NFL

Heading into this weeks games there isn’t a lot of marquee match ups. There are a lot teams that are on the up swing this season playing big time teams, they will have to prove they are going to hang around all season. There are some intriguing games and it should be fun to watch which under dogs will have big weeks, and they will.

Dallas Cowboys – Arizona Cardinals
Yes, Arizona is playing in a big game, that hasn’t happened in awhile. Coming off last weeks blow out of Buffalo Arizona will be looking to ride that momentum when Dallas comes to town. These are the two highest scoring teams in NFC and looks like it might be a shootout. This game will be a battle of offense, and come down to which defense will make the stops in key spots. Kurt Warner is off to a great start at QB for Arizona and if he keeps it up Dallas will have there hands full. Dallas defense ranks 17th against the pass and Arizona is in the top 5 of passing teams in the league. Dallas cannot afford to lose this game, they need to keep pace in this division. On paper Dallas is the most talented squad in the league and they will need all that talent to win on Sunday. Look for Dallas to run the ball a lot with Barber and Jones and test the Cardinal defense. This should be high scoring affair, that will be close for most of the game. I will look for the Cowboy defense to step up and make some stops in the fourth quarter and lead the Boys to victory. I think the final score will be 31 – 24 Dallas, they are just the more talented team.

Jacksonville Jaguars vs Denver Broncos
After Jacksonville had a disappointing loss last week, they are in tough again traveling to Denver in week 6. In my opinion the Jags are better then there record and Denver is worse then there record. If Jacksonville wants to win this week they will have to slow down Cutler at QB for the Broncos. The Broncos have been all offense this year with a 3rd ranked offense and 25 ranked defense. Denver’s defense allows 130 plus yards a game on the ground and Jacksonville will look to exploit that by running a lot. Maurice Jones Drew and Fred Taylor will need to have productive days for there team to win. The Jaguars will look to make the game physical on both sides of the ball and jump on the opportunities the Bronco’s will give them. This is kind of a ying/yang game with Jacksonville wanting to slow the game down and Denver wanting to speed it up with big plays. If Jacksonville wants to win they will need to improve there 26th ranked defense against the pass and get some pressure on Cutler and force him to make bad decisions.  This is a tough game to pick, and I think it will come down to late in the game. I think the Jags D will step up and slow Cutler and allow the offense to run there plays. It will be a close game, but I think the Jags will win 24 -21 with a late field goal.

New England Patriots – San Diego Chargers
The two favorites in the AFC before the season, but things haven’t started the way either team expected. This game will be missing big stars like Brady and Merrien, but is still very intriguing. To win this game both teams will be looking to get there running games going and take some pressure off there QB’s. San Diego was embarrassed last week losing to Miami in a game they were heavily favored to win and will be looking to redeem themselves this week. With the Bills on bye this week the Patriots know that if they win they are back on top of there division, a place they are used to being. Chargers can’t afford to lose, Denver is playing good football and a loss just puts them further back in there division. This game will come down to which team can run the ball and which team can stop the run. Tomlinson is banged up in San Diego, but I don’t think you’ll see him have less then 40 yards this week. Both team will establish there run and clog the box on defense to stop it. I think this will be a close game again, but I think San Diego will win a close low scoring game. The Chargers are desperate, and will play with passion. The final score will be 21 – 17 Chargers.

Carolina Panthers – Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Big NFC South game, that will go along way to determining who the best team in the division is. Carolina is off to a great start led by there defense that is only allowing 14 points a game. Tampa Bay is coming off a loss last week to Denver and will be looking to prove they are a playoff team this season. The Bucs are a balanced team, that are solid on both sides of the ball. This game  should be tight from the opening kickoff and be a physical affair. The game will go to the team that will avoid major turnovers and take advantage of there opponents mistakes. I love the Carolina defense and think they will have a pretty easy time with the Buccaneers. Tampa Bay will put up a fight, but I think the Panthers will win 24 -14.

There might not be a lot of high profile games this week, but there is a lot of games that could define a teams season. Teams like San Diego, Tampa Bay, Miami and Jacksonville will look to prove they are contenders this year. Enjoy this weeks games and I hope your team is on the right path.