Hello CSRs,

It's a very big week for teams in the NFC South huh? We have been touting them as a better division than the NFC East since week 2, and they really have a chance to prove it this week. Unfortunately those games are in the East's territory, which does not bode well for Atlanta and Tampa Bay. However, this should be good news to Panther fans, as it means a win against Arizona is likely to leave the Panthers as the lone division leaders.

ARI @ CAR

Our line: Carolina by 12

Last week, Carolina was able to take the flight out of the Saints number one rated passing attack. This week Arizona also arrives with a highly rated aerial attack, but in this game we think the Panthers will have a tougher time stopping their opponent from putting points on the board. Why? Well, while New Orleans thinks they can run the football effectively whenever they want to, Arizona doesn't have any delusions of the sort. Hence the Arizona coaching staff has become much more productive at using the pass to set up the run, and have received pretty good results out of their measly 3.2 yards per carry average. Still, performing better than New Orleans did last week against Carolina isn't saying a whole lot. On the defensive side of the ball we see that Arizona has had trouble covering receivers this year (especially number one WRs), setting the stage for Carolina's passing game to be the one putting the most points on the scoreboard. Delhomme to Smith should be a frequent occurrence, and barring the return of fumble troubles look for Carolina to come away with another solid victory.

ITN rankings:

- Carolina #6 - As we expected the Panthers got right back to their winning ways against New Orleans. There isn't much hype around their defense, so let us tell you: this team has a mean D. Only Tennessee has allowed fewer touchdowns, and only Pittsburgh is better at defending the pass.

- Arizona #9 - Who has the no. 1 scoring offense in the NFL? Oh, that's right, it's the Arizona Cardinals. Despite having a -1 turnover margin and gaining less than 90 rush yards per game on offense, this team has been able to put points on the board and win games. If they can fix even one of those two issues they will be a serious threat in the NFC.