Thursday
Game: Seattle at Arizona
Pick: Seattle - While Seattle appears to be a completely different team on the road than they are at home, I like their chances when their physical secondary matches up with the turnover-prone Carson Palmer. I'll go with the Seahawks by two scores.
Result: Seattle 34 Arizona 22
Record: 1-0
Sunday
Game: Tampa Bay at Atlanta
Pick: Atlanta - The bye week should help Atlanta rebound from their recent string of disappointing losses to upend NFC South division foe Tampa. It also doesn't hurt that Tampa's 0-5 on the season. I like the Falcons by a couple of scores.
Result: Atlanta 31 Tampa Bay 23
Record: 2-0
Game: Cincinnati at Detroit
Pick: Detroit - I'm wavering on this pick. With the game in Detroit, though, and Cincinnati's offense being about as consistent as Mitt Romney, I give the Lions a slight advantage. Granted, if I hear news that Calvin Johnson and/or Reggie Bush may be too banged up to play, I may pull a Romney and pick the Bengals instead.
Result: Cincinnati 27 Detroit 24
Record: 2-1
Game: Buffalo at Miami
Pick: Miami - Buffalo has a lot of young firepower on offense, but are still a year or two away from becoming serious playoff contenders, I believe. Miami, coming off two disappointing losses, should be aided by their bye week and playing at home. As most of both teams' games have been, this should be close, but I like the Dolphins by one score.
Result: Buffalo 23 Miami 21
Record: 2-2
Game: New England at NY Jets
Pick: New England - The first of the two Patriots/Jets games is what has screwed up my thinking on the Patriots. That game was so ugly (especially on the Pats' end), even if the game had a mother, she wouldn't have been able to look at it and smile. When I finally started to pick the Pats, they lost to Cincinnati 13-6. When I picked against them the following week, they found a way to defeat then unbeaten New Orleans on a last-second touchdown. As messed up as my thinking is about them, though, they have shown signs of improvement on offense since their first meeting with the Jets, and the Jets are about as reliable on offense as a blind newspaper boy. Given that, I'll take the Pats by 10.
Result: NY Jets 30 New England 27 OT
Record: 2-3
Game: Dallas at Philadelphia
Pick: Dallas - If you're an NFC East fan, well, first of all, I'm sorry. However, if you are indeed an NFC East fan, then this is a big game right here, between the 3-3 division co-leaders. Philly has been fun to watch on offense, but the quarterback situation is up in the air at the moment, and even at 3-3, it's difficult to know a great deal about how good this team is. Their three wins have come against teams with a combined 1-15 record and their three losses have come against teams with a record of 15-3. Given that level of uncertainty and the fact Dallas has been much more consistent thus far, I give a slight edge to the Cowboys. I'll go with Dallas by one score.
Result: Dallas 17 Philadelphia 3
Record: 3-3
Game: Chicago at Washington
Pick: Chicago - This is an interesting game. Part of me still wants to go with Washington at home, especially if RGIII starts running again like he did against Dallas on Sunday night. However, even though the Bears have been struggling some, I have a hard time picking against them versus the 1-4 Redskins. So long as Jay Cutler doesn't do his best Eli Manning impression and turn the ball over a few times and Matt Forte is utilized in the running game, I like the Bears by a touchdown.
Result: Washington 45 Chicago 41
Record: 3-4
Game: St. Louis at Carolina
Pick: Carolina - St. Louis provided us with a WTF game this past Sunday, in defeating the Houston Texans 38-13. I was shocked because of how dominant the performance was, and also the fact the Rams hadn't been playing well in recent weeks. Even with that dominating performance, though, I give Carolina's underrated defense the edge against the young St. Louis offense. I like Carolina by one score in a relatively low-scoring game.
Result: Carolina 30 St. Louis 15
Record: 4-4
Game: San Diego at Jacksonville
Pick: San Diego - Unless San Diego turns the ball over five times like they did against Oakland and Jacksonville plays their best game of the year, I like the Chargers to improve to 4-3 with a relatively easy victory against the hapless Jaguars.
Result: San Diego 24 Jacksonville 6
Record: 5-4
Game: San Francisco at Tennessee
Pick: San Francisco - Tennessee is a pain-in-the-butt team, as I like to call them, and as Seattle can attest to following their 20-13 win over the Titans at home this past Sunday. The Titans are pretty solid on the defensive side of the ball, have a good offensive line and running game, and don't tend to turn the ball over very much, which makes them a difficult team to blow-out. If they found a way to win this game, I wouldn't be too surprised by it. However, the 49ers appear to be on their way back to being the team they were a year ago, on both sides of the ball, so I give them the advantage in this game. I like the 49ers by one score.
Result: San Francisco 31 Tennessee 17
Record: 6-4
Game: Cleveland at Green Bay
Pick: Green Bay - The Packers are a beat up team, especially on the offensive side of the ball. It may not be long now before Aaron Rodgers has to throw to his coaches. Even with that, though, the Packers have improved on defense and in the running game, and with this battle being at Lambeau Field, I have to give them the edge. Also, it doesn't hurt their chances any with Cleveland having Brandon Weeden at quarterback throwing underhand interceptions to the Packers defense. I'll go with the Packers by a couple of scores.
Result: Green Bay 31 Cleveland 13
Record: 7-4
Game: Houston at Kansas City
Pick: Kansas City - This game makes me nervous. I've been picking Houston all year, because let's face it - they were 22-10 in the previous couple of seasons, including 12-4 last year. All the pieces of the puzzle are there for the Texans to be a Super Bowl contender. However, with how poorly they've been playing of late, with starting quarterback Matt Schaub's status uncertain, and with the game being played in Arrowhead, I have to go with the 6-0 Chiefs. Unlike the Texans, the Chiefs don't tend to hurt themselves with turnovers, and no matter how much talent a team has, you can't win many games when you're turning the ball over as much as the Texans have. I'll go with the Chiefs by a pair of scores.
Result: Kansas City 17 Houston 16
Record: 8-4
Game: Baltimore at Pittsburgh
Pick: Pittsburgh - This is one of my favorite rivalries in the NFL. If you like hard-hitting, defense-dominated football games between two teams who like each other less than Congressional Republicans and Democrats, then you should love the battles between the Baltimore Ravens and the Pittsburgh Steelers. From my vantage point, I give the Steelers a slight edge in this one because of match-ups. Pittsburgh's strength on defense has been in their secondary, while Baltimore hasn't been very successful in the running game, which has forced quarterback Joe Flacco to throw the ball more than would be typical (and several interceptions along the way). With the game being at home, and the Steelers finally gaining some confidence with their win this past weekend against the Jets, I like for them to improve to 2-4 with a hard-fought win against the Ravens.
Result: Pittsburgh 19 Baltimore 16
Record: 9-4
Game: Denver at Indianapolis
Pick: Denver - The Indianapolis Colts appeared to come back to earth with their Monday night loss to San Diego. If their defense is able to step up in this game and their offense plays more efficiently, then I think they could match up fairly well with the very "average" Denver defense. However, that's two too many ifs for me, so I have to go with the Broncos by a couple of scores.
Result: Indianapolis 39 Denver 33
Record: 9-5
Monday
Game: Minnesota at NY Giants
Pick: NY Giants - Minnesota could very well blow out the Giants in this game. However, at 0-6, at home, and on national television, I have to believe Tom Coughlin's Giants will put on a better showing here than they've displayed recently (meaning all season). Who will be starting for Minnesota at quarterback is anyone's guess. Adrian Peterson may not be 100% focused given all he has had to endure off the field recently. For as poorly as the Giants have played this season, they have shown some improvement over the past couple of games and strangely enough, I have fewer questions about them than I do about the Vikings at this juncture. I'll go with Giants to win their first game and do so by one score.
Result: NY Giants 23 Minnesota 7
Record: 10-5
Week 7: 10-5 (.667)
Total: 67-40 (.626)
Game: Seattle at Arizona
Pick: Seattle - While Seattle appears to be a completely different team on the road than they are at home, I like their chances when their physical secondary matches up with the turnover-prone Carson Palmer. I'll go with the Seahawks by two scores.
Result: Seattle 34 Arizona 22
Record: 1-0
Sunday
Game: Tampa Bay at Atlanta
Pick: Atlanta - The bye week should help Atlanta rebound from their recent string of disappointing losses to upend NFC South division foe Tampa. It also doesn't hurt that Tampa's 0-5 on the season. I like the Falcons by a couple of scores.
Result: Atlanta 31 Tampa Bay 23
Record: 2-0
Game: Cincinnati at Detroit
Pick: Detroit - I'm wavering on this pick. With the game in Detroit, though, and Cincinnati's offense being about as consistent as Mitt Romney, I give the Lions a slight advantage. Granted, if I hear news that Calvin Johnson and/or Reggie Bush may be too banged up to play, I may pull a Romney and pick the Bengals instead.
Result: Cincinnati 27 Detroit 24
Record: 2-1
Game: Buffalo at Miami
Pick: Miami - Buffalo has a lot of young firepower on offense, but are still a year or two away from becoming serious playoff contenders, I believe. Miami, coming off two disappointing losses, should be aided by their bye week and playing at home. As most of both teams' games have been, this should be close, but I like the Dolphins by one score.
Result: Buffalo 23 Miami 21
Record: 2-2
Game: New England at NY Jets
Pick: New England - The first of the two Patriots/Jets games is what has screwed up my thinking on the Patriots. That game was so ugly (especially on the Pats' end), even if the game had a mother, she wouldn't have been able to look at it and smile. When I finally started to pick the Pats, they lost to Cincinnati 13-6. When I picked against them the following week, they found a way to defeat then unbeaten New Orleans on a last-second touchdown. As messed up as my thinking is about them, though, they have shown signs of improvement on offense since their first meeting with the Jets, and the Jets are about as reliable on offense as a blind newspaper boy. Given that, I'll take the Pats by 10.
Result: NY Jets 30 New England 27 OT
Record: 2-3
Game: Dallas at Philadelphia
Pick: Dallas - If you're an NFC East fan, well, first of all, I'm sorry. However, if you are indeed an NFC East fan, then this is a big game right here, between the 3-3 division co-leaders. Philly has been fun to watch on offense, but the quarterback situation is up in the air at the moment, and even at 3-3, it's difficult to know a great deal about how good this team is. Their three wins have come against teams with a combined 1-15 record and their three losses have come against teams with a record of 15-3. Given that level of uncertainty and the fact Dallas has been much more consistent thus far, I give a slight edge to the Cowboys. I'll go with Dallas by one score.
Result: Dallas 17 Philadelphia 3
Record: 3-3
Game: Chicago at Washington
Pick: Chicago - This is an interesting game. Part of me still wants to go with Washington at home, especially if RGIII starts running again like he did against Dallas on Sunday night. However, even though the Bears have been struggling some, I have a hard time picking against them versus the 1-4 Redskins. So long as Jay Cutler doesn't do his best Eli Manning impression and turn the ball over a few times and Matt Forte is utilized in the running game, I like the Bears by a touchdown.
Result: Washington 45 Chicago 41
Record: 3-4
Game: St. Louis at Carolina
Pick: Carolina - St. Louis provided us with a WTF game this past Sunday, in defeating the Houston Texans 38-13. I was shocked because of how dominant the performance was, and also the fact the Rams hadn't been playing well in recent weeks. Even with that dominating performance, though, I give Carolina's underrated defense the edge against the young St. Louis offense. I like Carolina by one score in a relatively low-scoring game.
Result: Carolina 30 St. Louis 15
Record: 4-4
Game: San Diego at Jacksonville
Pick: San Diego - Unless San Diego turns the ball over five times like they did against Oakland and Jacksonville plays their best game of the year, I like the Chargers to improve to 4-3 with a relatively easy victory against the hapless Jaguars.
Result: San Diego 24 Jacksonville 6
Record: 5-4
Game: San Francisco at Tennessee
Pick: San Francisco - Tennessee is a pain-in-the-butt team, as I like to call them, and as Seattle can attest to following their 20-13 win over the Titans at home this past Sunday. The Titans are pretty solid on the defensive side of the ball, have a good offensive line and running game, and don't tend to turn the ball over very much, which makes them a difficult team to blow-out. If they found a way to win this game, I wouldn't be too surprised by it. However, the 49ers appear to be on their way back to being the team they were a year ago, on both sides of the ball, so I give them the advantage in this game. I like the 49ers by one score.
Result: San Francisco 31 Tennessee 17
Record: 6-4
Game: Cleveland at Green Bay
Pick: Green Bay - The Packers are a beat up team, especially on the offensive side of the ball. It may not be long now before Aaron Rodgers has to throw to his coaches. Even with that, though, the Packers have improved on defense and in the running game, and with this battle being at Lambeau Field, I have to give them the edge. Also, it doesn't hurt their chances any with Cleveland having Brandon Weeden at quarterback throwing underhand interceptions to the Packers defense. I'll go with the Packers by a couple of scores.
Result: Green Bay 31 Cleveland 13
Record: 7-4
Game: Houston at Kansas City
Pick: Kansas City - This game makes me nervous. I've been picking Houston all year, because let's face it - they were 22-10 in the previous couple of seasons, including 12-4 last year. All the pieces of the puzzle are there for the Texans to be a Super Bowl contender. However, with how poorly they've been playing of late, with starting quarterback Matt Schaub's status uncertain, and with the game being played in Arrowhead, I have to go with the 6-0 Chiefs. Unlike the Texans, the Chiefs don't tend to hurt themselves with turnovers, and no matter how much talent a team has, you can't win many games when you're turning the ball over as much as the Texans have. I'll go with the Chiefs by a pair of scores.
Result: Kansas City 17 Houston 16
Record: 8-4
Game: Baltimore at Pittsburgh
Pick: Pittsburgh - This is one of my favorite rivalries in the NFL. If you like hard-hitting, defense-dominated football games between two teams who like each other less than Congressional Republicans and Democrats, then you should love the battles between the Baltimore Ravens and the Pittsburgh Steelers. From my vantage point, I give the Steelers a slight edge in this one because of match-ups. Pittsburgh's strength on defense has been in their secondary, while Baltimore hasn't been very successful in the running game, which has forced quarterback Joe Flacco to throw the ball more than would be typical (and several interceptions along the way). With the game being at home, and the Steelers finally gaining some confidence with their win this past weekend against the Jets, I like for them to improve to 2-4 with a hard-fought win against the Ravens.
Result: Pittsburgh 19 Baltimore 16
Record: 9-4
Game: Denver at Indianapolis
Pick: Denver - The Indianapolis Colts appeared to come back to earth with their Monday night loss to San Diego. If their defense is able to step up in this game and their offense plays more efficiently, then I think they could match up fairly well with the very "average" Denver defense. However, that's two too many ifs for me, so I have to go with the Broncos by a couple of scores.
Result: Indianapolis 39 Denver 33
Record: 9-5
Monday
Game: Minnesota at NY Giants
Pick: NY Giants - Minnesota could very well blow out the Giants in this game. However, at 0-6, at home, and on national television, I have to believe Tom Coughlin's Giants will put on a better showing here than they've displayed recently (meaning all season). Who will be starting for Minnesota at quarterback is anyone's guess. Adrian Peterson may not be 100% focused given all he has had to endure off the field recently. For as poorly as the Giants have played this season, they have shown some improvement over the past couple of games and strangely enough, I have fewer questions about them than I do about the Vikings at this juncture. I'll go with Giants to win their first game and do so by one score.
Result: NY Giants 23 Minnesota 7
Record: 10-5
Week 7: 10-5 (.667)
Total: 67-40 (.626)
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