A good week got even better after Josh Brown’s second game winning 50 yard FG of the season handed Jay Cutler a home loss in his debut. To top things off, Tatum Bell and Shaun Alexander both came through with solid games for me to put my fantasy team in the running for a playoff spot. In the words of Simon and Garfunkel, I am “feeling groovy!” Let’s see if I can ride this wave of enlightened ecstasy for one more pick, shall we?
Carolina (6-5, 2-3 away)
at
Philadelphia (5-6, 3-3 home)
It’s really difficult to get a read on the Panthers. Are they the offensively challenged team with a shaky secondary that lost to the Redskins or are they the offensive juggernaut that tore apart the best defense in the league and used a powerful pass-rush led defensive attack to smother their opponent in a win over the Ravens earlier this season. There is no consistency with this team…or with the Eagles for that matter. They have looked brilliant, ordinary (and demoralized after they lost their leader for the year) this season and as such it is hard to predict which team will take the field. But don’t count Philadelphia out just because they lost McNabb for the season. Andy Reid picked up Jeff Garcia in the off-season as insurance in case McNabb got hurt again and he is still a solid quarterback. He can’t do a lot of the things that McNabb can but he is still capable of leading this team to some wins if he gets good production out of his other playmakers. The fact of the matter is, Carolina’s defense is based on its pass rush and a team that has a quarterback who is able to complete a lot of quick short passes, especially to a speedy halfback or a tight end who is a good receiver can have success against them. If you ask me, Jeff Garcia, Brian Westbrook and L.J. Smith are just those types of players. Despite Steve Smith’s penchant for the spotlight, I find it difficult to pick the Panthers and their sputtering offense to win on the road against a team that is desperate for a win and matches up well against them.
My Pick: Eagles even up their record at 6-6 and stay in the playoff hunt
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