PRO $9.95 FooTBALL PASS WeeK 15: DEC 15-19 MILE HIGH NY JETS AT SHOWDOWN PHILADELPHIA TOM BRADY VS TIM TEBOW Gang Green looks to keep its playoff THE PatriotS AND BroNCOS hopes alive. FACE eaCH otHer IN A battLE OF AFC diVISioN LeaderS BALTIMORE AT SAN DIEGO The Ravens head west for a key game in their quest for a top playoff seed. piTTSBURgh AT SAN FRANCISCO Two of the NFL’s best and most physical teams battle in the Bay. more at foxsheets.com G et T H E New A N D impro V ed F O XSH eet S A T F O X SH eet S.C om THURSDAY, 8:20 P.M. JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS (+11) AT ATLANTA FALCONS The Jaguars try to maintain their newfound offensive firepower when they visit the Falcons. Jacksonville scored 41 unanswered points ver- sus Tampa Bay last Sunday as Maurice Jones- Drew totaled 136 yards and four scores. Atlanta, 6-2 Straight Up in its past eight games, has gener- ally taken care of business against the also-rans this year, going 5-1 SU (3-2-1 Against The Spread) against teams that currently have losing records. But the Jags are 2-0-1 ATS as a double-digit un- derdog in 2011. And although the Falcons have a strong run defense this year, they have allowed Jaguars RB Maurice Jones-Drew has rushed 319 rushing yards (4.8 YPC) the past two games. for 80 or more yards in 12 of the 13 games he’s played this year. PlaY ON: JACKSONVILLE +11 more at foxsheets.com G et T H E New A N D impro V ed F O XSH eet S A T F O X SH eet S.C om SATURdAY, 8:20 P.M. DAllAS CowBoyS (-7) AT TAmpA BAY BUccAneeRS The Cowboys are desperate for a win and there’s no better NFC team to be facing right now than the Buccaneers, who have lost seven straight games (1-6 ATS). The Bucs will once again try to figure out how to win at home. They’ve lost three straight at Raymond James (SU and ATS), the last two in ugly fashion, outscored by a com- bined margin of 75-28 by Houston and Carolina. They’re now 5-10 ATS at home over the past two seasons, and their porous run defense figures to have trouble stopping a Dallas running game that was still effective with RB Felix Jones replac- Cowboys RB Felix Jones takes over for an injured ing injured DeMarco Murray last week. DeMarco Murray and is in line for a big game versus a Bucs defense that’s 28th in the NFL against the run. PlaY ON: DALLAS -7 more at foxsheets.com G et T H E New A N D impro V ed F O XSH eet S A T F O X SH eet S.C om SUndAY, 1 P.M. WASHINGTON REDSKINS (+7) AT NEW YORK GIANTs The Redskins have already beaten the Giants once this year, 28-14 in Week 1. And their offense is finally showing signs of life with Rex Grossman under center and a couple of rookie running backs—Roy Helu and Evan Roys- ter— helping rejuvenate coach Mike Shanahan’s vaunted zone blocking scheme. The Giants have allowed 40.3 PPG and 490 total YPG in the past three contests, so the Redskins should be able to move the football with confidence. The pick to cover here is Washington, which is 33-15 ATS (69%) as a road underdog of 3.5-to-7 points since 1992. Redskins RB Roy Helu has rushed for 100 or more yards in each of his past three games, and he’s also PlaY ON: WASHINGTON +7 racked up 102 receiving yards during that span. more at foxsheets.com G et T H E New A N D impro V ed F O XSH eet S A T F O X SH eet S.C om SUndAY, 4:15 P.M. NEW YORK JETs (+3) AT PHILADELPHIA EAGLES The Jets are in the thick of the playoff hunt de- spite erratic play all season. They’ve not been good on the road, going 2-4 SU and ATS, and they have just one win against a teams that’s currently .500 or better (they beat 7-6 Dallas in Week 1). The Eagles, however, are well below .500 at 5-8, and despite scoring 26 points in Mi- ami last week, they only gained 239 total yards (51 rushing) with QB Michael Vick back on the field. Vick will be tested by a great Jets second- ary, and don’t overlook New York’s run defense, which has allowed 100 yards or less to six of its Jets RB Shonn Greene has been on a roll with 295 past seven opponents. rushing yards (5.0 YPC), 96 receiving yards and four touchdowns in his past three games. PlaY ON: NEW YORK JETS +3 more at foxsheets.com G et T H E New A N D impro V ed F O XSH eet S A T F O X SH eet S.C om SUndAY, 4:15 P.M. NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTs (-6) AT DENVER BRONCOS Two of the league’s hottest clubs duel in the thin air when New England visits the Broncos. The Patriots have struggled against Denver during the Tom Brady era. In his career, Brady is just 1-6 SU and ATS against the Broncos, including 0-3 as a favorite. This year’s matchup will be especially interesting, not only because of the Tim Tebow factor, but because the Broncos’ defense has taken a big step up. Brady will have to deal with stud rookie LB Von Miller on the pass rush. The New England defense has struggled against the pass, and Tebow has shown an improvement in throwing the football lately. Broncos QB Tim Tebow has averaged only 146 passing yards during Denver’s six-game win streak, but with PlaY ON: DENVER +6 seven touchdown passes and only one interception. more at foxsheets.com G et T H E New A N D impro V ed F O XSH eet S A T F O X SH eet S.C om SUndAY, 8:35 P.M. BALTIMORE RAVENS (-2.5) AT SAN DIEGO CHARGERs The Ravens carry a four-game win streak into San Diego to square off with the surging Char- gers on Sunday night. San Diego is coming off wins over Jacksonville and Buffalo by a com- bined 75-24 score. But the Chargers are just 1-6 SU and ATS against teams that have winning re- cords, and that lone win was against the Broncos when Kyle Orton was still their starter. Baltimore is the best opponent the Bolts have played in a while, especially defensively, as the Ravens rank third in the NFL in both scoring defense (15.5 PPG) and total defense (278 YPG). They are also Ravens RB Ray Rice has 307 rushing yards over 4-1 (SU and ATS) versus San Diego since 2000. the past two weeks and faces a Chargers defense allowing 129 rushing yards per game this season. PlaY ON: BALTIMORE -2.5 more at foxsheets.com G et T H E New A N D impro V ed F O XSH eet S A T F O X SH eet S.C om MOndAY, 8:40 P.M. PITTSBURGH STEELERs (+2.5) AT SAN FRANCISCO 49ERs Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger suffered a high ankle sprain last week and limped through the second half—a potential downgrade to Char- lie Batch would be significant. The Niners are coming off an upset loss in Arizona, and they are susceptible to the big pass play. They’ll also likely struggle to move the ball against a top- notch Steelers defense. San Fran has been held to less than 250 yards of offense in two of its past three games, both which resulted in defeats. The Steelers rise to the occasion in big games, going 34-13 ATS (72%) when playing a team with a win- ning percentage of greater than 75% since 1992. Although Steelers safety Troy Polamalu is listed as questionable with a hamstring injury, the 2010 Defensive PlaY ON: PITTSBURGH +2.5 Player of the Year is expected to play against the 49ers. more at foxsheets.com G et T H E New A N D impro V ed F O XSH eet S A T F O X SH eet S.C om NEW ORLEANS (-6.5) GREEN BAY (-14) SEATTLE (+3.5) at at at MINNESOTA KANSAS CITY CHICAGO The Vikings have been This one could be simi- These teams clashed forced to put together lar to the Chiefs’ Week twice in Chicago last a patchwork secondary, 11 loss at New England. year, with the Seahawks so Drew Brees and the That Monday night, the stealing an October Saints are about the last defense held New Eng- game but the Bears team they want to see land’s high-powered beating them hand- coming to the Metro- offense at bay for most ily in the playoffs. Of dome. The Vikings have of the first half, shutting course, the Bears had allowed a passer rating them out for the first 25 QB Jay Cutler and RB of 100 or better to their minutes. But with Tyler Matt Forte for both of last eight opponents, Palko under center, the those games, which and Brees is on fire, K.C.