With big wins last week, the 7-0 New Orleans Saints and the 6-1 Minnesota Vikings have put themselves at the top of the heap in the NFC. The Saints held of a 4th quarter rally by the Atlanta Falcons to win 35-27. Once again, Drew Brees led the way for New Orleans throwing for 308 yards and 2 TD’s. They also got it done on the ground with RB’s Pierre Thomas and Mike Bell combining for 140 of rushing offense. The Saints now have a three game lead in the NFC South. Brett Favre is now a perfect 2-0 against his old team after going into Lambeau and throwing 4TD’s in a 38-26 win over the Packers. This win gives the Vikings a 2 ½ game lead in the NFC North. Philadelphia jumped on the Giants early scoring 14 points in the first five minutes of the game. With four big plays on offense and three turnovers on defense, the Eagles rolled to a 40-17 win. Not to be out done, Tony Romo threw three TD’s and no interceptions in a 38-17 win over Seattle that has Dallas tied with the Eagles at 5-2 atop the NFC East. Arizona came out flat against the Panthers and were soundly beaten 34-21 in a game where Kurt Warner was intercepted five times. Their record fell to 4-3 leaving the door still wide open in the NFC West.
Moving onto week nine, the key match ups we will be reviewing are; Arizona @ Chicago, Dallas@ Philadelphia, and Carolina @ New Orleans.
Arizona Cardinals @ Chicago Bears (-3) Current Over/Under 44.5
This could be a great game depending on which version of the Bears and/or Cardinals show up. The main thing these two teams have in common is their total lack of consistency from one week to the next. Arizona goes from knocking off the Giants on the road to losing as 10 point favorites to Carolina. Chicago isn’t any better. In week two they played solid in every phase of the game beating Pittsburgh 17-14. Two weeks ago against Cincinnati they looked horrible in every phase of the game losing 45-10. The one consistent thing about the Bears is they tend to play much better at home than on the road so in this game that will probably be the deciding factor. Take the Bears minus the points as well as the under.
Dallas Cowboys @ Philadelphia Eagles (-3) Current Over/Under 47.5
We should know a lot more about these two teams after Sunday night’s game. They both have 5-2 records but only one win against a team with a winning record. Philadelphia has relied heavily on a big play offense, but has yet to have to grind it out on the ground when they need it the most. Tony Romo has looked great the last couple of weeks and along with the emergence of WR Miles Austin have been able to put points on the board almost at will. One thing Romo hasn’t faced is a relentless pass rush and elaborate blitzing scheme that Philly’s defense is sure to bring. Look for Dallas to try and run the ball against the Eagles to take the pressure off Romo and to control the clock. While the Eagles will try and establish a running game, McNabb will always have one eye down field looking for the big play. Philadelphia’s defense is the difference in this one as a key turnover will probably determine the outcome. Take the Eagles and the over in this one.
Carolina Panthers @ New Orleans Saints (-14) Current Over/Under 51
Every week we keep waiting for New Orleans to trip up and so far in their first seven games they have only had one really bad half of football when they trailed the Dolphins 24-10. They are as a complete a team as there is in the NFL. Their offense is balanced between the pass, ranked 6th and the run, ranked 4th. This adds up to an offense that is ranked 1st overall in points scored and total yards per game. On defense, they are very opportunistic and find ways to turn interceptions into touchdowns. FS Darren Sharper leads the way with 3 TD’s off of 7 interceptions, and as a team they already have 5 TD’s off of 16 interceptions. For Carolina QB Jake Delhomme, who has already thrown 13 interceptions this season this team could be his biggest nightmare. There is nothing that Carolina brings to the table that makes me believe they have any chance in this game. Take the Saints minus the 14 and as always with New Orleans, take the over.
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