"Raising Arizona" -- same title, two entirely different productions.

Roughly 20 years ago, the Coen Brothers produced a comedy about a screw-up family who kidnapped a baby in Arizona. The movie is now a cult classic, and its directors went on to win film's biggest prize -- the Oscar. Year after year we've heard about the new Coen Brother's flick, and year after year we finagle a seat to the show.

NFL Week 9

Week 9 action

Titans 19, Pack 16 (OT) -- Recap | Box
Cardinals 34, Rams 13 -- Recap | Box
Bears 27, Lions 23 -- Recap | Box
Bucs 30, Chiefs 27 (OT) -- Recap | Box
Jets 26, Bills 17 -- Recap | Box
Bengals 21, Jaguars 19 -- Recap | Box
Ravens 37, Browns 27 -- Recap | Box
Vikings 28, Texans 21 -- Recap | Box
Dolphins 26, Broncos 17 -- Recap | Box
Giants 35, Cowboys 14 -- Recap | Box
Eagles 26, Seahawks 7 -- Recap | Box
Falcons 24, Raiders 0 -- Recap | Box
Colts 18, Patriots 15 -- Recap | Box
Steelers 23, Redskins 6 -- Recap | Box


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Analysis

• Bradshaw: Titans-Giants Super Bowl?
• Marvez: Giants are NFL's best team
• Glazer: Jets rookie Gholston struggling

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Video

• Buck and Aikman on Cowboys-Giants
• Online OT: Complete NFL coverage

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Photos

• Week 9's best action
• Most injury-ravaged teams

Roughly 20 years ago, the Bidwell family unintentionally produced a comedy about a screw-up family who kidnapped a team in Arizona. Their Arizona Cardinals have been anything but classic since, and haven't even sniffed football's biggest prize -- the Lombardi Trophy. Year after year we've heard about how the Cardinals are everybody's sleeper team, and year after year we roll our eyes at the ridiculousness of those prognostications.

But just when everybody finally stopped dubbing the Cards their "sleeper," Ken Whisenhunt's team is now on its way to winning its first divisional crown since 1975. Or, since it's election day today, back when Gerald Ford was President.

Cardinals fans have to be jacked about their sudden reversal of fortune. For the longest time, watching their Big Red has been "Intolerable Cruelty." The Cards' box scores? "Burn After Reading." Matt Leinart, their quarterback of the future, has been "The Man Who Wasn't There." Fortunately, Kurt Warner has been there to remind us not to get too carried away with this "No Country For Old Men" B.S.

I mean, what's up with you, Kurt? You've gone from fumbling like it's 2004 to partying like it's 1999 again. Your Birds lead the league in points scored with 234. Who saw that coming? Sure, the 37-year-old ex-supermarket checker now has star wide receivers Anquan Boldin and Larry Fitzgerald bagging his groceries, but his 104.9 quarterback rating is still sick. Warner continued his stellar season when he returned to the Lou and torched his former team, the St. Louis Rams, for 342 yards and two touchdowns without committing a turnover. During a game where Dick Vermeil -- the coach who discovered Warner a decade ago -- was honored, it was fitting that his former QB turned in a vintage performance.

No player was a bigger part of that performance than Boldin. Broken sinus, broken schminus -- dude hasn't lost his nose for the ball. You know you are on fire when six receptions for 85 yards and a TD disgusts your fantasy owners (my old man was dissatisfied). Option No. 1-B, Fitzgerald, also continued to dominate, racking up six catches of his own and 81 yards.

The regularly scheduled 'Quan, Fitz and Warner program was somewhat interrupted, however, by rookie running back Tim Hightower's coming-out party. Seriously, I haven't seen a Hightower kick ass like that since Bubba Smith back in "Police Academy." With his 109 yards rushing, bruising style and bouncing dreads, he looked more like Steven Jackson than Steven Jackson Sunday. Hightower broke the rushing yardage century mark for the Cards for the first time since Edgerrin James did so back in Week 1, likely pushing Edge off the ledge in the process. Looks like "No Country for Old Men" still applies in certain instances.

The Big Red defense also stepped up. Adrian Wilson was his usual disruptive self, racking up six tackles, a sack and a forced fumble. Antrel Rolle had a huge 40-yard pick-six early in the game. Other than an early 80-yard bomb to some guy named Derek Stanley -- doesn't he sound like some kid who works for the Geek Squad? -- and a garbage-time TD to Torry Holt, the Cards' D got the best of Bulger, Jackson and the rest of the Rams' offense all Sunday long.

The Cardinals still committed a host of Cardinal sins, though. They got stuffed on the goal line trying to convert a QB sneak on 4th-and-1, were penalized 10 times and got power drilled deep by that Stanley TD. Nonetheless, if the Wiz behind the curtain can help his team shore up some of those problem areas, the Birds look poised for a strong finish. Five of their final eight games take place in the desert dome, and half of those contests are against struggling NFC West rivals. It only took two decades, but it finally looks like the Bidwells will soon be raising a divisional championship banner in Arizona. Suddenly, their black comedy has morphed into the NFL feel-good comedy of the year.

Around the League

AFC East: I've heard of dolphin-safe tuna, but Dolphin savior Tuna? Don't look now, but Bill Parcells has taken the Miami Dolphins from 1-15 last season to 4-4 and one game back in the division in half a season's time. Additionally, Joey Porter is on pace to eclipse Michael Strahan's sack record by the slightest of gaps (couldn't help it).
-- Full AFC East breakdown

AFC North: The Pittsburgh Steelers are playing the best ball in the AFC right now, but not because of Ben Roethlisberger. Honestly, losing Big Ben was no big loss Monday night. With Byron Leftwich now playing lights out, and Big Ben recently playing so poorly you'd rather keep the lights off, things could get interesting in the 'Burgh.
-- Full AFC North breakdown

AFC South: Matt Schaub, Rich Eisen is right -- you really look like Ben Affleck, down to the Homer Simpson-esque permanent five o'clock shadow. Too bad injuries seem to be taking your career down quicker than the original Bennifer fiasco cost Affleck his A-list status.
-- Full AFC South breakdown

AFC West: The best QB in the AFC West? Last Sunday, it was the Kansas City Chiefs' Tyler Thigpen by a mile. Seriously, it was Thiggy Smalls who looked like a former first-round pick, not JaMarcus Russell or Jay Cutler. Thigpen even had more yards receiving than Russell did passing. In other news, Philip Rivers spent his bye week in front of a mirror, practicing his obnoxious brand of smack.
-- Full AFC West breakdown

NFC East: Can we stop hearing about the overpaid, overplayed Dallas Cowboys and Washington Redskins now? Nobody outside of those teams' fan bases cares about T.O.'s melodrama or Clinton Portis' -- aka M. V. Puh-lease, his latest character -- supposed heroics. The New York Giants are the best team in this division right now and it's not even close.
-- Full NFC East breakdown

NFC North: Jared Allen started the season with just two sacks in his first five games, but the Purple People Drinker now has five in his last three. Fellow free agent find Bernard Berrian has also stepped up his game of late, scoring in each of his past four games and averaging over 100 yards per game during that span. Blow that horn, Zygi, it looks like your Minnesota Vikings spent your dough wisely.
-- Full NFC North breakdown

NFC South: How much flak do you think Ronde Barber caught for getting beat deep for six by a nobody signal caller? Despite how bad the Tampa Bay Buccaneers looked for most of last Sunday's game, they still managed to roll out of Arrowhead with a W. Great teams find a way to win games they have no business winning.
-- Full NFC South breakdown

NFC West: The Seattle Seahawks are probably the hardest team to watch in the NFL right now. All I can say is that it looked like the Philadelphia Eagles were more worried about who they were going to vote for once they got back to their battleground state of Pennsylvania than Seneca Wallace, yet they still manhandled the hapless 'Hawks at home.
-- Full NFC West breakdown

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