by Michael DeLuca
Teams in bold are predictions with the spread, teams in CAPS are home teams.
Philadelphia Eagles -3.5 ARIZONA CARDINALS – I went through a large part of the year touting the Arizona Cardinals defense, claiming them to be the most underrated unit in the league. It’s a very difficult point to argue, since their high octane pass offense, ranked #2 in the league in pass attempts, takes little time off the clock and leaves them on the field for such a large portion of the game. In such a scenario, one must look beyond the yards against totals, where Arizona ranked 22nd against the pass and 16th against the rush during the 08′ regular season. When you take a look at the team on a per play basis, you’ll notice that only 10 team’s had a better defense against the run when it comes to yards per carry, where opponents averaged 4.0. Led by Karlos Dansby and his 119 tackles (95 solo), this unit can defend the run with the best of them. Their pass defense, on the other hand, is average at best. While many pundits are left wondering how Arizona has made it this far, I honestly think it was a combination of two things 1) a more balanced attack on offense which allowed the defense to rest and 2) lucky scheduling. Both Atlanta and Carolina were run first teams, Atlanta #2 and Carolina #6 in rushing attempts in the 2008 regular season. Arizona had little trouble shutting down their rushing attacks and this is where the games were won. Well, all bets are now off, as Philadelphia comes to town with the exact opposite offensive philosophy. Philadelphia ranked 4th in the league in passing attempts, with 606, and if the Cardinals are to win, they’ll have to stop the pass. I don’t think they can do it and the Eagles should roll to a big victory. Prediction – Eagles 37-13.
PITTSBURGH STEELERS -6 Baltimore Ravens – Both defenses are playing so well that this one becomes a difficult one to predict. I’ve felt all year that the eventual downfall of the Steelers would be their offensive line but they’ve managed to mask those defeciencies for an entire season thus far. Then again, if any team could expose them, it would be the Ravens. I expect a very close game with the Steelers most likely pulling it out in the end by a field goal but wouldn’t be surprised if the Ravens were able to get to Roethlisberger and force a mistake that leads to the upset. Prediction – Steelers 16-13
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