Five Players To Watch During Week 9

Added on Nov 05, 2010 by Scott in

NFL

Week 9 of the 2010 NFL season should be another doozy. The Falcons and Bucs do battle in Atlanta to decide who reigns supreme in the NFC South. Miami versus Baltimore pits two of the leading contenders in the AFC. The Chargers search for back-to-back wins with the Texans coming to town. And the Colts travel to Philadelphia to engage in a potential shootout with the well-rested Eagles. Who will shine and who will flop? Here are five players to keep an eye on.

LeGarrette Blount (Bucs) – Was last week’s coming out party a fluke or a precursor to something greater? We’ll find out as Blount faces a Falcons defense that has allowed the sixth fewest rushing yards and a scant three scores on the ground. For the young Bucs to continue their surprising season they must achieve consistent balance on offense. The bruising rookie runner has the talent to give them what they need.

Matt Forte (Bears) – Chicago’s offensive woes have derailed a promising start. In order to help alleviate the pressure placed upon Jay Cutler’s shoulders, Matt Forte has to become a factor in the run game. He normally feasts on weaker opponents, so expect a big day against a Bills rush defense that yields a league worst 188 yards per game and surrendered over 200 to the Chiefs a week ago.

Charlie Whitehurst (Seahawks) – The fifth-year signal caller from Clemson will get his first career start on Sunday in place of the concussed Matt Hasselbeck. His reward is a ferocious Giants defense that has injured Jay Cutler, Shaun Hill and Tony Romo in the last month. Seattle usually plays great at home, but they and their inexperienced quarterback will have their hands full with what is perhaps the NFC’s best team.

Ndamukong Suh (Lions) – Suh is coming off a dominating two sack, one touchdown performance against the Redskins. Through seven games, he has recorded 6.5 sacks and one interception. If he continues his stellar play, he will make life very difficult for a Jets offense that was blanked last week by the Packers. Thus far, Suh looks like a lock to win defensive rookie of the year.

Dimitri Patterson (Eagles) – A hip flexor injury (and suspect play) will sideline cornerback Ellis Hobbs. Therefore the task of slowing down Reggie Wayne falls on first-time starter Patterson. Unless the Eagles slide Asante Samuel over to shadow Wayne, which is something they normally don’t do, it could be a long afternoon against Peyton Manning, who has a history of terrorizing the Birds’ blitz heavy scheme.