed the last two games due to a tender hamstring and won’t get any favors from the cold and wet conditions expected to hit Gillette Stadium Monday night. Despite a beat up secondary, Houston has one of the toughest defenses in the league against the run and boasts pass-rush threat J.J. Watt.

New England's secondary was vulnerable to big plays early in the season and has allowed the fourth most yards passing in the NFL. But it has improved since Devin McCourty moved from cornerback to safety for the past six games and Aqib Talib was acquired from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Edge: Texans


Special teams

Rookie returner Keshawn Martin, who inherited duties on both kickoffs and punts after the Texans released Trindon Holliday after Week 5, is fourth in the league in punt-return average at 14.3 yards, and 21st in kickoff returns (24.1).

The Patriots special teams will suffer without Julian Edelman, who will be sidelined with a season-ending foot injury. Edelman split time as the third receiver this year and was a terror on special teams. He had 21 receptions, three touchdowns and also a 68-yard punt return for a touchdown. The loss of Edelman could mean a heavier workload for Wes Welker as a punt returner. Welker filled in for three weeks earlier this season when Edelman missed time with a hand injury.

Edge: Texans


Word on the street

“I think he’s extremely athletic for such a big man. Heck, I just left a special teams meeting and watched him rush a punter. There’s no telling how he’s going to be involved in the game, but he’s a huge factor week in and week out. He plays all over the place, so all of our guys will probably go against him upfront somehow, someway because of the many places that he plays." -- Texans head coach Gary Kubiak on Patriots DT Vince Wilfork.

"They're a very well-balanced team. If you're stopping the run, you're light on the play-action (passing attack). If you're stopping the play-action, you're probably light on the run. They do a good job of tying those plays together, complementing each other and making you defend all of it." -- Patriots head coach Bill Belichick on the Houston offense.


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