Dallas Cowboys at New York Giants (-8): Dallas’ first problem is that it’s missing three of its top five guys in the secondary. Plaxico Burress has not been suspended yet by the NFL or by head coach Tom Coughlin, so that means he should be running free all game long. Dallas’ second problem is that quarterback Brad Johnson cannot throw a Nerf ball 30 yards, let alone a football. Terrell Owens, Roy Williams and Jason Witten cannot do much downfield if Johnson needs all of his arm strength just to throw a screen pass. We have not seen weapons wasted like this since Jenna Jameson retired from porn. Dallas will have a lot of trouble keeping its offense on the field and its defense off the field, and the Giants’ power running game should wear down the Cowboys’ depleted D in the second half. The Giants will prove that they are the beasts of the NFC East. Prediction — New York 27, Dallas 14.
Pittsburgh Steelers at Washington Redskins (-2): The two times the Steelers have lost this year have been directly linked to the deadly combination of Pittsburgh’s porous pass protection and quarterback Ben Roethlisberger’s propensity for holding onto the ball 10 seconds too long. The Philadelphia Eagles and New York Giants, the two teams that defeated Pittsburgh, both won because of their constant blitzing – and sacking – of "Big Ben."
The good news for Pittsburgh is that Washington does not blitz or sack much. The Redskins are tied for 28th in the NFL win just 10 sacks in eight games, and their below-average pass rush should be even worse since Jason Taylor will likely miss the game with a calf injury. Washington relies more on its coverage schemes to stop the passing game, but when Roethlisberger has time to throw he always finds Hines "Blindside Blocker" Ward and Santonio "Cheech" Holmes, no matter what the secondary does. Prediction – Pittsburgh 23, Washington 16.
Baltimore Ravens at Cleveland Browns (-2): We all know about how great Baltimore’s defense is, but what has been overlooked is how well Cleveland’s defense has played this season. The Browns were supposed to be a high-scoring juggernaut coming into the campaign, yet their defense has been the unit keeping them in games while the Derek Anderson-led offense sputters like a lawn mower low on gas. Cleveland has employed a bend-but-don’t-break philosophy, giving up plenty of yards (336 yards per game, 21st in the NFL) but not allowing many points (17.6 ppg, seventh in the NFL).
It is hard to see how Baltimore and its John McCain-conservative offense is going to score more than 10 points. Safety Ed Reed has a better chance scoring a touchdown than quarterback Joe Flacco. Granted, Cleveland will have its own problems scoring against Ray Lewis and Co., but receiver Braylon Edwards or running back Jamal Lewis should be able to find the end zone at least once. Prediction – Cleveland 17, Baltimore 10.
