Re: 1-10-09
Chris Jordan
Sunday winners ...
SUNDAY TRIPLEHEADER
300? BALTIMORE RAVENS
300? ARIZONA CARDINALS
300? KANSAS JAYHAWKS
300? RAVENS - Sometimes it take intangibles you least expect in games like this, but due to the fact Baltimore will have its five starters on the offensive line ready to go for only the second time in the past seven games, I'm thinking we might see some offense from the Ravens, and we just might see another road shoocker in the AFC.
The Ravens O-Line was rock solid last week, trampling Oakland for 240 rush yards, and if they can rush the ball well today, does two things: gives Joe Flacco a chance to strategize with the passing game, and controls the clock while keeping the ball out of New England's hands.
And as crazy as this sounds, New England's defense is a bit vanilla for me, and I'd rather have the more physical and feared defense in this game. These two met in Week 4 against Baltimore, the Ravens scored on two 80-yard-plus drives and should have won the game. Of course, Tom Brady drew several roughing penalties, and was able to steal Baltimore's thunder. Don't think Ray Lewis and company hasn't thought about that 27-21 setback, as it triggered a three-game losing streak with losses also coming against Cincy and Minnesota.
I expect the Ravens to be on at their, and on their best behavior to avoid cheap calls against Brady. They'll be much sharper offensively, and think Ray Rice will be his game-breaking self once again. Tahe the road dog.
300? CARDINALS - Aaron Rodgers is my factor in this game, but it's not because of him, it's because he'll be on his back. The Packers' questionable pass protection, which resulted in Rodgers being sacked 50 times and tied for the league high, is going to be the biggest problem today in Arizona.
The Cardinals didn't do much with its vanilla approach last week, and will shake things up against veteran tackles Mark Tauscher and Chad Clifton, who have worked in tandem the final seven game to help Green Bay to a 6-1 mark. But look at the defenses the team faced in that time: San Fran's, Detroit's, Chicago's and Seattle's was among them. Granted, Dallas and Baltimore was in there too, but I simply don't believe that offensive front has been tested enough.
This has been an area of concern for Arizona, the pass rush, and I believe the Cardinals will have the problem ironed out today.
There's a certain aura that comes with being the defending conference champion, and if the oddsmakers believed this was the team to beat earlier this week, I have to believe there's still some life in the NFC champs. Heck, the Cardinals are the lone NFC representative from the past three Super Bowls in the playoffs.
There is too much pride in Ken Whisenhunt, and he's going to have to do his job today and coach his Cardinals to a win over the explosive Packers, I admit that. But I do like the home pup here, as Arizona wins an instant classic.
300? JAYHAWKS - Kansas was tested on Wednesday by Cornell, which snuck into Fog Allen Fieldhouse and took the Jayhawks to the wire before finally losing 71-66. No more messing around, as the Jayhawks perhaps are under the mentality of playing to the level of their competition.
Kansas does have a tenacious defense, so maybe it'll take a ranked SEC-foe to bring it out of the Jayhawks. Kansas' defense is awfully stingy on the highway, allowing just 56.5 points a game while limiting the home team to just 30.4 percent shooting.
Last year these two went at it, and Kansas edged the Vols 92-85 as a three-point home favorite. Though this one is in Knoxville, the Jayhawks are a much better version.
Kansas rolls in on a slew of ATS runs, including 36-16 overall, 8-3 on the road, 7-0 after failing to cover, and 8-2 when visiting a team with a winning home record. On the flipside, the Vols are just 1-4 ATS in their last five on Sunday and 1-5 ATS in their last six against Big 12 opponents.
Chris Jordan
Sunday winners ...
SUNDAY TRIPLEHEADER
300? BALTIMORE RAVENS
300? ARIZONA CARDINALS
300? KANSAS JAYHAWKS
300? RAVENS - Sometimes it take intangibles you least expect in games like this, but due to the fact Baltimore will have its five starters on the offensive line ready to go for only the second time in the past seven games, I'm thinking we might see some offense from the Ravens, and we just might see another road shoocker in the AFC.
The Ravens O-Line was rock solid last week, trampling Oakland for 240 rush yards, and if they can rush the ball well today, does two things: gives Joe Flacco a chance to strategize with the passing game, and controls the clock while keeping the ball out of New England's hands.
And as crazy as this sounds, New England's defense is a bit vanilla for me, and I'd rather have the more physical and feared defense in this game. These two met in Week 4 against Baltimore, the Ravens scored on two 80-yard-plus drives and should have won the game. Of course, Tom Brady drew several roughing penalties, and was able to steal Baltimore's thunder. Don't think Ray Lewis and company hasn't thought about that 27-21 setback, as it triggered a three-game losing streak with losses also coming against Cincy and Minnesota.
I expect the Ravens to be on at their, and on their best behavior to avoid cheap calls against Brady. They'll be much sharper offensively, and think Ray Rice will be his game-breaking self once again. Tahe the road dog.
300? CARDINALS - Aaron Rodgers is my factor in this game, but it's not because of him, it's because he'll be on his back. The Packers' questionable pass protection, which resulted in Rodgers being sacked 50 times and tied for the league high, is going to be the biggest problem today in Arizona.
The Cardinals didn't do much with its vanilla approach last week, and will shake things up against veteran tackles Mark Tauscher and Chad Clifton, who have worked in tandem the final seven game to help Green Bay to a 6-1 mark. But look at the defenses the team faced in that time: San Fran's, Detroit's, Chicago's and Seattle's was among them. Granted, Dallas and Baltimore was in there too, but I simply don't believe that offensive front has been tested enough.
This has been an area of concern for Arizona, the pass rush, and I believe the Cardinals will have the problem ironed out today.
There's a certain aura that comes with being the defending conference champion, and if the oddsmakers believed this was the team to beat earlier this week, I have to believe there's still some life in the NFC champs. Heck, the Cardinals are the lone NFC representative from the past three Super Bowls in the playoffs.
There is too much pride in Ken Whisenhunt, and he's going to have to do his job today and coach his Cardinals to a win over the explosive Packers, I admit that. But I do like the home pup here, as Arizona wins an instant classic.
300? JAYHAWKS - Kansas was tested on Wednesday by Cornell, which snuck into Fog Allen Fieldhouse and took the Jayhawks to the wire before finally losing 71-66. No more messing around, as the Jayhawks perhaps are under the mentality of playing to the level of their competition.
Kansas does have a tenacious defense, so maybe it'll take a ranked SEC-foe to bring it out of the Jayhawks. Kansas' defense is awfully stingy on the highway, allowing just 56.5 points a game while limiting the home team to just 30.4 percent shooting.
Last year these two went at it, and Kansas edged the Vols 92-85 as a three-point home favorite. Though this one is in Knoxville, the Jayhawks are a much better version.
Kansas rolls in on a slew of ATS runs, including 36-16 overall, 8-3 on the road, 7-0 after failing to cover, and 8-2 when visiting a team with a winning home record. On the flipside, the Vols are just 1-4 ATS in their last five on Sunday and 1-5 ATS in their last six against Big 12 opponents.

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