Five Players To Watch During Week 8

Added on Oct 29, 2010 by Scott in

NFL

The halfway point of the 2010 NFL season is here. While six teams take the week off, the other 26 will do battle on Sunday and Monday. We can expect plenty of thrills and not just because it’s Halloween. Division leads are on the line, and in the cases of San Diego, Minnesota and Dallas, perhaps their seasons. No one player can win or lose a game, but some will end up being critical to their respective team’s success or failure. Here are five guys to watch during week eight.

Felix Jones (Cowboys) – The focus will be on Cowboys quarterback Jon Kitna and whether or not he can move the offense as effectively as Tony Romo. To alleviate some of the pressure, Jones needs to be more involved in the run game. The Jaguars defense is atrocious across the board, so offensive coordinator Jason Garrett should be able to attack from multiple angles. Putting it all in Kitna’s hands isn’t advisable, therefore Felix needs to shine when called upon.

Matt Stafford (Lions) – In his first action since opening week, Stafford must prove he is capable of getting the ball into the hands of his playmakers. Backup Shaun Hill was finding Calvin Johnson, Nate Burleson and Brandon Pettigrew with regularity. The Redskins secondary is allowing chunks of yards to opposing passers, which means Stafford will have to shake the rust off early and fire the ball downfield.

Santonio Holmes (Jets) – Since returning from a four-game suspension to open the season, Holmes has tallied only seven receptions for 88 yards in two starts. Mark Sanchez needs a third target after Braylon Edwards and Dustin Keller. Holmes has the talent, but does he have the drive? Now is his time to step up against a Packers secondary that is vulnerable to the big play.

Antoine Cason (Chargers) – It will be Cason’s responsibility to do what the Eagles’ Ellis Hobbs couldn’t do last week: stop Titans receiver Kenny Britt. The Chargers are ranked number one against the pass and Cason is a big reason why. He has excellent size at 6’1″ 195, and is adept at jamming wideouts and steering them off their routes. Chris Johnson will get most of the Bolts attention, but forgetting about Britt is unwise.

Jared Allen (Vikings) – Lost among the many disappointments in Minnesota has been the lackluster start by stud defensive end Jared Allen. He has one sack in six games and has yet to deliver one of his signature dominating performances. Pressuring Tom Brady will be key to a Vikings win; they can ill afford to let him drop back and pick apart the secondary. Two or three sacks from Allen would definitely help the cause.