THE Cardinals have one of the best wide-receiver threesomes in the NFL in Rob Moore, Frank Sanders and David Boston. But with Dave Brown at quarterback, it hardly matters.
Arizona has a former 1,000-yard back in ex-Jet Adrian Murrell, but he’s averaging 2.6 yards per carry largely because of a disaster of an offensive line.
Can’t throw. Can’t run. And for the most part, can’t stop anybody (except the Giants) despite a defensive 11 loaded with big names and up-and-coming stars.
Jets have had some miserable finishes this season, losing heartbreakers in the final seconds to Pats, Colts and Raiders. But it sounds as if they haven’t given up on themselves over the bye-week break, and they should respond well playing against the first cupcake on their schedule.
The pick: Jets -7.
FALCONS (+6) over Jaguars Though Jags are 4-0 on road, they’ll be scrambling (literally) if superstar LT Tony Boselli can’t go. Falcon offense has started to come back to life with a healthier Chris Chandler (he’s never completely healthy). And this is a lot of points to give a decent home dog.
Eagles (+4) over PANTHERS Eagles had covered four in row before offense gave game to Giants with two turnovers. Philly defense is buzzsaw, with good corners and linebackers to cover Carolina’s only receiving threats, WR Muhsin Muhammad and TE Wesley Walls. This one will be ugly, and close.
BROWNS (+3) over Ravens Dawg Pound will be rabid for the return of Art Modell’s Ravens, and this pop-gun offense under the best of circumstances could come completely unglued here. It may help to know that in ’95, both the expansion Jags and Panthers kept winning after breaking their maidens.
Rams (-3) over LIONS Rams scored 21 points in their bad week, and their defense held the Titans to a field goal in second half. Although Lions are good team that’s scary at home, their defense did give ground to Eric Zeier Sunday night. Good drives that ended in failure for Bucs will produce points for lethal Rams.
Bears (+10) over PACKERS
Bears are 8-1-1 in last 10 asunderdogs and have covered last four vs. Pack. Green Bay is without top tackler Brian Williams. Brett Favre will be trying to bounce back from embarrassing night, but with his thumb injury one wonders how effective he can be.
COLTS (-3) over Chiefs Chiefs are great at home and good on the road against bad teams, like the Ravens two weeks ago. But they’re not good on the road against good teams, and that’s what the Colts are now. James Hasty and KC secondary will find out fast Peyton Manning is no Stoney Case. And how good have Terrence Wilkins, Jerome Pathon and Ken Dilger been in support of Indy’s Big Three?
REDSKINS (-4) over Bills Third straight road game for Bills, a dreaded betting scenario. After horrible defensive games against the Raiders and Seahawks, Buffalo held Ravens to 10 points, but that isn’t saying much. Doug Flutie hasn’t been sharp, either, and he’ll have to make a lot of big plays to keep up with the Redskin machine, which is averaging 34.5 ppg.
Buccaneers (-3) over SAINTS Thanks to the Bucs’ bad loss in Detroit, this spread is deliciously low. Saints fail miserably every week, and now Mike Ditka has great friend Walter Payton’s death to deal with. Look for big week from Mike Alstott. Trent Dilfer might start at QB over banged-up Zeier.
CHARGERS (pick) over Broncos Here you have a 4-3 team at home against 2-6 team, so with no spread you have to grab Chargers. They have gone from good to horrendous in span of two weeks, thanks to a barrage of key injuries and interceptions. They’ve lost two in a row by combined 65-3. However, Ed McCaffrey’s out for Broncos, who may go with Chris Miller for ailing Brian Griese.
Steelers (+2) over 49ERS Even Kordell Stewart can put up 225 yards or so against this Niner secondary, and Jerome Bettis will get his yardage as well. Pick might be different if Steve Young were still playing, but Jeff Garcia will find it difficult to navigate against Levon Kirkland’s gang.
SEAHAWKS (-13) over Bengals Seahawk offense is starting to hum with Jon Kitna at the controls. His sprintout-stop-throwback TD pass to Derrick Mayes was vintage Favre. And Seattle’s big-play defense tormented Packer QB. You just can’t bet on the Bengals, no matter the point spread.
Titans (+3) over DOLPHINS Call this a bandwagon jump if you like, but it’s time to embrace Titans as an elite team. They have huge edge at QB with Steve McNair over Damon Huard, a better feature runner and an underrated defense. Fish have trouble with Doug Flutie, and McNair’s a bigger, stronger Flutie with a better arm who can make plays on the run.
MONDAY NIGHTVIKINGS (-7) over Cowboys Vikings won at Dallas 46-36 last Turkey Day as Randy Moss caught TD passes of 51, 56 and 56 yards, and Cowboys are 0 for last 8 with no covers on road against non-division opponents. This season, ‘Boys are 3-0 at home, 1-3 on the road.
BEST BETS: Redskins, Buccaneers, Jets. LAST WEEK: 9-5. BEST BETS: 2-1.
