Carolina (3-2) at Arizona (3-2) - 4:05 pm (Sheridan's Line: Cardinals
by 4)
Carolina beat the Saints in New Orleans last week, 16-13. Bizarrely,
they are 0-2 at home and 3-0 on the road so far this season. QB David
Carr was injured in the second quarter last week, but was able to
return and finish the game, and is likely to start this Sunday. That's
a good thing, because with Jake Delhomme out for the season, a serious
injury to Carr would pretty much end Carolina's playoff hopes. (Carr's
backup is rookie Matt Moore from Oregon State, who, from what I
understand, is about as likely to have a successful NFL career as
Stephen Hawking.) Arizona beat the Rams last week, but barely, 34-31.
In four of their five games, the margin of victory/defeat has been
exactly three points. Matt Leinart is done for the year with a broken
collarbone, which makes Kurt Warner the full-time starting QB. If the
Cardinals make the playoffs for the first time since 1998, does Ken
Whisenhunt automatically get named Coach of the Year?
RJ's Pick - ARIZONA BY 7
RJ'S ABSURDLY OBVIOUS GAME OF THE WEEK: New England (5-0) at Dallas
(5-0) - 4:15 pm (Sheridan's Line: Patriots by 4=BD)
The Patriots crushed Cleveland last week. The margins of victory in
their five wins have been impressive: 24, 24, 31, 21, 17. QB Tom
Brady's numbers are staggering: 16 TDs, only 2 INTs, a 74.1%
completion percentage, 1,383 passing yards, and a 128.7 quarterback
rating. He's only been sacked 3 times all season. (Donovan McNabb,
Joey Harrington, and Jon Kitna are all averaging more sacks than that
per game.) Seriously, if you don't believe that New England is the
best team in professional football right now, Travis Johnson must have
just kneed you in the face. The Cowboys won a wild one in Buffalo last
week. QB Tony Romo had probably the worst game of his career, throwing
five INTs and losing a fumble, but still Dallas found a way to win.
They lead the NFC in scoring by a wide margin (the next closest team,
the Packers, have scored 51 fewer points). Of course, anything is
possible in the NFL, but with the way the Pats are playing right now,
I just can't see them losing.
RJ's Pick - NEW ENGLAND BY 8
http://blogcritics.org/archives/2007/10/11/151433.php
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