Houston at Cincinnati
Time: 11 a.m., Bengals by 9 1/2
Last meeting: Bengals won 34-27 at Cincinnati on Nov. 9, 2003
Who dem Bengals? The first-place Bengals, that’s who. Last time Cincy was unbeaten this late in a season, the opposing team arrived at the stadium in a covered wagon. … Actually, the Bengals are aiming for first 4-0 start since 1988 season, when they reached the Super Bowl. … Texans turned the corner last October, finishing the month 3-1. It was the other three months they struggled with. … Houston minus-6 in turnovers, Cincy plus-12. … Bengals’ defense has 12 interceptions through three games. Five teams had 13 after four games since 1970 merger, most recently ’85 Cowboys. … Texans averaging just 170 total yards a game. Excuse us, it’s actually 170.5. Hey, when you stink that badly, every foot counts.
Prediction: Bengals 31, Texans 23
St. Louis at New York Giants
Time: 11 a.m., KDVR-31, Giants by 3
Last meeting: Giants won 23-13 at the Meadowlands on Sept. 7, 2003
G-Men QB Eli Manning settling down in second pro season. None of his past 75 passes has been intercepted. … Free-agent signee Plaxico Burress leading Giants with 15 catches for 192 yards, two TDs. … Key stat of Rams’ season: They rank third in bid’ness in run D at 67.7 yards allowed per, a far cry from last season, when they were 29th at 136.2. … Rams DE Leonard Little on pace for a career year with 3.5 sacks. … Just wondering: Why doesn’t Torry Holt land on more short lists when ranking league’s top wideouts? Dude is tied for league lead with 23 catches and leads outright with 358 yards.
Prediction: Rams 24, Giants 23
Detroit at Tampa Bay
Time: 11 a.m., Bucs by 6 1/2
Last meeting: Bucs won 23-20 at Detroit on Dec. 15, 2002
If you had Bucs penciled in for the unbeaten ranks after three weeks, advance to Go and collect Paul Tagliabue’s paycheck. … Past three games between former NFC Central rivals decided by three measly points. … Head coaches Steve Mariucci, Jon Gruden are buddies who coached together with Packers from 1992-94. … Will the real Joey Harrington please stand up? Scary as it may seem for Lions, maybe he has. Harrington struggling again, barely completing half of his passes, with five interceptions in 65 attempts. … Your Not For Long offensive rookie of the year? What, you mean other than Cadillac Williams? Weeums leads with 434 yards rushing, keeping pressure off Brian Griese. And as everyone knows, he doesn’t react well to pressure.
Prediction: Bucs 34, Lions 17
Indianapolis at Tennessee
Time: 11 a.m., Colts by 7
Last meeting: Colts won 51-24 at Indianapolis on Dec. 5, 2004
Colts by 7, huh? Points or touchdowns? Oh, that’s right, Colts aren’t their old selves anymore. … Indy fans griping about Peyton Lite, but they ought to be enjoying team’s amped-up D. Indy has allowed, count ’em, 16 points in three games. That was one quarter against Colts’ old D. … Right. Like being on the road is going to bother the Colts. They’re 18-7 with pillow mints under Tony Dungy. … Steve McNair in five games vs. Colts: 95-for-143 (.664), 965 yards, five TDs, one interception, 94.3 passer rating. … Colts’ Oh not up to par overall, but Oh-line still gittin’ it done. Indy lone team in league with no sacks allowed. … Tenn RB Chris Brown, former CU star, posted two 100-yard efforts vs. Colts last season.
Prediction: Colts 27, Titans 19
Seattle at Washington
Time: 11 a.m., Redskins by 2
Last meeting: Redskins won 27-20 at Washington on Nov. 9, 2003
‘Skins coming off bye week after near-miraculous W at Dallas. … Washington D one of NFL’s most underrated units. ‘Skins allowed 258.5 total yards per, third in bid’ness but only slightly better than last season, when Wash allowed 268. … ‘Skins haven’t started 3-0 since 1991, during Joe Gibbs’ first rodeo. … Wash QB Mark Brunell completed two late TD tosses vs. Cowboys, but appears to be keeping seat warm for rookie Jason Campbell. … Seattle TB Shaun Alexander having typical bang-up season – 357 yards rushing, five TDs, both second in league. … ‘Hawks coach Mike Holmgren has beaten 29 of NFL’s 32 teams. ‘Skins, Texans, Colts the three he hasn’t beat.
Prediction: Seahawks 20, Redskins 18
Minnesota at Atlanta
Time: 2:15 p.m., Falcons by 6
Last meeting: Vikings won 39-26 at Atlanta on Oct. 5, 2003
Three weeks into the season and already we’ve seen a miracle. Vikings turned it over 12 times on their first 24 possessions, yet stand only minus-5 in turnovers. … Vikes showed pulse in last week’s 33-16 dubya vs. Saints, but now venture to Atlanta, where Falcons are averaging NFL-best 183.7 yards on the ground. … After considerable exhaustive research, we’ve determined Minn RB Mewelde Moore is best player in league named Mewelde. … Anyone’s list of underrated NFL players ought to include Atl’s Rod Coleman, whose three sacks are tied for second in league among DTs.
Prediction: Falcons 26, Vikings 23
Dallas at Oakland
Time: 2:15 p.m., Raiders by 3
Last meeting: Raiders won 28-21 at Oakland on Oct. 7, 2001
Nice encore, Al. Raiders 9-26 since their Super Bowl season in 2002. … Raiders 0-3, but can’t blame it on turnovers. They’re dead even, compared with plus-3 for Cowboys. … Raiders’ biggest problem? They’ve allowed almost 400 yards – 393.7 – per game. … Raiders acquired Randy Moss during offseason. So what happens to their offense? They spend most of their time dumping ball off to RB LaMont Jordan, who leads club with 16 catches. … Cowboys playing back half of Bay Area doubleheader, having won 34-31 last week at San Francisco. … For a guy who can’t outrun a Zamboni, Drew Bledsoe still getting it done – six TD passes, two INTs.
Prediction: Raiders 31, Cowboys 27
CAPSULES BY
JIM ARMSTRONG | THE DENVER POST
