Five Players To Watch During Week 12

Added on Nov 26, 2010 by Scott in

NFL

A trio of relatively entertaining Thanksgiving games leaves a lucky 13 remaining to close out Week 12. A pair of monster NFC matchups, a key interconference showdown and a Manning vs. Rivers primetime tussle highlight the action. The Giants and Titans will look to end losing streaks, while the Rams and Redskins will attempt to keep their playoff aspirations alive. Here are five players to keep a close eye on.

Charles Woodson (Packers) – Green Bay travels to Atlanta for a throwdown between leading NFC contenders. Reigning Defensive Player of the Year Woodson will play a huge part in stopping the league’s best receiver, Roddy White, who has 36 receptions and four touchdowns in his last four games. If Woodson can keep White in check, the Falcons will struggle to sustain drives. The Pack defense has held their last three opponents to a total of ten points.

Rusty Smith (Titans) – With injuries to Vince Young and Kerry Collins, Tennessee is forced to go with rookie sixth-round pick Rusty Smith. The good news is he’ll face the Texans 32nd ranked pass defense. The bad news is Randy Moss has been a complete non-factor in the offense. The Titans need to win to stay in the playoff hunt, but that won’t be easy with a quarterback making his first career start on the road.

Mario Manningham (Giants) – No Steve Smith. No Hakeem Nicks. That means Manningham becomes the de facto number one option in Big Blue’s passing attack. The Jags secondary has allowed 20 touchdowns and yields 256 yards per game. Manningham should have room to make plays downfield, unless the Jaguars do the smart thing and double-team him since he represents the biggest threat.

Julius Peppers (Bears) – Peppers is coming off his best outing as a Bear with three sacks. His reward will be trying to keep Eagles quarterback Michael Vick in check. Peppers has the necessary size, speed and athleticism to force Vick into making mistakes. How the Eagles scheme against the rangy defensive end will go a long way in deciding how potent they are on offense.

Mike Tolbert (Chargers) – The Colts have been stingy through the air with only 13 touchdowns conceded. Philip Rivers has been virtually unstoppable, but the Chargers might be better served leaning on the bruising Tolbert to pound the soft Indy run defense. Tolbert smashed the Broncos on Monday night to the tune of 153 total yards and a trip for six. He could be in store for another big day.