Arizona over Pittsburgh and other NFL Week 4 previews
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by Crixtopher
Feature Game of the Week and Upset Special -
Pittsburgh @ Arizona: Mike Tomlin's journey to become head coach of the storied Steelers franchise is a storybook tale already legendary only three NFL games into his inaugural season. The Steelers selection of Tomlin and not Ken Whisenhunt or Russ Grimm, two of the hottest head coach candidates on the market last off season, as the successor to Bill Cowher was one of the biggest shockers this past off season, and now this: Tomlin has Pitt rolling as one of the top5 teams in the NFL at 3-0. Just listen to Tomlin talk for about ten minutes and anyone can understand that he is the real deal, he just has that "it" factor. Yet another fantastic choice by the Rooney family.
Meanwhile, in Arizona its the same old Cardinals...on the surface. They've lost two of their first three games and are looking up in their division again. Not so fast. Although stats can be used to prove anything you want them to, it is noteworthy that last year they were second to last in rushing offense and this year they are 15th. More impressively, Edgerrin James is 6th in the NFL in rushing yards and they have only allowed a league leading 2 sacks while passing, all thanks to Grimm's top level coaching. Defensively they are a swarming unit that struggles with consistency at times, yet they are ranked one notch higher than Green Bay's defense who's accolades keep pouring in as a force to be reckoned with. This team could very easily also be 3-0 as two games were lost by a grand total of 6 points and 30 seconds.
The match up. The Steelers have looked impressive, but keep in mind their opponents were Cleveland, Buffalo and San Francisco, not exactly juggernauts. Given how much Arizona knows Pittsburgh's defense, I have to give the nod to the emotional energy the team and the fans will bring to the game, bringing victory home for Coach Whiz, edge Cardinals.
Houston @ Atlanta : Everyone knows by now that Atlanta's trading of Matt Schaub to the Texans was a mistake. When I saw this match up on tap in the preseason I had pegged it as a big day for him. As the NFL turns, things frequently turn out differently than you expect and so here we have it, new twists open up the door for an Atlanta upset. A winless team that was embarrassed in their last game by DeAngelo Hall's meltdown, with a QB coming off his best game as a Falcon who will be playing for pride and squelch the fans remorse about Schaub's release. The Texans have an uphill battle in that they will be without their top two receivers due to injury and their starting RB. Despite all that, the key to the game is the Texans defense, an up and coming unit stacked with young talent including rookie Amobi Okoye from ....The 'Ville....Somehow former Louisville now rookie NFL coach Bobby Petrino passed on Okoye in the draft, taking Jamaal Anderson instead. Okoye is tied for fourth in the NFL in sacks, and could bring even more heat to show his old coach what a bad mistake it was. As much as Atlanta needs a win, Houston is one solid squad destined to be in the hunt for the playoffs, edge Houston.
NY Jets @ Buffalo: Maybe the Jets were overachievers last year, because nothing about this team intimidates me. On paper they have to win vs a winless team that just placed their sixth player on IR, devastating for a team that was mediocre at best to start the season, right? I feel like Dick Jauron, Norv Turner and Dave Wannstedt need to get together after this season and tour the country urging quality coordinators that aren't head coaching material to stay put and avoid the pitfalls of the lure into top dogdom. That said, the Bills need something to go right, they have rookie powerhouse Marshawn "Lil John" Lynch to feed the ball to, and who says rookie Trent Edwards in his first NFL start is not already as good as J.P. Losman anyway? He comes highly regarded by the late Bill Walsh and that's all I need to know, edge Bills.
Baltimore @ Cleveland: I've said it before and I still believe this is one of the more beatable Ravens teams in a few years. Their defense is (gasp) suspect at times most notably to the pass, as Kurt Warner carved them up last week for 17 fourth quarter passing points and made it look like a 7-on-7 practice drill it was so easy. Although the Ravens are one of the toughest teams to run on, if they pass early the Browns can open up some opportunities for Jamal Lewis to put the hammer to his old team and prove he is the better RB between he and Willis McGahee. Remember the Browns would be 2-1 if the last second FG hadn't been blocked last week vs the Raiders, if Derek Anderson plays well, edge Browns.
Rams @ Cowboys: This could be a let down game for the Cowboys, but wow the Rams just haven't shown much. QB Marc Bulger has two broken ribs, he is w/o superstars RB Steven Jackson and Orlando Pace, and although I think rookie RB-FB Brian Leonard will fill in nicely for Jackson, how will they stop the highest octane attack in the NFC? edge Cowboys.
Chicago @ Detroit: This will mark Brian Griese's first start at QB for the Bears taking over for Rex Grossman. He has been preparing for this opportunity for a long time so if nothing else I expect him to be focused and limit turnovers. The Lions offense is a tough match for any team but the Bears are coming in angry. Despite injuries on defense, edge Bears.
Oakland @ Miami: With Josh McCown injured Duante Culpepper is likely to make his first start for the Raiders vs the team that discarded him earlier this year. That alone could propel Oakland to victory, and I'm pulling for the guy. Lamont Jordan finally has some room to run and under Lane Kiffin's impressive direction they are a tough out. Only problem is Ronnie Brown and Trent Green are heating up and they need a beatable team like the Raiders to come to town, edge Dolphins.
Green Bay @ Minnesota: The Packers and Brett Favre are on fire. They are atop the division and undefeated, and their biggest weakness which is running the football really doesn't matter in this one as not even Larry Johnson can find room to run vs the Vikings stout rushing defense. Only problem is that Favre has a history of playing poorly in Minnesota, edge Vikings.
Tampa Bay @ Carolina: Carolina doesn't play all that well at home and Tampa's defense is playing better. If Jake Delhomme sits then I see David Carr getting sacked about 8 times, edge Buccaneers.
Seattle @ San Francisco: I think the 'Hawks may have found their groove on offense and their defense held Carson Palmer's Bengals to only 21 points last week which is saying something. The 49ers will pound the rock with Frank Gore with success and this will be a close won but Hasselbeck's quick strikes will make sure San Fran's holding on for dear life falls just short as the better team wins out, edge Seahawks.
Denver @ Indianapolis: The Colts at home with Joseph Addai against a team that can't seem to stop the run very well this year, the Broncos defense just hasn't seemed right yet so far this year, edge Colts.
Kansas City @ San Diego: It looks like Philip Rivers and Vincent Jackson are heating up, and Antonio Gates never cools off. That said, note that Kansas City has an underrated defense. Making things more difficult for the Chargers is the fact that Mr. Motor himself, DE Jared Allen came back last week after a two week suspension and had 2 sacks, 8 solo tackles and a forced fumble. Oh and yes, he is in a contract year. I expect the Chiefs to continue heating up ever so slowly. Maybe this week rookie WR Dwayne Bowe will be fed the ball early to free up some space for Larry Johnson to make some noise down field. If that happens this game could be decided by whoever has the ball last. And yet, how long can LaDainian Tomlinson go without having a monster game?, edge Chargers.
Philadelphia @ NYG: Donovan McNabb and the Eagles are coming off a 56-point effort so I think its safe to say they have renewed confidence. While the Giants win last week was impressive, their defense is still spotty, edge Eagles.
New England @ Cincinnati: Rewind to the first game of the season and the Bengals really do have a defense, they just don't put on uniforms every game. That was a home game, and this is a home game. They need a win in a big time way and the Patriots can't be phenomenal every single week of the season can they?, edge Bengals.
Notes: Last week was tough to pick but this one is even tougher. I have a feeling I may have picked 2-3 too many upsets, but I feel good about the fact that I am 35-13 on the season and 11-5 last week.
