NFC East will take a break from beating up each other and finally start taking it out on the rest of the NFL. Or will they?
Dallas heads over to Arizona and will be challenged by an efficient passing attack. Philadelphia travels across the country to take on the 49ers with Brian Westbrook's status very much in doubt. New York and Washington, however, should roll to easy victories and continue to top our power rankings next week.
Here's this weekend's predictions:
Key Games
Cowboys at Cardinals [86% Dallas]
Kurt Warner has had a great season thus far, slinging the Cardinals to the third best passing offense in the NFL. And they face a Cowboys defense that's banged up in the secondary and once again distracted by Adam Jones insistence on being an idiot. Felix Jones isn't the only rookie running back who's been impressive. Arizona's Tim Hightower leads all rookies in touchdowns. I'd like to see Jones get more carries, averaging a ridiculous 9.0 yards per attempt. You can expect a high scoring game Sunday afternoon, one where I believe the Cardinals/Buzzsaw will strike last. Cardinals 31, Cowboys 27
Ravens at Colts [78% Indianapolis]
Baltimore's defense loves the chess match against Peyton Manning, but they've come out on the wrong end four straight times. The good news for Le'Ron McClain and Willis McGahee is that Indianapolis can't stop the run. In fact, they're dead last in the NFL. That should keep this close, but the home field and gift last week should keep the Colts on track to catch back up with Tennessee. Colts 24, Ravens 17
Panthers at Buccaneers [64% Carolina]
Jake Delhomme is 7-1 in his career vs. Tampa Bay and now he's got the best running back tandem of his career to help him out. Despite a 4-1 start, I don't know that everyone is sold on the Panthers, but they're definitely the best team in the NFC South. Their ability to run the football and strike deep with Steve Smith should be able to overcome the home field advantage... barely. Panthers 23, Bucs 20
Jaguars at Broncos [56% Denver]
The Broncos defense ranks 25th against the run, and Jacksonville desperately needs to re-establish the ground game to have any chance against a hot Jay Cutler. Mr. I Have A Better Arm Than John Elway should have his way with the Jags secondary, so this will be yet another close game for the Broncos. Denver should be able to pack the box and keep Jones-Drew and Taylor in check enough, as anyone would gamble with David Garrard passing. Broncos 27, Jags 24
Patriots at Chargers [61% San Diego]
I don't have a good feel for either of these teams. LaDainian Tomlinson hasn't been healthy and we're not sure if the Patriots are the team we saw last week or the one that lost to Miami. Matt Cassel needs to keep looking for Randy Moss downfield, which he'll do Sunday night, but I also expect a few more interceptions. One too many against a Chargers team who will want this win badly. Chargers 24, Patriots 17
Easy One-Liners
Bears at Falcons [74% Chicago]
Effective running game, Devin Hester becoming a threat at wide receiver and a confident defense is too much for the Falcons. Bears 24-10
Rams at Redskins [88% Washington]
Jim Haslett isn't a miracle worker. Redskins 27-17
Dolphins at Texans [62% Miami]
I don't think Houston can shake the devastating loss last week. Fish 23-16
Lions at Vikings [89% Minnesota]
Will Adrian Peterson rush for 200, 300? Vikings 30-14
Raiders at Saints [86% New Orleans]
Nice rebound win for New Orleans against an Oakland organization in shambles. Saints 28-17
Bengals at Jets [86% New York]
Eagles at 49ers [83% Philly]
Philadelphia must, and will take advantage of game outside of the NFC East. Eagles 31-17
Packers at Seahawks [80% Green Bay]
Seahawks are bad, but the Packers are having some confidence issues. 'Hawks 24-23
Giants at Browns [88% New York]
Ha. Giants 34-17
Feel free to share your picks below, or just share your disagreement with mine.
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