I’m doing all my work this morning from an internet café as my laptop is in the shop. Maybe it’s a blessing in disguise as I’ll be able to give you some sound advice as opposed to the breakdowns I gave you yesterday. Going 2 out of 6 is not going to help anyone. Thank goodness Utah and The Det/Chicago game went the way I figured because everything else went completely off the rails. Time to look at some of Sunday’s action…
Kansas City (+7.5) vs. Indianapolis
Everyone is just waiting for the slipper to fall off of the NFL’s final Cinderella for the 2010 season, but this may not be the week it happens. The key to this ball game is the running attack of the Chiefs. If they can do as much damage on the ground as the numbers suggest, the Chiefs will at least keep the game close and even win outright. At the very least, they’ll be able to dominate time of possession and keep Peyton off the field.
The Chiefs have a great running back tandem at their disposal in Jamaal Charles and Thomas Jones that has allowed them to be third in the NFL in rushing at 160 yards a game. On the other side, the Colts have never been a good defense against the run and are proving it again this year as they give up 150 yards a game on the ground, good enough for 29th in the league in rushing yards allowed per game.
Atlanta (-3) vs. Cleveland
The Falcons are rolling on both sides of the ball over the first month of the season. They’ve won 3 in a row after losing their opener and they take on a Cleveland team that just can’t match the amount of talent they can throw out onto the field.
The numbers suggest a Falcons team that is balanced and consistent. 6th in the league in total offense per game, 9th in the NFL in points scored per game, 6th in the league in points allowed per game and tops in the NFL in interceptions with eight. They’ve also forced three turnovers in each of their last three games en route to victory.
New Orleans (-7) vs. Arizona
Everyone is looking at the struggles of the Saints to put up the same amount of points that they did a year ago in taking the league by storm. The one problem with looking for problems in the Saints is that they’re still 3-1. They might be able to solve their offensive problems today against a Cardinals team that is void of talent on both sides of the ball.
The Cardinals have give up 29.5 points per game and 388 yards per game with two of those games happening against Oakland and St. Louis, not exactly offensive juggernauts. On the other side of the ball, things have been so bad that they turn to rookie Max Hall to try and lead the offense. Big problems for the Cards include a non-existent running game with Beanie Wells and Tim Hightower and a lack of options at the wide receiver spot with Steve Breaston and Early Doucet both expected to be inactive today.