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Neon Tommy Sports Forecast: What To Watch This Weekend (Oct. 15-17)

Devin Altschul |
October 14, 2010 | 4:18 p.m. PDT

Staff Writer

We know it happens: Things get busy and all of the sudden you're missing a game you wished you had watched. Well, we have the solution: Neon Tommy's Sports Forecast, a look ahead to the weekend's can't miss games.

Here are the top games to watch this weekend:

On Saturday, the San Francisco Giants play the Phillies in Philadelphia at 7:30 pm ET in a game that will be another battle of the bullpens.

It is hard to imagine what Roy Halladay could possibly do for an encore after last Wednesday’s no-hitter, but he has struggled in his career against the Giants. San Francisco gave him his first National League loss in April. Halladay’s challenger will be Tim Lincecum, who proved to be just as dominant as Halladay in his playoff debut, pitching a 14-strikeout shutout. Lincecum has faced the Phillies seven times and has fanned 54 batters in 48 1/3 innings. Postseason pitching matchups don't get any better than this. 
   
Week 6 of the NFL kicks off this Sunday with a battle of the Bay. The Oakland Raiders and San Francisco 49ers will be playing at 4:05 pm ET at Candlestick Park for the first time since 2006. The Raiders are coming off a comeback win against the Chargers, while the 49ers have not been able to finish games and are on a five-game losing streak. 

The Raiders haven’t won back-to-back games since the 2008 season, so this weekend will be a test to see who can keep their streak alive.

The Kansas City Chiefs and Houston Texans, who are both AFC playoff contenders, will play Sunday at 1:00 pm ET at Houston. The Chiefs suffered their first loss to the Indianapolis Colts last weekend, while the Texans lost big to the New York Giants.

Chiefs quarterback Matt Cassel has been taking a lot of heat despite the success of the Chiefs, so this would be the prime time to prove himself against a team that is ranked last in the NFL in pass defense. On the other hand, the Chiefs need to slow down the Texans' rush offense and keep the ball out of receiver Andre Johnson’s hands. A win in this game could prove for each team that they are a threat in the AFC playoff picture.

The Atlanta Falcons will play the Philadelphia Eagles in Philly on Sunday at 1:00 pm ET, with the Eagles starting quarterback still unknown.

Kevin Kolb looked sharp last weekend but it would be interesting to watch Michael Vick against his former team. Both of these teams having the ability to create turnovers. The Falcons have a league-best 10 interceptions and all eight of the Eagles’ interceptions have come from the secondary. The Eagles will have to prepare to face one of the NFL’s top running backs though. They need to put bodies on Michael Turner, who is the NFL’s sixth-leading rusher.

Although the Eagles have home field advantage, they have gone 3-0 on the road and 0-2 at home. Will they be able to defend their territory this week?

In the Ravens and Patriots game in New England at 1:00 pm ET it is guaranteed that there will be a lot of hard hits and top plays. The Patriots come off a bye week looking well rested and prepared. They are looking to get even with the Ravens after a humiliating playoff defeat last year.

The Ravens' quarterback, Joe Flacco, is young and eager to win while their defense is currently ranked second versus the pass. The Patriots, who rely on Tom Brady for their offense, will be coming into this game with home field advantage, an eagerness to erase last years defeat and a new teammate who will add a new look to the offense.

This game will show whether or not the Ravens are able to take the heat the Patriots will bring.

To reach writer Devin Altschul, click here.

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