Faceoff: Cowboys or Eagles, Week 9's biggest AFC game, NFC's best team
CBSSports.com pro football writers Pete Prisco and Clark Judge face off weekly throughout the season.
| Pete Prisco | Clark Judge |
| Who is playing better football heading into their Sunday night game, Dallas or Philadelphia? | |
 I'll go with the Cowboys. Why? The Eagles lost to the Oakland Raiders three weeks ago. The Raiders? Please. But the past two weeks, they have played well. I think their passing game has it going now, which is the biggest difference. A lot of that can be attributed to getting healthier on the offensive line. But I'll take the Cowboys. Tony Romo is on fire -- he's been outstanding the past three weeks. Romo threw eight touchdown passes and no interceptions in his past three games. His passer rating has been over 100 in each of those games, all Cowboys victories. The Cowboys defense is also playing better. It helps that DeMarcus Ware has come alive. My pick is Dallas, but it doesn't mean I'm picking them to win Sunday, although I might. But you have to wait until Thursday for that. | I'll lean toward Dallas, though I don't like the Cowboys in this game. The Cowboys are only as good as their quarterback, and lately Tony Romo has been marvelous. In fact, for the first time in his career, he's gone three consecutive games without an interception. He's in a groove, and so are his teammates -- with the most impressive win their hammering of Atlanta. Philadelphia was not rolling until last weekend's shredding of the Giants when Donovan McNabb broke out of his usual midseason funk. Still, it's hard to get past his performance -- and the performance of the entire team -- in a loss to Oakland. The Eagles seem to be back on schedule, but they're not playing as consistently well -- at least lately -- as Dallas, and I attribute some of that to McNabb's early-season exit and the disappointing play of the offensive line. Give Philadelphia time, though, the Eagles will build toward the playoffs. |
| Which Week 9 game has the heaviest ramifications -- Dolphins-Pats, Texans-Colts or Ravens-Bengals? | |
 It's the Ravens-Bengals. The Patriots and Colts can lose their games and still have leads in their division races. The Bengals are in first place, and want to stay there and must win to do so if Pittsburgh beats Denver. The Ravens won at home against the Broncos, but the last time these two teams played the Bengals pulled a late-game comeback upset. You can bet the Ravens still remember. The Bengals are coming off a bye week, and if they win they will go to 4-0 in the division with two victories over the Ravens. New England and Indy can afford to lose -- not saying they will -- but the Bengals can't. So my pick is the Bengals-Ravens game, it should be fun. | Give me Ravens-Bengals. The future of the AFC North is at stake, with the Bengals trying to demonstrate that their first defeat of Baltimore was no fluke, and the Ravens trying to shore up a pass defense that has been little more than ordinary. Baltimore has three losses and can't afford another -- especially with the brutal schedule in front of it. So it must make a run and make it now. Cincinnati is a solid team, and, yes, the Bengals are for real. But Baltimore is better than a 4-3 team and coach John Harbaugh is determined to prove it -- but it won't be easy. The Bengals not only are coming off a bye, but their last game was a resounding victory over Chicago. Cincinnati feels pretty good about itself, and it should. Baltimore, on the other hand, probably feels anxious. And it should. Another loss here and Baltimore is two back of Cincinnati, with the Bengals holding the tiebreaker. Not good. |
| The 7-1 Vikings have a bye followed by three home games. Should they be anointed the best in the NFC? | |
| No. The Saints are the best team in the NFC. The Saints can score at will. With Drew Brees running that offense, the Saints are tough to stop. You might get them for a series or two, but they will eventually get theirs. The defense has played better this season, but there have been some signs of worry the past couple of weeks. The way Michael Turner ran Monday for the Falcons could be a tip as to what could be the key to beating the Saints. Can they handle a power running game? That could be where Minnesota could factor in down the road. But for now, I'd say the Saints are the better team. If they met on a neutral field, I'd put the Saints as a four-point favorite right now. Brees against that Minnesota defense is an edge that would go to the Saints. Aaron Rodgers made plays in the passing game in both games against the Vikings, and Brees would too. The Saints are the best in the NFC right now, and can stake a claim as the NFL's best. |  Nope. Last time I checked, New Orleans was undefeated. The Saints have Carolina, St. Louis and Tampa Bay the next three weeks, and I'll take 2 1/2 byes over three home games any day. New Orleans is balanced, with just enough defense to get by. The Saints hammer you with their offense, jump to a lead and force you to take chances to catch up. That's when their defense steps in and forces turnovers. Minnesota is better up front defensively, but the Vikings are suspect in their secondary -- especially with Antoine Winfield out. Both have premier quarterbacks, but Drew Brees get the nod because he is younger, and both have reliable running games -- with Adrian Peterson carrying the weight for Minnesota. But the bottom line is this: Minnesota has a loss, the Saints do not. Advantage: New Orleans. |
