Mark's Jessup Lockdown of the Week

Cardinals (-3) at Rams

The Rams’ injury report is a mile long. Including their starting left tackle, quarterback and running back. Gus Frerotte is getting the start over the battered, inaccurate, newly paid Marc Bulger. But there’s a reason the Farrely brothers used Brett Favre instead of Gus Frerotte in There’s Something About Mary despite an equally R’d up name.

On the other side, there’s the red hot Cardinals fresh off their victory over the Steelers. The Cardinals have looked good all year except for the play of Matt Leinart. Expect Kurt Warner to get a lot of playing time in his old home. And why not? Just compare their stats:

Warner: 70% for 390 yards and 3 TDs, no picks
Leinart: 53% for 547 yards, 2 TDs, 3 picks

The Cardinals are extremely well coached and have played even better than their 2-2 record would indicate. Besides, Arizona is 10-1 against the spread in their last 11 whereas St. Louis is 3-8 against the spread in their last 11 against NFC West. On top of that, St. Louis is forcing 9.8 ppg and allowing 25. Arizona is forcing 21 and giving up 20. I could go on. But this pick seems too obvious. A little too obvious?

Virginia Tech (+5.5) at Clemson *UPSET SPECIAL*

My Clemson bandwagon ride has come to an end. This is a match-up that the Hokies traditionally own. Don’t worry about the road game either. They’re 10-3 in their last 13 road games.

Clemson is a little banged up on offense and is going to struggle against the Hokies’ sound defense. Look for Clemson to move the ball between the 20s and have trouble in the red zone. Cullen Harper will get frustrated and try to force some throws, resulting in a late game-deciding turnover.