NFL Week Nine Betting: Green Bay Packers @Tennessee Titans and Dallas Cowboys @ NY Giants

NFL / Andy Richmond / 01 November 2008 / Leave a Comment

Andy Richmond gives us the team news, facts, stats and betting tips ahead of Sunday night's double helping of NFL action on Sky Sports on Sunday night.

As we near halfway in the NFL season - the two key games on SKY on Sunday feature four teams we would expect to see post season this year - the trip to Nashville is a tough one for the Packers and we also see one of the great divisional rivalries with the Cowboys visiting the current Superbowl champions - the NY Giants.

GREEN BAY PACKERS @ TENNESSEE TITANS

Tennessee come into this game as the only unbeaten side in the NFL - they have beaten every challenge put their way, it could be said that the combined record of their first seven opponents is 15-30 but there is still great substance in their victories and they have crept into the play off picture almost unnoticed.

The Titans hold a 4 game lead in their division, the AFC South and it would take a collapse of major proportions for them not to claim a divisional title now. No team in NFL history has not won their division when leading by four or more games at this stage of the season but the Packers on the other hand are locked in a dogfight with the Bears and Vikings in the NFC North - they come here off a bye week having defeated the Colts in their last game, a similarity they share with the Titans - both side putting 30 plus points on the Colts.

There are two keys to this game; first of all can the Packers move the ball through air as they have done throughout the year? Aaron Rodgers, who the Packers this week displayed their faith in (finally consigning the Favre era to the past by signing him until 2014) has played very consistent football in his first year - throwing for 1,668 yards, 12 TD's and only four interceptions.

The Packers will need their passing game to be the strength that it has been all season with Rodgers using his two usual targets - Driver in the short yardage situations over the middle and Jennings providing the deep ball threat - both have proved expert at getting open this season . If there is a weakness in this Titans' defence, it is in their secondary and the Packers will need to effectively handle the Titans' front four with Albert Haynesworth a dangerous and dominating presence.

The second vital element of this contest will be the Titans' establishing the run - it's this facet of the game which has been the cornerstone of their offensive effort this season. The Packers "D" will have not one but two running backs to handle, the Titans' one-two punch in rookie Chris Johnson and LenDale White complimenting each other perfectly.

White provides the attritional element whereas Johnson provides the speed and can blast away into the secondary. The Packers' will need to control the running game and force the reliable but unspectacular Collins into situation where he has to throw deep and all season long the Packers' secondary has been a strength despite injuries.

And it looks as though two of those injuries will return on Sunday - Al Harris and Atari Bigby using the bye week to good effect to return healthy.

The Packers will be a different test for the Titans on Sunday and this game could be a little more attacking than the suggested points line. The Packers will provide a stern test for the Titans secondary if they can contain Haynesworth and friends.

RECOMMENDATION: Back GB Packers (+5.5) at [1.88] and back over 41.5 match points at [2.12]

DALLAS COWBOYS @ NY GIANTS

It was upset time in the last year's NFC play offs when the Giants turned the Cowboys over by 21-17 and we all know what happened after that. Beaten only once this season in an upset against the Browns, the Giants' defence has been for the most part a strong and attacking unit and QB Brad Johnson (replacing the injured and over-rated Tony Romo) will be facing a strong pass rush here- the Giants already have 26 sacks this year.

If they don't mount a decent running game, the Cowboys if will find it tough to distribute the ball down the field, especially with a very aggressive secondary for the Giants.

The Giants to a certain extent model their offensive game on the run, a lot like the Titans but they are struggling to convert within the "red zone" with their running game. Fortunately for them QB Eli Manning still has enough weapons in his receiving corps to run a balanced offensive effort.

Of late the Cowboys have not impressed, and despite having some big names in the squad are not really delivering this season, although they have admittedly suffered from some debilitating injuries - but then again that becomes a fact of NFL life for most teams.

The Cowboys are two games back in the race for the division and this trip to New York will provide a pivotal game for them. Unfortunately after Sunday night they may well be three games back in the divisional race and after being Superbowl favourites only a few short weeks ago, they will need a top class performance here to get that price moving in a positive way here.

RECOMMENDATION: Back the Giants (-7.5) at [1.94]