Arizona +2.5
This is the first home game for the Cardinals as they are coming off a road win over the Seahawks last week. They are currently 1-1 and haven’t started a season 2-1 since 1991. Thomas Jones ran for a career high 173 yards last week and now that he is the feature back with the departure of Michael Pittman, he should be able to show off his talents that made him the Cardinals top choice in the 2000 draft. Although Jake Plummer has completed just 41% of his passes thus far, he has won both career starts against the Chargers, including last years 20-17 win at San Diego. The Chargers haven’t given up a TD yet this year, however the first two opponents could be the near the worst in the league in Cincinnati and Houston. The Cardinals will key on stopping LaDainian Tomlinson, who has rushed for 198 yards this year. The Cardinals pass defense ranks 30th in the league and the Chargers may try to exploit that, but the San Diego passing offense only ranks 28th. Only 13 of 30 passes have been completed to wide receivers, with ten of those being caught by Curtis Conway. Drew Brees has not needed to make the big plays yet with the defense playing as well as they have and this could hurt him if he needs to come up with something big. The Chargers are 2-15 in their last 17 on the road dating back to 2000.
Minnesota –6.5
Carolina takes to the road for the first time this year after defeating two of the leagues predicted lesser teams in 2002. The Vikings suffered a tough overtime loss last week against the Bills in what was an offensive battle. The defense of Minnesota is last in the league against the pass and with Rodney Peete coming off a 310 yard passing game last week, there could be possible trouble. Not worried about it since this was Peete’s first 300-yards game in ten years. The defense of Carolina has improved dramatically this year, but they take a big step up in offense this week. Randy Moss should see big numbers as he overmatches the secondary of the Panthers. The big change this week for both teams is in the kicking game. The Vikings singed the ageless wonder Gary Anderson to handle field goals and extra points. The Panthers placed John Kasay on the injured list and signed unknown Jon Hilbert to handle the kicking duties. Carolina knows they cannot keep up with Minnesota in a shoot out, so look for them to try and establish the run against a Viking defense that ranks 3rd in the league. The Vikings will be hungry for their first win of the year and with the emotional return of LT Lewis Kelly, look for a strong effort.
NY Jets +6
The Jets come in having won the last eight meetings with the Dolphins. The two teams look like they are heading in opposite directions as Miami has started 2-0 with wins over Detroit and Indianapolis. Ricky Williams has paced the offense with 243 yards rushing and Fiedler is completing almost 69% of his passes. They will be going against the Jets defense that is ranked 28th in the league but has played with a lot of pressure due to the offense not being able to get anything going. On defense, the Jets will need to contain Williams, who leads the NFL in rushing. New York tried to open up the offense in the first couple games and failed so they will be going back to the basics and try to establish a running game with RB Curtis Martin. Martin has only 11 carries for eight yards in the first two games. The eight straight losses for the Dolphins are all mental at this point and the Jets have fared well as an underdog and are 12-6 ATS away since 2000. This Jets team is not as bad as it has looked so far this year and as long as they can get Martin going, the offense should show improvements in the passing game, especially with the absence of CB Patrick Surtain.
Philadelphia –9.5
The Eagles entertain the cowboys in their 2002 home opener. They looked very impressive last week on Monday night against the Redskins, allowing only 179 yards of total offense. The defense ranks 5th in the league with both the rushing and passing defenses playing well (7th rush; 8th pass). Normally, a team coming off a big Monday night win can be up for a letdown but the Eagles have a lot of motivation for that not to happen. First home game, divisional game and the fact that it’s the Cowboys, a very hated rival. After losing to Houston in their first game, the Cowboys fared better last week against the Titans, pulling out an impressive win. Their offense still ranks 25th in the league and won’t find the going very easy vs. the Eagles defense. Quincy Carter will need to create big plays, but expect the Eagles to provide plenty of pressure to rattle the young QB. The Cowboys have scored only one first quarter TD in their past 11 games and will find it difficult if they fall behind early and need to comeback.
Seattle +6.5
The Giants are in prime letdown mode, coming off a big win at St. Louis and now coming back home and facing a mediocre Seattle team. The Seahawks are 0-2, but did get a good game from Trent Dilfer last week in his first start. The key is to get Shaun Alexander going, who has started slow. New York is ranked 16th against the rush and Seattle should get a boost with the signing of LT Walter Jones. On offense, New York will try to run the ball against the Seahawk defense that is 29th against the rush. Unfortunately for the Giants, they are only averaging 73 yards per game on the ground. The feeling is that both teams will be running, keeping the clock running and the score down, making the 6.5 points look attractive.
GLTA!!