Most coaches talk of the need to acquire balance on offense, of the 50-50 split between the run and pass.
And most of the time that gets lost as the season progresses.
There are only five teams hovering near the 50-50 split this season. The five are a combined 31-19 and none has a losing record.
The Jaguars, Titans and Steelers — 6-4, 5-5 and 7-3, respectively — are the closest to the half-and-half approach, with all three teams having run the ball 49.6 percent of the time and having thrown it 50.4 percent of the time.
The Jets have run 48 percent of the time, and the Raiders have run the ball 47.7 percent of the time. The Broncos, by contrast, who are 3-7, have run the ball just 35.8 percent of the time, or on 231 of their 646 plays this season. And that imbalance has left them more than wobbly.
Must-see game of the week Packers at Falcons 11 a.m., KDVR-31
The skinny: This is a quality matchup between two quarterbacks who have some notable streaks at work. The Packers’ Aaron Rodgers has won five consecutive November starts, dating to the 2009 season, while the Falcons’ Matt Ryan has been one of the best QBs on his homefield in the league. Ryan is 18-1 in his career home starts, including the last 14 home starts in a row. The Falcons have the NFC’s best record as well, and with Ryan’s performances at home, that would give them a tremendous playoff advantage.
The difference will be: Which defense can force game-changing mistakes out of the opponents’ offense. Both teams take care of the ball, with the Falcons at plus-10 in turnover margin (tied for second-best in the league) while the Packers are plus-8. Each defense has rattled its share of quarterbacks with good combinations of pressure and coverages. Both have 15 interceptions in their 10 games.
The call: Falcons 31-30
Catch ’em if you can Bucs at Ravens2:15 p.m.
This is a chance for the Buccaneers to step out. All seven of their wins have come against teams that currently have losing records this season. They have played three games against teams with winning records — the Steelers, Saints and Falcons — and lost them all. They are still searching for that signature victory for coach Raheem Morris.
The call: Ravens 24-13
Eagles at Bears 2:15 p.m.
The Eagles currently lead the league in turnover margin — at plus-15 — and much of that can be attributed to QB Michael Vick, who has yet to throw an interception in his 191 pass attempts. Vick also has lost just one fumble. Chicago’s Jay Cutler, by contrast, has thrown 10 interceptions and lost four fumbles, but the team has still won three games in a row.
The call: Bears 27-24
Jaguars at Giants11 a.m.
The Jaguars are a headache for the number crunchers around the league. They sit in a first-place tie with Indianapolis in the AFC South, yet they have been outscored by 50 points this season and they are a horrific minus-11 in turnover margin. That turnover total is 31st in the league, ahead of only Minnesota. Jaguars QB David Garrard has a 111.4 passer rating in road games this season, and the Jaguars have averaged 26 points per game on the road.
The call: Giants 26-21
Chargers at Colts 6:20 p.m., KUSA-9
Since a 2-5 start, the Chargers have won three in a row, and no QB in the league may be playing as well as San Diego’s Philip Rivers. Rivers has thrown 10 touchdown passes in three wins, including four each in wins over Houston and the Broncos. Rivers has also thrown at least one TD pass in 23 consecutive games and is 14-5 in his career starts in November.
The call: Chargers 35-33
Quick hitters Steelers at Bills11 a.m.
Buffalo coach Chan Gailey is getting credit around the league for how hard the Bills have played despite the losses piling up week after week. The Steelers, however, are one of the league’s best road teams, at 4-1 in away games.
The call: Steelers 28-17
Panthers at Browns11 a.m.
The Panthers have had a carousel at QB, and the end result has been a season’s worth of struggles on offense. Peyton Hillis leads the Browns in rushing and receiving — he has scored 10 touchdowns in all.
The call: Browns 23-9
Titans at Texans 11 a.m., KCNC-4
The Titans have won eight of the last 10 meetings between these two teams as rookie Rusty Smith will get his first career start in this one for Tennessee. Smith was 3-of-9 passing in relief of Vince Young last Sunday.
The call: Titans 24-23
Vikings at Redskins11 a.m.
With Brad Childress’ firing, Leslie Frazier gets to try to clean up the mess that is the Vikings. QB Brett Favre has made plenty of headlines for text messages and his spat with Childress, but the bottom line is the guy is a turnover machine — 17 interceptions, five lost fumbles.
The call: Redskins 28-23
Chiefs at Seahawks2 p.m.
The Chiefs must find a way to do a better job on the road if they are serious about winning the AFC West. They are 5-0 at home but 1-4 in road games, with their only win coming at Cleveland in September.
The call: Chiefs 30-20
Dolphins at Raiders2 p.m.
The Dolphins have been one of the league’s best road teams (4-1). In the past, a loss like the Raiders had in Pittsburgh last Sunday would have knocked the team off the tracks. This is their chance to show this team is really different.
The call: Raiders 17-14
