Every week Charles Jay will select four games, offering analysis and picking a final score. Lines used are overnight lines, and are subject to change. ALL INFORMATION IS FOR ENTERTAINMENT PURPOSES ONLY. By CHARLES JAY, Editor/Publisher, TotalAction.com PRO FOOTBALL -- November 26, 2000 KANSAS CITY (-1) at SAN DIEGO -- The Chiefs, who still can't run the ball very well (3.4 ypc, 79 ypg), try to snap a three-game losing streak here. San Diego is even worse running the football (3.1 ypc, 70 ypg), and can't be entirely sure of getting a big performance from Ryan Leaf. But Kansas City has managed to get by, as far as they've gotten, on the strength of Elvis Grbac's big play abilities. And now Grbac appears out and Warren Moon appears in at QB. One thing about the Chargers - they have played hard every week, covering four of their last five game while losing by margins of ten, three, two, two, and one point. If absolute heartbreak was going to set in, it may have set in earlier in the schedule. Vets like Junior Seau are not likely to let that happen. And coach Mike Riley isn't going to stop working either. Teams can move through the air against San Diego, but they're not about to establish much of a running game (3.2 ypc allowed), so that's not going to be an option for the Grbac-less offense. And Chargers, who have demonstrated some pride, don't seem the likeliest candidate to go 0-16. Yes, Chiefs are desperate for a playoff spot. But Chargers likewise desperate to avoid the ignominy of the 1976 Tampa Bay Buccaneers. That may be as strong a "pull". FINAL SCORE: SAN DIEGO 24, KANSAS CITY 23 NEW ORLEANS (+13.5) at ST. LOUIS -- Conventional wisdom suggests that without Jeff Blake OR Ricky Williams in the lineup, the Saints couldn't possibly trade points here. Fair enough. And that New Orleans has indeed built its record against less-than-glittering opposition. Fair enough again. But Saints are also just a game out of the division lead. And Jim Haslett, who has proven to be a masterful motivator, will get all he can out of his club, in this NFC West showdown that was completely unexpected at the outset of the season. The St. Louis defense, or lack of same, makes any large impost difficult to cover - pedestrian attacks, like Seattle, San Diego, and Atlanta have put up numbers against it. Trent Green holds the ball entirely too long in the pocket, and could fall into hands of Saints' pass rush (49 sacks), which completely legit. If New Orleans can "slow things down", they've got a shot to stick around. FINAL SCORE: ST. LOUIS 27, NEW ORLEANS 19 NY GIANTS (-7) at ARIZONA -- Is there a real "home field advantage" for this Cardinal team that has covered just seven of its last 22 games at Sun Devil Stadium? Probably not. And even less so now that the so-so Dave Brown will have to step in under center in place of Jake Plummer. Arizona has been out-gained by 592 yards over the last three weeks - last week's score (34-9, to Philadelphia) finally reflected this kind of domination. The Cards can't rush the QB (17 sacks, and Rice and Wadsworth are hurting), have a sick running game (3.8 yards a carry), and have been out-rushed by 65 yards a game, which is a lot in the NFL. In fact, that disparity at the line of scrimmage is worse than any team in the NFL except Cleveland. The Giants, who have covered four of five on enemy ground this season, have had trouble in getting the job done against the better teams, but they're back down "below their level" again. FINAL SCORE: NY GIANTS 28, ARIZONA 17 ATLANTA (+11) at OAKLAND -- The Falcons have scored more than 20 points only against CFL-level defenses in San Francisco and St. Louis. And on grass they've been a tragedy (only 35 points in three games). It's enough to make Dan Reeves experiment a little, as he looks for some offensive answers. Fundamentals are on the side of the Raiders here. Rich Gannon has done a very good job of taking care of the football, and Raider corners are athletic enough to match up with Atlanta receivers who are off "fast track". Falcons have done a good job of shutting down the running game - unfortunately, it's their own. Reeves kept his team out West after last week's game in San Francisco, so it's not the same comfortable routine of preparation coming into this one. FINAL SCORE: OAKLAND 33, ATLANTA 14

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