Top NFL Matchups for Week 9

The drama heading into week 9 couldn't get any better. Good teams are riding losing disastrous losing streaks, perfect records are on the line in Indianapolis and New Orleans and the playoff push is in full swing heading into the winter months. November kicks off midseason when football is at its best. Let's take a look at some of the matchups I believe are worth paying attention to as we head into Sunday's showdowns.

AFC South Showdown: Houston Texans (5-3) @ Indianapolis Colts (7-0)

Will the Colts go down against the Texans? It's not that far of a stretch to think so. For those who may not have been paying attention, Houston Texans' quarterback Matt Schaub is playing very good football so far this season. He has 16 touchdowns and is on pace for a 4,700 passing yard season. With weapons like wide receiver Andre Johnson, tight end Owen Daniel and Steve Slaton, the Texans have been quietly getting the job done week in and out.

Meanwhile for the Colts it's business as usual, with quarterback Peyton Manning, orchestrating yet another record breaking season with 15 touchdowns and 2,227 passing yards. Manning only needs 19 yards on Sunday against the Texans to become the first player in NFL history to reach 40,000 passing yards in one decade. I've long since realized that Manning just isn't human. Together with wide receiver Reggie Wayne, Austin Collie, Pierre Garcon & tight end Dallas Clark there seems to be no stopping this offense. Unfortunately, the Colts took two hits to their defense this week losing cornerback Marlin Jackson for the year with a torn ACL; and after only having safety Bob Sanders back for two games, he was lost for the season with a torn bicep tendon.

NFC East Collide: Dallas Cowboys (5-2) @ Philadelphia Eagles (5-2)

With the collapse of the New York Giants, the NFC East is now in the hands of the Cowboys and Eagles, and on Sunday night they'll square off with one team securing the number spot in the east.

Dallas has emerged since their bye week with two impressive wins over the Atlanta Falcons and Seattle Seahawks. Quarterback Tony Romo and receiver Miles Austin's have looked unstoppable. Romo has six touchdowns and zero interceptions in the past two games. Since his breakout game against Kansas City Miles Austin has been on fire with 5 touchdowns on 21 receptions for 482 yards. The defense for Dallas has stepped up in a major way for the team which is an improvement from the weeks before their.

The Eagles on the other hand have their share of ups and downs with injuries to quarterback Donovan McNabb and running back Brain Westbrook earlier in the year. They also fell into the trap against the Oakland Raiders two weeks ago, but as all good teams do rose to the occasion and with a rout against the New York Giants as a response to that performance. In last week's game they opened up their big play ability on offense with three plays of 40 yards or more for touchdowns, one being a bomb from McNabb to wide receiver DeSean Jackson.

Both the Eagles and Cowboys are playing their best football midway through the season and will battle for the number one spot tomorrow night.

2004 NFL Draft Revisited: San Diego Chargers (4-3) @ New York Giants (5-3)

The New York Giants have dropped three in a row and look nothing like the team that started 5-0 on the season. But a visit from the San Diego Chargers might just be the spark the Giants need to snap their losing streak. You can't discuss the Chargers and Giants without talking about what happened in the 2004 draft.

The Chargers are always a question mark team at this point in the season yet, somehow always seem to find their way into the playoffs in the end. This season is no different with a 4-3 start and patchy play from the west coast team. Running back LaDainian Tomlinson leads the team in rushing but is a mere shell of his former self from seasons past. Meanwhile, quarterback Philip Rivers is having another solid year with 11 touchdowns and over 2,000 passing yards. Why the Chargers aren't a more dominant team in the AFC is always a mystery to me with guys like tight end Antonio Gates and wide receiver Vincent Jackson having solid seasons. However, against the Giants, I'm sure there will be a little extra motivation for the team that traded Rivers for Manning.

For New York, it's another week of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and a toss-up of which one will show up on the field Sunday. Not many expected the Giants to drop three games, so sinking a fourth isn't that far of a reach at this point. If the Giants lose another game however, they might as well hang it up in the NFC east, so this game is as much a statement as it is a push for a fifth playoff appearance in consecutive years. With defensive players like outside linebacker Michael Boley and free agent defensive tackle Chris Canty rumored back in the lineup maybe the defense will finally show up on the field and play with more intensity.

Sweeping through the South?: Baltimore Ravens (4-3) @ Cincinnati Bengals (5-2)

Not many people picked the Cincinnati Bengals to win on the road against the Baltimore Ravens in week 5, but in a tight game the Bengals came out and punched back when the Ravens tried using their intimidating style of beating teams into submission.

Most division games are hard fought and usually come down to the end. But for the Ravens they're not used to losing to the Bengals, especially when they play their best defense. However, there's something special about this Bengals team. They are reminiscent of the 2005 team that went into the playoffs, and if not for the loss of quarterback Carson Palmer on a devastating hit to his knee, were on their way to making history for the franchise.

Currently, both teams showcase quarterbacks who are playing good football and punishing defenses. The surprise of course is the emergence of the Bengal defense that can counter the hard hits from the Ravens with some punishing blows of their own.

 

Follow Khai Gordon on Twitter: www.twitter.com/khaijg