Anyone else have a feeling that this game might pick up right where last week’s game between Arizona and Green Bay left off? The Cardinals proved against the Packers that their offense is extremely dangerous with or without wide receiver Anquan Boldin. Steve Breaston and Early Doucet looked great in catching passes from quarterback Kurt Warner. They didn’t miss a beat without Boldin which is a good thing because it doesn’t look like he will be playing this week as well. This game figures to be a shootout so Warner and company will need to be at their best once again. As for the Saints, they possess the same kind of offensive firepower as do the Cardinals. They can go score for score with the Warner and quarterback Drew Brees has Marques Colston, Robbie Meacham, Devery Henderson, and Lance Moore to throw to. The running game is a little iffy as Pierre Thomas suffered cracked ribs at the end of the regular season but should be good to go here. Reggie Bush may have had a disappointing regular season, but he is a threat to score a touchdown any time he touches the ball, including on punt returns. One weapon the Saints have that the Cardinals do not is tight end Jeremy Shockey. Shockey can patrol the middle of the field and help the Saints move the chains. The biggest problem for the Saints may be that they really haven’t had anything to play for in almost a month and it showed in their level of play in the last two regular season games. A slow start offensively could put the Saints in a hole that they can’t climb out of.
Prediction: Arizona
The key to this game for Baltimore could very well be the hip of quarterback Joe Flacco. If his hip means he can’t throw the ball down the field effectively then the Ravens will have little to no chance of winning the ballgame. You can only rely on a strong running game and a defense forcing turnovers so much. If the opposing team forces you to throw the ball, and one has to believe the Colts will want to find out early if Flacco is healthy, if not the Ravens will become one dimensional and that would be the beginning of the end. The Ravens defense is good, but not elite, they will need the offense to score quite a few points. The Colts could have the same problem as the Saints, starting off slowly. Like the Saints the Colts haven’t had an important game in almost a month and their offense may get off to a slow start, but unlike the Saints, they are not playing a high powered offense that can take advantage of it. We will find out this weekend if the Colts did the right thing not trying to win their last two games and resting their starters. The Ravens know blitzing quarterback Peyton Manning is generally fruitless as he will either hit the hot receiver or get rid of the ball, so look for them to try and pressure with their front and keep as many players in the secondary as possible. This is not to say they won’t blitz Manning, but they will pick and choose their spots. If Manning comes out hot, it will be very difficult for the Ravens to keep up with the Colts offense.
Prediction: Baltimore
Dallas +3 at Minnesota
Dallas comes in as the hottest team in the NFC. Quarterback Tony Romo is playing the best football in his short career and is not making any mistakes right now. The offensive line is opening up holes for the running backs to run through. The receivers are making plays when they have to, and the defense as a whole is playing lights out. The key to this game for the Cowboys will be running the ball enough to make the Vikings have to respect it. Minnesota has a good run defense, but that doesn’t mean Dallas can abandon the run, they have to keep the Vikings honest. On defense, they need to hit quarterback Brett Favre early and often. Favre is a future Hall of Famer, no doubt about that, but if they pressure him, he will make mistakes. Like the Cowboys, Minnesota must try and stat balanced on offense. Don’t forget about running back Adrian Peterson. The Cowboys also don’t let up much on the ground, but if you abandon the running game you are putting a bulls eye on Favre. The Vikings also must get defensive lineman Jarod Allen loose. He hasn’t done much towards the end of the season as teams have decided to run the ball right at him forcing him to play the run, not what he does best. The Vikings secondary needs to keep the big plays to a minimum and it would be really nice if cornerback Antoine Winfield can come back at full strength as he is their best CB.
Prediction: Dallas
Jets +8 at San Diego
The Jets just continue to roll along on their unlikely path to the Super Bowl. They beat Indianapolis and Cincinnati to close out the regular season, getting them in the playoffs. Last week they beat the Bengals again advancing the second round. Now they get a real test in the Chargers. Game plan will be the same. Run the ball with Tomas Jones and Shonn Greene thus keeping quarterback Mark Sanchez out of obvious passing situations. Defensively the Jets will once again matchup cornerback Darrelle Revis on Chargers wide receiver Vincent Jackson which may eliminate Jackson from being a dangerous player in this game. After that they will look to put the pressure on quarterback Phillip Rivers as it is unlikely they believe the Chargers running game can do much damage against them. The Chargers on the other hand will look to keep the Jets ground game under control. If the Jets are able to control the clock with the running game then this game could come down to the fourth quarter which is something San Diego would like to avoid. The longer the Jets are in the game, the more confident the will become. The Chargers will also want to take advantage of the height of their receivers as they all seem to average 6′5″
Prediction: Green Bay
LAST WEEK
2-2
OVERALL
138-118-4
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