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Arizona Cardinals: Quarterback is the major concern for the Cardinals as there is really no proven starter on the roster. Derek Anderson will likely be cut as soon as possible, leaving Max Hall and John Skelton to battle it out. The team will almost definitely acquire a veteran once free agency begins, with the most likely candidates Kevin Kolb from Philadelphia or Donovan McNabb. In addition, the team failed to address their offensive line in the draft which could be a source of problems this season.

6) Cleveland Browns – A.J. Green, Wide Receiver, Georgia

With this pick, the Browns have a choice between the best receiver and defensive back in this class. Green would likely be the pick as there is barely a number three receiver on the roster, let alone a number one. Second year quarterback Colt McCoy needs a weapon and Green is it. Also, the team went with a cornerback in the first round last year so they will likely want to address other positions now.

7) San Francisco 49ers – Patrick Peterson, Cornerback, LSU

Arizona Cardinals: The Arizona Cardinals self destructed after the loss of Kurt Warner, and need a new quarterback to lead the team in the future. The jury is still out on last year’s rookie John Skelton, but it is likely the Cardinals will look to address this issue at some point in the draft. When picking fifth in the first round, it is likely Arizona will not be able to look past Texas A&M outside linebacker Von Miller. He is a tremendous pass rusher and brings young legs to a unit whose starters are both 34 years old.

The San Francisco 49ers (5-8) and the San Diego Chargers (7-6) each kept their respective division title hopes alive with big wins on Sunday, and they now both hope to keep their momentum on a short week.

The NFL spread lists San Diego at -8.5 at home, with the betting total set at 44½.

The San Diego Chargers moved to within one game of the division leading Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC West by shutting out the Chiefs in a key head-to-head battle 31-0, and they now look to avoid the same fate that felled them the last time they hosted a Bay Area team here at Qualcomm, when they were shocked by the Raiders two weeks ago.

The Seattle Seahawks (6-6) used 31 unanswered points including 28 in the second half to overtake Carolina 31-14 last week while the San Francisco 49ers (4-8) fell 34-16 at Green Bay, which makes this game their season as a loss would eliminate them from playoff consideration.

The NFL latest line for this contest is San Francisco -5½ at home, with the betting total set at 41½.

The Seattle Seahawks looked great in the second half last week, although it was hard to tell how much of it was of their own doing, as the Panthers were seemingly missing tackles on every play. Can it be Carolina is more concerned with “earning” the top pick in the draft than they are with winning games?

Whoever scheduled this contest between the San Francisco 49ers (3-7) and the Arizona Cardinals (3-7) probably regrets that decision now, although in all fairness, both teams have underachieved badly and this game was seen as a potential battle for NFC West supremacy before the season started.

The NFL latest line for this contest is San Francisco –1 on the road, with the betting total set at 40.

The San Francisco 49ers dropped to 0-5 for the season with their home loss to the Eagles Sunday night, while the Oakland Raiders upset the Chargers, snapping a 13-game losing streak to San Diego.

Taking those two facts into account, the line on this game may fall into the “don’t make sense” category!

The NFL football odds list San Francisco -6½ at home, with the betting total set at 41.

Setting the oddity of this line aside for a minute, perhaps Mike Singletary should threaten to bench Alex Smith more often. Singletary announced last week that going forward, Smith would be evaluated on a “week-to-week basis”.

The San Francisco 49ers are now 0-4 after a heartbreaking loss at Atlanta last week in a game they led the entire way until the final seconds, while the Eagles lost both the game to Washington and quarterback Michael Vick last week, meaning they are going back to Kevin Kolb under center this week.

The bookmakers have set the NFL betting spread for this contest at San Francisco -3 at betting odds of -130, with the betting total set at 38.

This contest means a lot more to the San Francisco 49ers, who are trying to avoid an 0-4 start after being picked by many to win the NFC West this season, than it does to the 2-1 Atlanta Falcons, who are in a letdown spot after upsetting the Super Bowl Champion Saints on the road.

The bookmakers set the NFL spread on this contest at Atlanta -6½ at home, with the betting total set at 34.

The Atlanta Falcons had a great game plan against the Saints, that being to run the ball often in an attempt to run the clock, shorten the game and keep the New Orleans offense on the sideline. Well, mission accomplished!

A Look Back – The San Francisco 49ers have been the team of “what if” for the past few seasons. What if they had started QB Alex Smith all last season? What if Mike Nolan was fired at the outset of the year in 2008? What if the offensive line had kept Smith upright for the second half of the season? This year should be a lot better than “what if,” though, as the 49ers are heavy favorites to win the NFC West.