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Posted 10/31/2009 at 07:27 PM
It's been the year of the big chalk in the NFL, with the power teams simply crushing the weaklings on a weekly basis. In other words, this season has been an aberration in that laying double digits has not been a bad thing. It's tough to make a case for any big dogs right now. Nevertheless, I'm going to try to do just that in the Panthers-Cardinals contest.
There's no question Arizona is the better team here. Carolina has had trouble mounting a consistent attack and their QB play has been abysmal. The Panthers had a chance to get to .500 last week hosting Buffalo, and they laid another egg en route to a 20-9 loss. So it's safe to say I'm not making much of an argument to support the Panthers here.
My stance is more anti-Arizona. The Cardinals are in a flat spot and even in this year of the monster favorites going wild, we're still seeing the occasional dead effort that results in an upset or a close call. I see that happening here. The Cardinals can relax a little, as they've moved back into first place in their division. They're off an absolutely huge win on the road in the Sunday night hookup with the Giants. Fact is, Arizona has been superb on the road, but they've been less than stellar at home.
Revenge is not a huge factor in pro sports. It's not nearly the motivator that it is at the college level. But it's not a negative even in the NFL, and this could be one of those rare spots where it really does make a difference. The Panthers, and QB Jake Delhomme in particular, were humiliated in the playoffs last season by the Cardinals. They got blasted at home as Arizona kicked off its improbable run to the Super Bowl, and I have to believe this is a game the Panthers really want.
The oddsmakers opened Arizona as 7' point favorites and the number has reached double figures as this is written. Under the circumstances, that's an inviting number to me, so I'm backing Carolina with the points for the free NFL opinion.
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