As we head into Week 13 of the NFL season, let’s take a look at the top NFL pro football passing yards performances so far.

Of the top 13 NFL passing performances, San Diego Charger’s Phillip Rivers and the Indianapolis Colts Peyton Manning share the distinction of each having 2 game performances ranked at the top.

The best NFL passing performance by a quarterback goes to Matt Schaub of the Houston Texans with 497 yards in a Sept 19 (Week 2) win (30-27) against the Washington Redskins.

Below is a list of the top 13 NFL Pro Football Passing Yards Performances in the NFL up to this week.

2010 BEST NFL PASSING
YDS	PLAYER	MATCHUP	GAME STATS
497	Schaub	HOU at WAS 9/19 (ot)	38-52, 3 TD
476	Orton	DEN vs IND 9/26	37-57, 1 TD
469	Cassel	KAN at DEN 11/14	33-53 4 TD
455	Rivers	SND at SEA 9/26	29-53 2 TD
446	Favre	MIN vs ARI 11/7 (ot)	36-47 2 TD
433	P Manning	IND at HOU 9/12	40-57, 3 TD
431	Rivers	SND at OAK 10/10	27-42, 2 TD
426	McNabb	WAS vs HOU 9/19 (ot)	28-38. 1 TD
412	Palmer	CIN at ATL 10/24	36-50, 3 TD
406	Romo	DAL vs TEN 10/10	31-46, 3 TD
396	P Manning	IND at NEW 11/21	38-52 4 TD
387	Roethlisberger	PIT vs NEW 11/14	30-49, 3 TD
386	E Manning	NYG vs TEN 9/26	34-48, 0 TD

Source: new york post, associated press

The Green Bay Packers head south to take on the Atlanta Falcons in what some experts consider the best game in the NFL this week.

Atlanta leads the NFC South at 8-2 while the Packers are tied for the lead in the NFC North (with the Chicago Bears).

PACKERS FALCONS: GAME DAY PARTICULARS
Visitors	Green Bay Packers (7-3)
Home	Atlanta Falcons (8-2)
When	Sunday Nov 28 01:00 pm EST
Where	Georgia Dome, Atlanta, GA
TV	FOX
Favorite	Falcons -2
Under/Over	47.5

PACKERS FALCONS PREVIEW
The Falcons and Packers have a lot in common. They’re both atop their respective divisions, have a 4 game winning streak, feature a strong-armed quarterback and have ferocious defenses hell-bent on causing

The Falcons, at 8-2, have the best record in the NFC and own a 1 game lead over the New Orleans and Tampa Bay in the NFC South. The Packers (7-3) share the lead in the NFC North with the Chicago Bears.

The Falcons, winners of eight of nine, are averaging 31.5 points during a four-game winning streak, keyed by the play of Ryan.

In his last four games, Ryan is averaging 275.8 yards with nine touchdowns and only one interception. 3 of those 4 games he had a Quarterback Rating over 100. The Falcons are 14-0 when Ryan’s passer rating is over 100.

The Packers have been decimated by injuries earlier in the season and their ground game still struggles following the season-ending injury to running back Ryan Grant in Week 1. But QB Aaron Rodgers and the passing attack has lead the way in their 4 game win streak, averaging 28.3 points.

Last week Rodgers threw for a career high 4 TDs in a 31-3 win against The Vikings. Three of those touchdowns went to Greg Jennings, who has 32 receptions for 520 yards and six TDs over his past five games.

The Packers are also winning with a defense that has limited its last three opponents to 10 total points while registering nine takeaways. Green Bay, tied with Chicago for the NFL’s top scoring defense at 14.6 points, is plus-10 in turnover margin during the winning streak.

The Falcons are also doing a good job of winning the turnover battle with a defense that is tied for second in the NFL with 15 interceptions. Atlanta is second in the NFL in turnover margin at plus-10, and is 17-1 when winning the turnover battle in three years under coach Mike Smith.

Remarkably, the Falcons have an even better winning percentage by simply take the field at the Georgia Dome with Ryan in the lineup. Ryan is 18-1 all-time at the Georgia Dome and has won 14 straight starts there since a 24-20 loss to Denver on Nov. 16, 2008.

Running back Michael Turner, who rushed for 131 yards for his fifth 100-yard game of the season last week, has also been at his best in Atlanta. In three years with the Falcons, Turner is averaging 101.3 rushing yards with 22 touchdowns in 18 games at the Georgia Dome.

Turner had 121 yards on 26 carries with a TD in Atlanta’s last game against the Packers, a 27-24 road win on Oct. 5, 2008, and could be poised for another big game. Green Bay has been a bit shaky against the run, allowing an average of 119.4 yards in its last five contests.

Rodgers threw for 313 yards with three touchdowns and an interception in the last meeting, while Ryan passed for 194 yards with two touchdowns and a pick.

PACKERS FALCONS TRENDS AND RANKINGS

PACKERS FALCONS: GAME DAY TRENDS

ATLANTA is 12-4 ATS in dome games over the last 2 seasons

ATLANTA is 7-19 ATS in home games after 2 or more consecutive wins since 1992

ATLANTA is 1-0 against the spread versus GREEN BAY over the last 3 seasons

ATLANTA is 1-0 straight up against GREEN BAY over the last 3 seasons

PACKERS are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 games

Falcons Matt Ryan is 18-1 all-time at the Georgia Dome and has won 14 straight starts there since a 24-20 loss to Denver on Nov. 16, 2008

Packers OFFENSE Ranking		Falcons DEFENSE Ranking
Rush Yds/Gms	100.5 19th	Rush Yds/Gms	95.4 6th
Pass Yds/Gms	247.1 11th	Pass Yds/Gms	242.1 24th
Tot Yds/Gms	347.6 13th	Tot Yds/Gms	339.5 17th

Falcons OFFENSE Ranking		Packers DEFENSE Ranking
Rush Yds/Gms	129.0 18th	Rush Yds/Gms	112.1 18th
Pass Yds/Gms	242.2 13th	Pass Yds/Gms	211.3 11th
Tot Yds/Gms	371.4 6th	Tot Yds/Gms	323.4 12th

PACKERS FALCONS INJURIES

Green Bay Packers Injury Notables
Player	Pos	Injury	Status
Atari Bigby	SS	Hamstring	Out
Donald Driver	WR	Quadricep	Questionable
Korey Hall	FB	Back	Questionable
Ryan Pickett	DE	Ankle	Questionable

Atlanta Falcons Injury Notables
Player	Pos	Injury	Status
John Abraham	DE	Groin	Questionable
Sean Weatherspoon	LB	Knee	Questionable

* Players listed as Probable not listed

PACKERS FALCONS GAME PREDICTION
Although the Falcons have won 8 out of their last 9 and Matt Ryan is 18-1 all-time at the Georgia Dome and has won 14 straight starts, Aaron Rodgers and the Packers continue to get healthier.

Expect the Ryan string of wins to end.

The Packer defense will come up with some big stops and turnovers.

PACKERS 31 FALCONS 28

Source: foxsports.com, thespread.com, wagertracker.com, cbssports.com

The Cincinnati Bengals and their primadona wide receivers travel to the new Meadowlands Stadium to take on the New York Jets in the sole Thanksgiving evening NFL match-up in Week 12.

Fans attending the game may opt to BYOF (bring your own flashlight) after last week’s temporary power outage at the new Meadowlands Stadium in the 3rd quarter of the Giants - Cowboys game.

The Bengals Jets contest is the third of three games being played on Thanksgiving. The first kicks off at 12:30 pm with the New England Patriots visiting the Detroit Lions. Then, in the mid-afternoon 4:15 start; the New Orleans Saints take on Jerry Jones’s Dallas Cowboys in Texas.

BENGALS JETS: GAME DAY PARTICULARS
Visitors	Cincinnati Bengals (2-8)
Home	New York Jets (8-2)
When	Thursday Nov 25 08:20 pm EST
Where	Meadowlands Stadium, East Rutherford, NJ
Weather	Rain, Drizzle 40º F
TV	NFL Network
Favorite	Jets -9
Under/Over	43.5

BENGALS JETS PREVIEW
Although the New York Jets share the lead with the Patriots in the AFC East they’ve had to pull out last minute wins in their previous 3 games against teams with a combined record of 9-21.

The Jets needed a field goal as time expired in regulation to beat the Detroit Lions (2-8) on Nov 7. They needed an overtime TD pass from Sanchez to Holmes to beat the Cleveland Browns (3-7) 26-20. And last week, the Jets needed 20 4th quarter points, including a touchdown pass with 6 seconds remaining to beat the 4-6 Houston Texans 30-27.

There’s really nothing to talk about on the other side. Going into NFL Week 12, the Bengals are 2-8, having lost their last seven games. Their last win goes all the back to September 26 against the 1-9 Carolina Panthers. The Bengals lack of success against the run has been the contributing factor to their dismal record in 2010.

But the Bengals do have a pair of primadonna wide receivers in Chad Ochocinco and Terrell Owens, but the Jets counter these passing threats with a less obnoxious but super-talented defensive duo in Darrelle Revis and Antonio Cromartie.

BENGALS JETS INJURIES

Cincinnati Bengals Injury Notables
Player	Pos	Injury	Status
Tank Johnson	DT	Right Knee	Injured Reserve
Antwan Odom	DE	Wrist	Out
Cedric Benson	RB	Foot	Questionable
Rey Maualuga	LB	Thigh	Questionable

New York Jets Injury Notables
Player	Pos	Injury	Status
Dwight Lowery	CB	Concussion	Out
Marquice Cole	CB	Hamstring	Out
Jerricho Cotchery	WR	Groin	Out

* Players listed as Probable not listed

BENGALS JETS ANALYSIS
The most glaring statistic is the Lions lack of rushing yards per game. If the Bengals can’t run against the Jets, forget about it. The dynamic defensive duo of Revis and Cromartie are more than enough to stop Ochocinco and Owens in the air.

Injuries shouldn’t be a big factor. The Jets will be without WR Jerricho Cotchery but it shouldn’t make a big difference since the Jets will win this game on the ground.

As for Cincinnati, QB Carson Palmer and the rest of the Bengals offense will be stymied by the Jets defense. However, the Jets defense has given up more points than most analysts and experts expected.

Bengals OFFENSE Ranking		Jets DEFENSE Ranking
Rush Yds/Gms	96.6 23rd	Rush Yds/Gms	90.3 5th
Pass Yds/Gms	249.6 8th	Pass Yds/Gms	220.0 16th
Tot Yds/Gms	346.2 14th	Tot Yds/Gms	310.3 7th

Jets OFFENSE Ranking		Bengals DEFENSE Ranking
Rush Yds/Gms	145.9 4th	Rush Yds/Gms	118.3 23rd
Pass Yds/Gms	220.0 17th	Pass Yds/Gms	223.0 18th
Tot Yds/Gms	365.9 9th	Tot Yds/Gms	341.3 18th

BENGALS JETS GAME PREDICTION
The Bengals will be in for a long night. The Jets rushing attack, lead by Ladainian Tomlinson (153 Att, 692 Yds. 5 TDs) and Shonn Greene (122 Att, 505 Yds, 1 TD), will allow the Jets to dominate the time of possession and give the Jets the points they need to beat the spread.

The nflthisweek.com predicts the Jets will win outright and the spread.
Take the Jets (-9) and the Over (43.5)

JETS 28  17

Source: foxsports.com