Week 16 Top Plays

Quarterbacks

Tony Romo, Dallas Cowboys: Romo has been lights out lately and the Saints defense is terrible and while they had a great week against Tampa Bay that hasn’t been the norm this season. Dallas was able to shred the best defense in the league last week and so imagine what he is going to do against one of the worst. Romo is third in the league in passing with 4,269 yards passing and has been playing his best football as of late; expect more of it against the second worst pass defense in the league.

Cam Newton, Carolina Panthers: Newton and the Panthers have been playing a lot better and while the Raiders shut-out Kansas City last week that isn’t saying much as the Chiefs are ranked 25^th in total offense. Newton has 3,451 yards with 18 touchdowns and 10 interceptions but he also has 647 yards rushing with seven rushing touchdowns. I suspect Newton will have a big week against the Oakland especially after destroying the Chargers Sunday.

Andrew Luck, Indianapolis Colts: The Colts are playing for a playoff spot this week, so expect everything the Colts have and then some. Luck has 3,978 yards passing and while his touchdowns and interception ratio isn’t the best expect him to be able to shred the Chiefs this weekend. The Colts would like to wrap up a playoff spot this weekend and Luck should have a monster game against a team that is headed for the first overall pick.

Running Backs

DeMarco Murray, Dallas Cowboys: Murray has scored a touchdown in three straight games and was able to get 81 yards rushing against the Steelers last week so expect him to gash the second worst rushing defense in the league. I can’t see the Saints being able to stop Murray this weekend, while they were able to stuff Doug Martin, I chalk that up to divisional opponents playing each other tough. The Saints have been able to stop only a few teams this season and the way the Cowboys are playing I can’t see it happening.

Adrian Peterson, Minnesota Vikings: Peterson is on pace to pass Eric Dickerson’s all-time rushing record for a single season, let’s remember Peterson torn his ACL and MCL in week 16 of last season. Peterson is the only running back averaging over 100 yards a game with an of  129.4 yards a game on the ground and he seems like he is getting stronger each week. I wouldn’t be surprised if Peterson gets close to another 200 yards rushing and one to two touchdowns on the ground.

Ray Rice, Baltimore Ravens: The Ravens need to get back to basics and give the ball to Ray Rice and when the Ravens give it to him more than 25 times a game they are nearly unbeatable. Rice has 1,031 yards rushing and is strong safety net for Joe Flacco; if the Ravens want to end their three-game losing streak, expect a heavy dose of Rice.

Wide Receivers

Brandon Marshall, Chicago Bears: The Bears are reeling and their one constant this season has been Marshall, who has just been lights out. Marshall has league high 107 receptions for 1,398 yards with 10 receiving touchdowns. Arizona finally got a win last week against the Lions, so don’t be surprised if they don’t play too well.

Dez Bryant, Dallas Cowboys: Bryant has been on a roll lately and has scored a touchdown in six straight games and I suspect that the trend will continue against the league’s worst defense the Saints. Bryant is tied for third in the league with 10 receiving touchdowns not to mention he’s tied for the seventh most receptions with 79 and has 1,087 receiving yards, so expect a big day from him.

Pierre Garcon, Washington Redskins: When Pierre Garcon is healthy is one of the best wide receivers in the game and he has proven to be a deadly connection with RG3 or Cousins, it doesn’t matter to him. The Redskins are right in the playoff mix and the Eagles have totally fallen apart, so it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Garcon have 100 receiving with one or two receiving touchdowns.

Sleeper of the Week: Russell Wilson, Seattle Seahawks: The Seahawks have been on a tear the last two games and have a chance to pull within a half a game of the NFC West lead. Last week showed that San Francisco could be scored on if you open up the field on them and expect Wilson to try and do that this Sunday night. Wilson has been deadly in the air with 21 touchdowns and only nine interceptions and last weekend he showed some of his running skills, as he was able to score three on the ground last weekend against the Bills.

By Michael Ferraro