St. Louis at Arizona NFL

It does not seem all that long ago that the Arizona Cardinals were the talk of the NFL after winning their first four games. Things have not gone as well over the last seven weeks. The Cardinals will be looking to snap a six-game slide when they host the St. Louis Rams on Sunday. The Rams have not won since Week 5, when they began Arizona’s slump with a 17-3 home victory.

The Cardinals rank 31st in the NFL in total offense, just seven yards above last-place Jacksonville. The problems have been evenly distributed among the passing and running games, and rookie Ryan Lindley became the third quarterback to have a rough time for Arizona this season when he went 9-for-20 in the loss at Atlanta last Sunday. St. Louis figured to be taking a step forward when it battled San Francisco to a draw in Week 10, but the Rams fell back down in a home loss to the New York Jets last week.

TV: 4:25 p.m. ET, FOX. LINE: Cardinals -1. O/U: 37.5

ABOUT THE RAMS (3-6-1): The Rams were done in by three turnovers in the 27-13 loss to the Jets and have given the ball away eight times while going winless in their last five. The offense has failed to make up for the turnovers and the lack of takeaways on the other side, totaling two touchdowns or fewer in three of the last five. Quarterback Sam Bradford threw the ball 44 times on Sunday but ended up with only 170 yards on 23 completions. The former No. 1 overall pick has been held under 200 yards four times in 2012. One of those came in Week 5 against the Cardinals, when Bradford went 7-of-21 for 141 yards. But two of those completions went for touchdowns and the defense stepped up in a 17-3 victory.

ABOUT THE CARDINALS (4-6): Arizona had Kevin Kolb at quarterback in the first meeting with St. Louis and has shuffled through Kolb to John Skelton and now Lindley while trying to find some sort of spark for the offense. Between Skelton and Lindley the Cardinals managed a total of 178 yards at Atlanta last week (41 passing). The defense did its part by forcing six turnovers but Arizona blew a 13-0 first-quarter lead in the 23-19 setback. Coach Ken Whisenhunt has yet to name a starter at quarterback for this week but will likely stick with Lindley after yanking Skelton in the second quarter against the Falcons. The bright spot on offense has been running back LaRod Stephens-Howling, who rushed for 127 yards last week and has gone over 100 yards in two of the last four contests.

EXTRA POINTS

1. Kolb (ribs, shoulder) would get the start if healthy but is expected to miss his fifth straight game.

2. Arizona CB Patrick Peterson ran a punt back 99 yards in overtime in the last meeting in Glendale, giving the Cardinals a 19-13 victory on Nov. 6, 2011.

3. Rams WR Danny Amendola (foot) is questionable.

MONEYLINE COVERS - Going with Arizona here to win.

San Francisco at New Orleans. NFL

A one-week injury may have been all it took for Alex Smith to lose his job as the starting quarterback of the San Francisco 49ers. Colin Kaepernick is expected to be under center Sunday when the 49ers look to extend their winning streak to five games against the New Orleans Saints. Smith has been demoted to second-team reps in practice by head coach Jim Harbaugh, who was left impressed by Kaepernick's performance in Monday's 32-7 drubbing of the Chicago Bears.

Kaepernick's second NFL start will pit him against one of the best quarterbacks to ever play the game. Drew Brees leads a Saints team that has reeled off three straight victories and is 5-1 since opening the year with four straight losses. As expected, Brees has been the catalyst - he torched the Oakland Raiders for three scores in a Week 11 victory and has thrown multiple touchdown passes in all but one game this season. He'll be in tough against a San Francisco defense allowing the second-fewest passing yards in the league.

TV: 4:25 p.m. ET, FOX. LINE: 49ers -1, O/U: 48

ABOUT THE 49ERS (7-2-1): As Smith sat recovering from a concussion, Kaepernick staked his claim to the starting role with 243 passing yards and two touchdowns against Chicago's vaunted defense. Kaepernick was given a ringing post-game endorsement by tight end Vernon Davis, who finished with six catches for 83 yards and a score. "I felt like somebody took the handcuffs off me," said Davis, who had amassed just nine catches for 101 yards in his previous four contests - all with Smith at the helm.

ABOUT THE SAINTS (5-5): While New Orleans' offense continues to roll over the opposition, the defense has made quiet strides during the team's current winning streak. The Saints kept Oakland at bay in a 38-17 victory on Sunday and has surrendered an average of 19 points over its last three games. Running back Darren Sproles has been participating in practice and is expected to return after missing the last three weeks with a broken hand. Sproles will be a popular option for Brees in what becomes a muddled backfield.

EXTRA POINTS

1. Brees is 5-0 lifetime in the regular season against the 49ers, with 12 touchdowns, two interceptions and a quarterback rating of 107.2.

2. San Francisco linebacker Aldon Smith's 5 1/2 sacks against Chicago give him 29 in his first 26 NFL games, the most by any player over that time frame.

3. The 49ers lead the all-time series 45-24-2.

MONEYLINE COVERS - I am going with New Orleans to win here in a shoot out. Playing the over here might be wise also.

MINNESOTA AT CHICAGO

For whatever Chicago fans think of enigmatic quarterback Jay Cutler, the Bears' performance without him was among their worst of the season. Cutler is hoping to return Sunday when Chicago hosts the Minnesota Vikings in a pivotal NFC North matchup. The 29-year-old is recovering from a concussion suffered in Week 10, and was on the sidelines in favor of Jason Campbell for Chicago's 32-7 clunker in San Francisco last weekend.

The Vikings have their own injury issues, with wide receiver Percy Harvin a question mark as he struggles with an ankle injury. Harvin, who has been Minnesota's biggest passing threat this season, was ready to practice Wednesday but was rebuffed by head coach Leslie Frazier. Minnesota is coming off a Week 11 bye after handling the Detroit Lions 34-24 a week earlier behind 171 rushing yards from Adrian Peterson.

TV: 1 p.m. ET, FOX. LINE: OFF. O/U: N/A

ABOUT THE VIKINGS (6-4): Minnesota has lost its last five meetings with Chicago, and will undoubtedly have an easier time ending that streak with someone other than Cutler under center. Cutler has gone 5-1 with a career QB rating of 100.8 against the Vikings. Peterson will face his stiffest test of the season against a stout Chicago run defense allowing just 95.2 yards per game on the ground. Peterson, less than a year off major knee surgery, leads the NFL with 1,128 rushing yards - 629 of those coming in his last four games.

ABOUT THE BEARS (7-3): Nobody missed Cutler more than his favorite target, Brandon Marshall. The veteran wideout came into Monday's game against the 49ers averaging 115 receiving yards with five touchdowns over his previous six games, but had just two catches for 21 yards and a score with Jason Campbell as the starting QB. Minnesota is in the middle of the pack in pass defense, surrendering an average of 229.1 yards through the air. Chicago running back Matt Forte was limited to 21 carries for 63 yards against San Francisco.

EXTRA POINTS

1. Peterson has 823 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns in eight career meetings with Chicago.

2. Chicago's defense and special teams have accounted for seven touchdowns so far this season, the third-most in NFL history.

3. The Bears have reportedly demoted second-year right tackle Gabe Carimi after he was torched for 5 1/2 sacks by 49ers defensive end Aldon Smith. Jonathan Scott will take Carimi's spot on the offensive line.

MONEYLINE COVERS - Going with the vikings here.

OAKLAND AT CINCINNATI. NFL

The Cincinnati Bengals have won back-to-back games to pull to .500 and put themselves in position to contend for a playoff spot down the stretch. The Bengals, who had dropped four in a row to fall off the map, have outscored their last two opponents by a combined 40 points. That’s bad news for the Oakland Raiders, who visit Cincinnati on Sunday. The Raiders have allowed an average of 45 points in dropping three straight games.

Cincinnati enters the weekend one game behind the Pittsburgh Steelers and Indianapolis Colts in the wild card hunt and appears to be hitting its stride. Andy Dalton has thrown six touchdowns and no interceptions over the last two games and has gotten plenty of help from a defense that has forced five turnovers in that span. The Raiders have been trounced in three straight games to fall to last in the NFL in scoring defense at 32.2 points. That has put more pressure on quarterback Carson Palmer, who will be making his first start in Cincinnati since forcing his way out in a trade last season.

TV: 1 p.m. ET, CBS. LINE: Bengals -9.5. O/U: 49

ABOUT THE RAIDERS (3-7): Palmer informed the Bengals that he would rather sit out than play for their team anymore prior to the 2011 campaign, leading to Cincinnati drafting Dalton in the first round and eventually shipping Palmer to Oakland for a handful of high draft picks. Palmer threw 13 touchdowns and 16 interceptions as the Raiders dropped six of their last 10 in 2011 to fall out of playoff contention. He has been more efficient in 2012 with 17 touchdowns and 11 picks but has had to do most of the heavy lifting himself with the defense in shambles and his top two running backs struggling through ankle sprains. Palmer has thrown for 1,094 yards, eight touchdowns and six picks during the three-game slide. The Oakland defense has been picked apart by opposing quarterbacks while also allowing 14 rushing scores - tied for second-most in the NFL.

ABOUT THE BENGALS (5-5): Cincinnati was left for dead during its four-game slide but turned its season around with a 31-13 win over the New York Giants in Week 10 before taking care of business in a 28-6 triumph at Kansas City last Sunday. Dalton has found A.J. Green for a touchdown pass in nine straight games and has the passing offense up to 10th in the league. A bigger aspect of the turnaround in the last two games might be the pass defense. Rookie cornerback Dre Kirkpatrick - taken with one of the draft picks received in the Palmer trade - finally got on the field Week 9 and has helped Terrence Newman, Nate Clements and company lock down opposing wide receivers.

EXTRA POINTS

1. Raiders RB Darren McFadden (ankle) is running at practice and is questionable. Backup RB Mike Goodson (ankle) is further away.

2. Dalton has already matched his TD total from last season (20) and is on pace to eclipse his yardage total (3,398) from his 2011 rookie campaign.

3. Oakland released starting LB Aaron Curry on Tuesday.

MONEYLINE COVERS - Going with Oakland +9 here.

CLEVELAND AT BROOKLYN NBA - my pick

The Cleveland Cavaliers will wind up a six-game road trip when they visit the Brooklyn Nets on Tuesday. The Cavaliers have dropped three consecutive games, but probably feel they have deserved a better fate after losing a buzzer-beater in Milwaukee and blowing a 26-point lead at Phoenix. Brooklyn has bounced back to win two straight after a home-and-home sweep of Orlando in which they limited the Magic to 68 and 74 points, respectively.
The Nets have been playing shorthanded due to injuries to starting forward Gerald Wallace and reserve guard MarShon Brooks, but they were able to exploit the ailing Magic by jumping out to big first-half leads in both victories. The young Cavaliers are in the midst of a stretch that has the team playing 10 of 13 games away from home and will culminate with three sets of back-to-backs in the next two weeks.
TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, Fox Sports Ohio (Cleveland), YES (New York)
ABOUT THE CAVALIERS (2-5): With first-round draft pick Tyler Zeller sidelined with a concussion and fractured cheekbone, Cleveland coach Byron Scott has bemoaned the lack of production from his bench. The one exception has been guard Daniel Gibson, who is averaging 15.7 points in the past three games while connecting on 10 of 20 from 3-point range. "Boobie has been great," Scott said of Gibson. "I know we're missing Tyler, but we need somebody else to just step up."
ABOUT THE NETS (3-2): Expectations started to soar in Brooklyn following the offseason acquisition of shooting guard Joe Johnson, but the six-time All-Star has struggled to make an impact through his first five games. A career 17.7 scorer, Johnson is averaging 13.6 points and has topped 14 points only once. His shooting percentage (36.2) is also well down from his career mark of 44.3, but he's not overly concerned. “Sooner or later we’ll figure it out ... and we’ll be fun to watch,” he said.

MONEYLINE COVERS - Going with Cleveland here +6. Kinda want to take them to win straight up, but I won't. But I like them very much plus the 6. Coach Byron Scott recently lit a match under his bench players. I expect them to come out be aggressive!

CLEVELAND AT OKC NBA - my pick

The Oklahoma City Thunder haven’t hit their stride yet as they go for their fourth straight victory when they host the Cleveland Cavaliers on Sunday. Oklahoma City star Kevin Durant isn’t happy with the energy the squad is playing with despite the winning streak. “Sometimes the scoreboard can be deceiving, the stat sheet can be deceiving, but we have high standards here,” Durant said. “That’s what we’ve got to live up to – what we think of ourselves.”

Cleveland is playing the fifth contest of a six-game road trip. The Cavaliers are 1-3 on the excursion after blowing a 26-point second-quarter lead and falling 107-105 to the Phoenix Suns on Friday. “We had a big lead and we didn’t play smart,” Cleveland center Anderson Varejao said. Oklahoma City defeated the Detroit Pistons 105-94 on Friday behind a career-best 25 points from Serge Ibaka. The Thunder are 3-1 at home.

TV: 7 p.m. ET, FSN (Cleveland, Oklahoma City)

ABOUT THE CAVALIERS (2-4): The meltdown against the Suns was highly disappointing and prevented Cleveland from reaching the .500 mark. Guards Dion Waiters (23 points, three 3-pointers) and Daniel Gibson (19 points, five three-pointers) shot well from long range. “We need to understand – when we’re up a certain amount, you have to play the game a certain way,” Gibson said. “When you’re down, you have to play a certain way. It’s the pains you hate to go through, but in the process, we’re going to be a whole lot better for it.”

ABOUT THE THUNDER (4-2): Russell Westbrook is averaging 18.2 points but has topped 20 just once. The All-Star guard had just 10 points against Detroit and is shooting just 32.3 percent from the field over the past four games. Overall, Westbrook is shooting 36.4 percent, a sharp decline from the career-best 45.7 mark he posted last season. Westbrook’s shaky play forced coach Scott Brooks to give backup Eric Maynor a lot of playing time in the fourth quarter against the Pistons. Maynor finished with 13 points in 17-plus minutes.

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Cleveland is 3-1 in its last four visits to Oklahoma City, including a 96-90 victory last season.

2. Durant had 25 points and 13 rebounds against Detroit for his fourth double-double of the campaign.

3. Varejao has recorded double-doubles in each of his last three games and is averaging 14.0 rebounds.


MONEYLINE COVERS - I am going with Cleveland +9.5. I watched Cleveland the other night at Phoenix and I was quite impressed. They did let a 26 point lead slip away and lost the game but still. Dion Waiters looked real good. They have some nice young pieces. I think they can keep it close with anybody but will have problems winning games. I don't think they will beat Okc but by all means I think they can stay within 9.5

MIAMI AT MEMPHIS NBA - my pick

The Memphis Grizzlies have quietly won four straight games in convincing fashion while looking strong on the defensive end. The Grizzlies will get their biggest challenge to that defense on Sunday, when the reigning champion Miami Heat visit. The Heat are riding their own four-game winning streak and lead the NBA in scoring with an average of 107.5 points. Miami will be making its second stop on a six-game road trip.

Memphis could be catching the Heat at the right time, as Dwyane Wade is battling illness and LeBron James is dealing with a balky right knee. James still nearly recorded a triple-double in a win on Friday, with Wade back at the hotel. The Grizzlies have the size to overwhelm Miami on the interior and have Tony Allen on the outside to battle James. Memphis has won by an average of 11.3 points during its winning streak and has allowed only one of its five opponents to reach the century mark.

TV: 6:00 p.m. ET, Sun Sports (Miami), SportSouth (Memphis)

ABOUT THE HEAT (5-1): Wade is dealing with a nasty cold that kept him away from his teammates on Friday. James banged knees with Atlanta Hawks forward Josh Smith but stayed in the game, finishing with 21 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists. The Heat have picked up right where they left off last season and might even be more efficient offensively, with Chris Bosh spending more time in the low post and Ray Allen leading the second unit. Allen is averaging 14.7 points while shooting 59.3 percent from beyond the arc.

ABOUT THE GRIZZLIES (4-1): Memphis suffered a season-opening loss at the Los Angeles Clippers but has been a different team in the last four games, locking down defensively and spreading out the scoring. Zach Randolph is leading the league in rebounding at 15.0 and has recorded at least 15 points and 13 boards in each of the first five games. Allen proved himself as a defensive stopper once again on Friday, holding Houston Rockets guard and NBA leading scorer James Harden to 18 points on 4-of-18 shooting in a 93-85 triumph.

BUZZER BEATERS

1. James and Wade both practiced on Saturday and expect to play Sunday. James has averaged 27.3 points in 17 career games against the Grizzlies.

2. Memphis took the lone meeting last season, 97-82, in Miami behind 14 points and 14 rebounds from Randolph.

3. Grizzlies F Rudy Gay is shooting just 14.3 percent (2 of 14) from 3-point range.

MONEYLINE COVERS - Call me crazy but I am going with Memphis here +2. If they were playing in Miami I would take Miami. But in Memphis I will take the Grizzlies.