Two of the top teams in the NFC; the New York Giants and the Minnesota Vikings easily improved their record to 5-0 with wins, while a third undefeated team; the New Orleans Saints had the week off. The Giants hosted the Oakland Raiders who may now have the dubious distinction of being the worst team in the NFL, although there are a few other teams that could still qualify for this title. The final score was 44-7 and it wasn’t even that close. You can see why the line for this game was as high as 17 earlier in the week. The Vikings made short work of the hapless Rams who are clearly the worst team in the NFC, winning that game 38-10. Philadelphia got Donovan McNabb back, who promptly went out and threw 3 TD’s passes in the Eagles 33-14 win over Tampa Bay covering the 16 point spread as well. Carolina came from behind to get their first win of the season, beating the Redskins 20-17. The Atlanta Falcons tore Mike Singletary’s 49er defense apart in a 45-10 rout that will send that unit back to the drawing board to figure out what went wrong.
Moving onto week five, the key match ups we will be reviewing are; New York Giants @ New Orleans Saints, Arizona Cardinals @ Seattle Seahawks, and Chicago Bears @ Atlanta Falcons.
New York Giants @ New Orleans Saints (-3) Current Over/Under 47.5
In a match-up of two of the best teams in the conference, the winner of this game should be the early favorite to win the NFC. Both teams have the capability to put a lot of points on the board, but also have a shut down defense that can create scoring opportunities of their own. Offensively the Giants are ranked 2nd in the NFC and the Saints are ranked 3rd. While New York is known for running the ball, ranking 4th in rushing yards per game, the Saints are actually ranked 2nd in that category. Where there might be a slight edge for the Giants is on defense. Their defensive unit is ranked 1st overall, while the Saints are ranked 7th. This game is going to come down to which team either creates or avoids the big turnover that will most likely be the difference in the score. Take New Orleans at home where they are very difficult to beat and stay will the under in a hard fought, low scoring battle.
Arizona Cardinals @ Seattle Seahawks (-3) Current Over/Under 47.5
The 2-2 Cardinals meet the 2-3 Seahawks in a crucial early season NFC West showdown. This division is wide open and with exception of the Rams, either of these teams along with the 49ers still has a good shot to win it. Last week Arizona had a big lead on the Houston Texans and needed a goal line stand late in the 4th Qt. to seal the win 28-21. Seattle got some of their walking wounded back, including QB Matt Hasselbeck and ran all over Jacksonville 41-0. Offensively, these two teams match up well, as the Seahawks are ranked 12th overall and the Cardinals are ranked 15th. The defensive advantage would go Seattle as their unit is ranked 11th, while Arizona is ranked 27th. A key area to watch in this game will be Seattle’s secondary against the 3rd ranked passing offense of Arizona that is averaging close to 300 yards per game. If the Seahawks can pressure Kurt Warner and force some bad decisions with the ball, they should be able to win this game. Take the over in this one as well as scoring points should not be a problem for either team.
Chicago Bears @ Atlanta Falcons (-3.5) Current Over/Under 45.5
Both teams currently sit at 3-1 and need a win to keep pace with the division leaders. Chicago is coming off a bye week and the Falcons are coming off an impressive win over the 49ers, so they will both be ready for this one. Bear’s QB Jay Cutler will need to have a big game as Chicago has been unable to consistently run the ball, plus they face a Falcon’s defense that is currently ranked 21st against the pass. Second year QB, Matt Ryan will try and manage the game for Atlanta, but he is more than capable airing the ball out as well. He is currently averaging almost 250 passing yards per game and has thrown for 7 TD’s vs. only 2 interceptions. Atlanta is the better all around team, as Chicago has looked shaky at times and while the Bears come in rested, the Falcons are 9-1 in their last 10 home games. Take the Falcons and the over in this one.
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