|
 |   |
|
EVENTS Fantasy Central Inside Game Video Plus Statitudes Your Turn Message Boards Email Newsletters Golf Guide Cities 
CNNSI.com GROUP
COMMERCE
|  |
Trifecta of home teams will win Saints will pull the shocker of the weekend in Minnesota
CNNSI.com's B. Duane Cross talked with former NFL head coach and current CNN NFL Preview analyst Ron Meyer about several issues and storylines as teams prepare for Divisional weekend: Cross: Coach, the four home teams held serve in the wild-card round. This week, all four of those teams go on the road, beginning with New Orleans at Minnesota. Meyer: The Saints were a pleasant surprise last week against the Rams. If the adage "defense wins championships" holds true, it applies to no team more than New Orleans. I'm not sure this game won't be an upset. I really like the Saints' ability to control the ball -- quarterback Aaron Brooks continues to amaze people -- and their defense is aggressive. The big question for Minnesota is its defense. The Vikings had last week off with a bye, and they do have home-field advantage, which was a big plus in the wild-card round. This game will be Minnesota's offense against New Orleans' defense, and I'll go with the underdog Saints. Cross: Miami travels to Oakland, where the Dolphins have won three of the past four games against the Raiders. Meyer: This is a great matchup of two historically winning AFC franchises, and they are great rivals. I like Oakland in this game. The Raiders had a bye week, and the Dolphins are traveling across the country, which no player likes to do. Much like last week, I see this as a game where Miami's offense must produce. I said last week that running back Lamar Smith would have to carry the ball 32 times for Miami to win; he carried it a record 40 times. I guess head coach Dave Wannstedt watches NFL Preview. Oakland is a team on a roll, and they have a mission. The Raiders have more talent than the Dolphins, and I don't know that this won't be a walk. Cross: The game most people are talking about is Baltimore's return to Tennessee. The Ravens have the only road-team victory in the two-year history of Adelphia Coliseum. Meyer: Another great matchup of identical teams, and as you said, Baltimore is the only team to beat Tennessee in its own backyard. The Titans have the No. 1-ranked defense, while the Ravens are second. Still, you never hear about Tennessee's defense. This should be a real slugfest. It will boil down to which quarterback makes the best plays. It'll depend on if Trent Dilfer or Steve McNair stays away from the big blunder -- a fumble on a sack, an interception deep in their own territory. The fact that Baltimore beat Tennessee at home has gotten the Titans' attention, you can be sure of that. In the end, I like McNair and Tennessee. Cross: Philadelphia and New York, two NFC East rivals, play for the third time this season. There's been a lot of talk this week -- from both camps -- and this game may be the best of the weekend. Meyer: How about Philly last week against Tampa Bay? It was a great game for the Eagles. Donovan McNabb played a good game and the Eagles' defense did a great job. This week, I'm not sure McNabb will be enough to single-handedly beat the Giants. I think New York's (fifth-ranked) defense is as good as Tennessee and Baltimore -- maybe even better. The Giants' defense, teamed with a good offense -- made better with Tiki Barber, who has a broken arm but will still play -- is the difference. Kerry Collins is a sound quarterback, who has become comfortable in his abilities to deliver a consistent offense. McNabb tends to ad-lib more, which I don't think can beat the Giants. This will be a good, tight defensive battle -- maybe not even a touchdown scored. I like the Giants, 9-6. Ron Meyer, a former NFL head coach, is a pro football analyst with CNN/Sports Illustrated and appears weekly on CNN's NFL Preview.
| ||||||||||||||||||||
