Thursday
Game: NY Giants at Washington
Pick: Washington - Even though the Giants won their first game this past weekend, they still did everything in their power to keep Houston in the contest by turning the ball over. Washington, meanwhile, has scored 75 points in their past two games, and with quarterback Kirk Cousins on a roll and with the game at home, I like for the 'Skins to win this one by a touchdown.
Result: NY Giants 45 Washington 14
Record: 0-1
Sunday
Game: Green Bay at Chicago
Pick: Green Bay - Perhaps I've been giving the Packers too much credit to this point in the season, but I have to believe they're a better team than their 1-2 record indicates, and with Aaron Rodgers going up against the "mediocre" (being nice again) Bears defense in an effort to prevent his team from starting 1-3, I have to like those odds. I'll take Green Bay by 4.
Result: Green Bay 38 Chicago 17
Record: 1-1
Game; Buffalo at Houston
Pick: Buffalo - With Arian Foster's health issues, to put it simply, I just trust Buffalo's young, but talented offense more so than Houston's. So long as E.J. Manuel doesn't turn the ball over, I think his Bills will bounce back from their disappointing 22-10 loss to San Diego to win a tough road game. I'll take Buffalo by a field goal.
Result: Houston 23 Buffalo 17
Record: 1-2
Game: Tennessee at Indianapolis
Pick: Indianapolis - After surprisingly winning at Arrowhead by a 26-10 count in week 1, Tennessee has been outscored 59-17 in their past two games, and I don't look for that trend to end this weekend on the road in Indy. After losing two tough contests to Denver and Philadelphia, the Colts' schedule has lightened up some with the likes of Jacksonville and now Tennessee. Look for Andrew Luck to lead his Colts to a 2-2 record with at least a two touchdown victory in this one.
Result: Indianapolis 41 Tennessee 17
Record: 2-2
Game: Carolina at Baltimore
Pick: Carolina - Baltimore was lucky to come out of Cleveland with a win this past Sunday. Carolina, meanwhile, self-destructed against Pittsburgh, which will result in them being angry and taking it out on the Ravens this coming weekend. I look for the Panthers, especially their defense, to bounce back and win a big road game in this one. I'll take Carolina by 3.
Result: Baltimore 38 Carolina 10
Record: 2-3
Game: Detroit at NY Jets
Pick: NY Jets - The sample size is small, but in their two home games, Detroit is 2-0 and has outscored their opponents 54-21 (NY Giants and Green Bay). They're 0-1 on the road, and were outscored 24-7 there (Carolina). Geno Smith and his Jets have been a much better home than road team over the past couple of years, and with Lions middle linebacker Stephen Tulloch out for the season with a knee injury, I look for the Jets to exploit that critical absence in the run game. This will lead to a time of possession advantage for the team, which will lead to Matthew Stafford making some mistakes, as he's been prone to do in the past, and through that, lead to the Jets pulling off a 3-point victory.
Result: Detroit 24 NY Jets 17
Record: 2-4
Game: Tampa Bay at Pittsburgh
Pick: Pittsburgh - With how Tampa Bay played on Thursday, I'll be hard-pressed to pick them anytime soon. The Steelers, meanwhile, bounced back in a big way, both offensively and defensively, in their big Sunday night win against Carolina. Look for those trends to continue in this one. I'll take the Steelers by at least 10.
Result: Tampa Bay 27 Pittsburgh 24
Record: 2-5
Game: Miami vs. Oakland (in London)
Pick: Miami - One of the NFL's greatest mysteries these past two seasons has been the Miami Dolphins, who finished 8-8 a year ago, and after beating AFC East favorite New England 23-10 in week 1 of the season, have been outscored 63-25 against Buffalo and previously winless Kansas City. Oakland is 0-3, yet played New England tough this past weekend. Even though the Dolphins have been stinking the place up, I'll give them the slight edge over Oakland in London. I'll go with Miami by 4.
Result: Miami 38 Oakland 14
Record: 3-5
Game: Jacksonville at San Diego
Pick: San Diego - After beating previously unbeaten Seattle and Buffalo by the score of 52-31, it can be said that San Diego is one of the hottest teams in the NFL right now. The same cannot be said of Jacksonville, who's 0-3, and looking forward to another top 5 draft pick. I'll take the Chargers by at least two scores.
Result: San Diego 33 Jacksonville 14
Record: 4-5
Game: Atlanta at Minnesota
Pick: Atlanta - This was actually a more difficult pick for me than it probably will be for most. While Atlanta's offense has looked great in two of their three games, the one week where it sputtered was against Cincinnati, and that's exactly where new Vikings head coach Don Zimmer was last season (on the defensive end). Also, even without Adrian Peterson at tailback, Atlanta's suspect defense will likely allow a big play here and there (and not get much pressure on Minnesota's quarterback). Even when taking all of that into consideration, however, I still have to believe that Atlanta's explosive offense will generate enough point to successfully counter Vikings rookie quarterback Teddy Bridgewater and company. I'll take Atlanta by 4.
Result: Minnesota 41 Atlanta 28
Record: 4-6
Game: Philadelphia at San Francisco
Pick: San Francisco - The 49ers have had a very strange season thus far. They're basically 0-0, were handed the game against Dallas, and gave the games away against Chicago and Arizona. They'll now need to beat 3-0 Philadelphia at home to avoid a three-game losing streak and falling to 1-3 in the process. Philly is a very explosive, fun team to watch, but they've yet to square off against a defense like San Francisco's, especially on the road. The Eagles' defense is still suspect as well, so unless Colin Kaepernick and company decide to throw away yet another game, I like the 49ers to end their skid with a 7-point victory at home in this one.
Result: San Francisco 26 Philadelphia 21
Record: 5-6
Game: New Orleans at Dallas
Pick: New Orleans - To be perfectly honest, I should probably go with Dallas in this one. The game is at home, New Orleans' defense has been suspect (to be kind) this year, their offense hasn't gelled yet, and they've been a fairly average road team in recent years. However, my gut is telling me that Dallas will find a way to even out at .500 yet again, as they've had a tendency to do over these past 5-10 years, and that New Orleans will find a way to avoid being 1-3 to start this season. Seeing Dallas at 3-1 and New Orleans at 1-3 just doesn't look right, does it? So, I'll go with my gut over logic in this one and take the Saints by a field goal.
Result: Dallas 38 New Orleans 17
Record: 5-7
Monday
Game: New England at Kansas City
Pick: New England - The Patriots may be 2-1, but they certainly haven't looked like it. Their offensive line has frustrated Tom Brady more than being mechanically sound frustrates Tim Tebow. Even so, I have to expect the Pats' offense to start clicking better in the coming weeks and to yet again, find a way to win ugly in this one. I'll take the Patriots by 3.
Result: Kansas City 41 New England 14
Record: 5-8
Week 4 Record: 5-8 (.385)
Overall Record: 35-26 (.574)
Game: NY Giants at Washington
Pick: Washington - Even though the Giants won their first game this past weekend, they still did everything in their power to keep Houston in the contest by turning the ball over. Washington, meanwhile, has scored 75 points in their past two games, and with quarterback Kirk Cousins on a roll and with the game at home, I like for the 'Skins to win this one by a touchdown.
Result: NY Giants 45 Washington 14
Record: 0-1
Sunday
Game: Green Bay at Chicago
Pick: Green Bay - Perhaps I've been giving the Packers too much credit to this point in the season, but I have to believe they're a better team than their 1-2 record indicates, and with Aaron Rodgers going up against the "mediocre" (being nice again) Bears defense in an effort to prevent his team from starting 1-3, I have to like those odds. I'll take Green Bay by 4.
Result: Green Bay 38 Chicago 17
Record: 1-1
Game; Buffalo at Houston
Pick: Buffalo - With Arian Foster's health issues, to put it simply, I just trust Buffalo's young, but talented offense more so than Houston's. So long as E.J. Manuel doesn't turn the ball over, I think his Bills will bounce back from their disappointing 22-10 loss to San Diego to win a tough road game. I'll take Buffalo by a field goal.
Result: Houston 23 Buffalo 17
Record: 1-2
Game: Tennessee at Indianapolis
Pick: Indianapolis - After surprisingly winning at Arrowhead by a 26-10 count in week 1, Tennessee has been outscored 59-17 in their past two games, and I don't look for that trend to end this weekend on the road in Indy. After losing two tough contests to Denver and Philadelphia, the Colts' schedule has lightened up some with the likes of Jacksonville and now Tennessee. Look for Andrew Luck to lead his Colts to a 2-2 record with at least a two touchdown victory in this one.
Result: Indianapolis 41 Tennessee 17
Record: 2-2
Game: Carolina at Baltimore
Pick: Carolina - Baltimore was lucky to come out of Cleveland with a win this past Sunday. Carolina, meanwhile, self-destructed against Pittsburgh, which will result in them being angry and taking it out on the Ravens this coming weekend. I look for the Panthers, especially their defense, to bounce back and win a big road game in this one. I'll take Carolina by 3.
Result: Baltimore 38 Carolina 10
Record: 2-3
Game: Detroit at NY Jets
Pick: NY Jets - The sample size is small, but in their two home games, Detroit is 2-0 and has outscored their opponents 54-21 (NY Giants and Green Bay). They're 0-1 on the road, and were outscored 24-7 there (Carolina). Geno Smith and his Jets have been a much better home than road team over the past couple of years, and with Lions middle linebacker Stephen Tulloch out for the season with a knee injury, I look for the Jets to exploit that critical absence in the run game. This will lead to a time of possession advantage for the team, which will lead to Matthew Stafford making some mistakes, as he's been prone to do in the past, and through that, lead to the Jets pulling off a 3-point victory.
Result: Detroit 24 NY Jets 17
Record: 2-4
Game: Tampa Bay at Pittsburgh
Pick: Pittsburgh - With how Tampa Bay played on Thursday, I'll be hard-pressed to pick them anytime soon. The Steelers, meanwhile, bounced back in a big way, both offensively and defensively, in their big Sunday night win against Carolina. Look for those trends to continue in this one. I'll take the Steelers by at least 10.
Result: Tampa Bay 27 Pittsburgh 24
Record: 2-5
Game: Miami vs. Oakland (in London)
Pick: Miami - One of the NFL's greatest mysteries these past two seasons has been the Miami Dolphins, who finished 8-8 a year ago, and after beating AFC East favorite New England 23-10 in week 1 of the season, have been outscored 63-25 against Buffalo and previously winless Kansas City. Oakland is 0-3, yet played New England tough this past weekend. Even though the Dolphins have been stinking the place up, I'll give them the slight edge over Oakland in London. I'll go with Miami by 4.
Result: Miami 38 Oakland 14
Record: 3-5
Game: Jacksonville at San Diego
Pick: San Diego - After beating previously unbeaten Seattle and Buffalo by the score of 52-31, it can be said that San Diego is one of the hottest teams in the NFL right now. The same cannot be said of Jacksonville, who's 0-3, and looking forward to another top 5 draft pick. I'll take the Chargers by at least two scores.
Result: San Diego 33 Jacksonville 14
Record: 4-5
Game: Atlanta at Minnesota
Pick: Atlanta - This was actually a more difficult pick for me than it probably will be for most. While Atlanta's offense has looked great in two of their three games, the one week where it sputtered was against Cincinnati, and that's exactly where new Vikings head coach Don Zimmer was last season (on the defensive end). Also, even without Adrian Peterson at tailback, Atlanta's suspect defense will likely allow a big play here and there (and not get much pressure on Minnesota's quarterback). Even when taking all of that into consideration, however, I still have to believe that Atlanta's explosive offense will generate enough point to successfully counter Vikings rookie quarterback Teddy Bridgewater and company. I'll take Atlanta by 4.
Result: Minnesota 41 Atlanta 28
Record: 4-6
Game: Philadelphia at San Francisco
Pick: San Francisco - The 49ers have had a very strange season thus far. They're basically 0-0, were handed the game against Dallas, and gave the games away against Chicago and Arizona. They'll now need to beat 3-0 Philadelphia at home to avoid a three-game losing streak and falling to 1-3 in the process. Philly is a very explosive, fun team to watch, but they've yet to square off against a defense like San Francisco's, especially on the road. The Eagles' defense is still suspect as well, so unless Colin Kaepernick and company decide to throw away yet another game, I like the 49ers to end their skid with a 7-point victory at home in this one.
Result: San Francisco 26 Philadelphia 21
Record: 5-6
Game: New Orleans at Dallas
Pick: New Orleans - To be perfectly honest, I should probably go with Dallas in this one. The game is at home, New Orleans' defense has been suspect (to be kind) this year, their offense hasn't gelled yet, and they've been a fairly average road team in recent years. However, my gut is telling me that Dallas will find a way to even out at .500 yet again, as they've had a tendency to do over these past 5-10 years, and that New Orleans will find a way to avoid being 1-3 to start this season. Seeing Dallas at 3-1 and New Orleans at 1-3 just doesn't look right, does it? So, I'll go with my gut over logic in this one and take the Saints by a field goal.
Result: Dallas 38 New Orleans 17
Record: 5-7
Monday
Game: New England at Kansas City
Pick: New England - The Patriots may be 2-1, but they certainly haven't looked like it. Their offensive line has frustrated Tom Brady more than being mechanically sound frustrates Tim Tebow. Even so, I have to expect the Pats' offense to start clicking better in the coming weeks and to yet again, find a way to win ugly in this one. I'll take the Patriots by 3.
Result: Kansas City 41 New England 14
Record: 5-8
Week 4 Record: 5-8 (.385)
Overall Record: 35-26 (.574)
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