It's hard to pick against rested NFL powerhouses this weekend

1/8/09
arizona cardinals
By Max J. Dickstein

It's hard to pick against rested NFL powerhouses this weekend

Photo credit: Game Face

Darren Sproles of San Diego (Getty Images)

This weekend’s four NFL postseason games consist of upstarts facing rested conference powers. Here are amNewYork’s picks:

Ravens at Titans

Sat., 4:30 p.m., CBS

With standout defensive linemen Albert Haynesworth and Kyle Vanden Bosch ailing, the Titans desperately needed a bye week. The well-rested duo is expected to return this week and should help Tennessee slow a surging Baltimore rushing offense, putting the game in the hands of the Ravens’ rookie quarterback, Joe Flacco.

No rookie QB has ever won two playoff games.

Tenn. 16, Baltimore 10Cardinals at Panthers

Sat., 8:15 p.m., FOX

The Cardinals’ 30-24 defeat of Atlanta last weekend augured well for a matchup with Carolina (8-0 at home). With 73 yards in 16 carries, thought-to-be-moribund running back Edgerrin James set the table for Kurt Warner and his three 1,000-yard receivers, including Anquan Boldin (tough enough to play despite a strained hamstring).

Arizona, 0-4 back East, may appear overmatched against the Panthers’ third-ranked ground game, but the Cards just bottled up Falcons running back Michael Turner last week.

Ariz. 38, Carolina 35

Eagles at Giants

Sun., 1 p.m., FOX

The Eagles may have won five of their last six games, but they’ve struggled offensively in two of the past three weeks. The Redskins held them to three points in Week 16, and Philadelphia failed to score its first offensive touchdown until 6:37 remained in last week’s win over the Vikings.

Donovan McNabb and the Eagles will likely be in for a tough afternoon against the Giants, who have the NFL’s fifth-stingiest defense.

Giants 20, Eagles 10

Chargers at Steelers

Sun., 4:45 p.m, CBS

Even with do-everything running back LaDanian Tomlinson banged up, the Chargers are a dangerous unit, as Indianapolis found last weekend. Philip Rivers is a formidable QB on a bad day and 5-foot-6 Darren Sproles is emerging as an unlikely every-down threat in Tomlinson’s place. But the top-rated Steeler defense was built to bury a hot team on a cold Pittsburgh evening.

Pitt. 17, S.D. 13
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It's hard to pick against rested NFL powerhouses this weekend

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