The Opening Drive: Week 14, 2011

After the Big Ben-flavored drama on Thursday night, week 14 in the NFL season keeps on trucking in Sunday’s slate of games. While some will take a first glance at most of the games and shrug them off as meaningless, there are some hidden contests that could be much better than fans may expect. Plenty of options for “Trap of the Week.”

Houston’s been running along surprisingly smoothly since the loss of Matt’s Schaub and Leinart. However, T.J. Yates won’t have the home crown behind him as he takes on a desperate Bengal squad this week. I’m not sure the Texans will have enough success on the ground to make up for Andre Johnson’s absence.

Boom. Trap it up. New Orleans is on the road after a pretty convincing whupping of the Lions last week. Tennessee is very quietly eking their way into the AFC playoffs with all-around solid team play. New Orleans may be trying to keep pace with the Niners, but they don’t NEED this game like the Titans do. Drew Brees could have one of his famous “Throw for 345 yards, 3 TD’s and 3 INT’s” days, giving the Saints points, but not a win.

Have you ever felt more opposite emotions for two 4-8 teams? Miami is clearly on the rise and is high on the list of teams that no one wants to play right now. Philly couldn’t get out of its own way with Vince Young at the helm, but welcome back Michael Vick to the starting line-up. Vick takes control of a team all but out of the playoff hunt and on the verge of firing their head coach. Have fun Mike.

In what would be a TOTW winner in most weeks, this game has all the makings of an upset. The unimpressive Falcons are on the road against a young and explosive division rival that has a Rookie of the Year hopeful at quarterback. I don’t like the 2011 Falcons on the road. They’re just not that good.

I really just had to put this one on here because it features two teams with winning records, once of which needs a win to keep pace in the playoff hunt. I really don’t expect the Raiders to give Green Bay much of a fight unless Carson Palmer can sling it deep with consistency. Mike McCarthy would probably prefer that opponents keep it on the ground, which is exactly what the opposing Raiders like to do most.

Fascinating because of its possible impact on the NFC Division hunt, the Giants can get right back in the thick of the chase with a win in Big D Sunday night. I have to say… these teams are wildly inconsistent to me. The G-Men are feeling good about themselves after a close loss to Green Bay while the Cowboys are reeling due to a crushing overtime loss to the Cardinals. I’m not positive this will be a good game, but it should be an entertaining one.

Keep your eyes on the standings everyone! The playoffs are just around the corner!