Thursday
Game: NY Jets at New England
Pick: New England - To their credit, the New York Jets, especially their defense, played better this past Sunday against Denver. However, when all was said and done, they still lost by 14, and Geno Smith threw another pick-six to seal his team's fate. On the other side of things, New England's once "dead" offense has come back to life these past two weeks and analysts whom were saying the Patriots were "done" are now backtracking and saying, "Oh, we were just kidding." With both teams appearing to head in opposite directions and with the game being in New England on a shortened workweek, I give the definite edge to the Pats in this one. I'll take New England by at least 10.
Result: New England 27 NY Jets 25
Record: 1-0
Sunday
Game: Atlanta at Baltimore
Pick: Baltimore - Speaking of appearing to head in opposite directions, that can be said of these two teams. Atlanta failed to pass Chicago's 30-yard line in their 14-point loss at home to the Bears this past weekend, while Baltimore scored so many times in the first half against Tampa Bay, the players put their kids into the game for the second half. With this game being in Baltimore, Atlanta's history of struggling on the road, and the before-mentioned trends I just discussed, I think the trends will continue and the Ravens will win by at least 10 at home.
Result: Baltimore 29 Atlanta 7
Record: 2-0
Game: Tennessee at Washington
Pick: Washington - Tennessee almost managed to blow another game last weekend, but managed to hang on for a 16-14 home win against winless Jacksonville. For as unimpressed as I've been with the Titans after their week 1 victory against the Chiefs, the only way I see them winning on the road against Washington is if Kirk Cousins decides to hand out a few presents like he did against the Giants and Cardinals in recent weeks. I think Cousins will hold off on his recent generosity and Washington should win this one by at least a touchdown.
Result: Washington 19 Tennessee 17
Record: 3-0
Game: Seattle at St. Louis
Pick: Seattle - Seattle may only be 10-8 on the road the past 2+ years, but after getting smacked around at home by Dallas on Sunday, chances are they're going to play angry much like New England did last week against Cincinnati. Due to that, I look for the Seahawks to play focused, angry, and get back to their winning ways with a two touchdown victory over the pesky Rams.
Result: St. Louis 28 Seattle 26
Record: 3-1
Game: Cleveland at Jacksonville
Pick: Cleveland - To be perfectly honest, the only time I might think about taking Jacksonville is when they square off with Tennessee at home - that is unless they pull off an upset prior to that point. With how well Cleveland is playing right now, though, I don't see much chance for that in this game. I'll go with the Browns by a couple of touchdowns.
Result: Jacksonville 24 Cleveland 6
Record: 3-2
Game: Cincinnati at Indianapolis
Pick: Indianapolis - This was a tough game for me to pick. When both teams are fully healthy, I think Cincinnati may be slightly better than Indianapolis. However, standout receiver A.J. Green will likely be unable to play for the second straight week and linebacker Vontez Burfict could face some disciplinary action by the league, so his status is currently up in the air as well. Indy, meanwhile, has played better defensively in recent weeks and Andrew Luck, in his third year, is finally putting up elite-caliber numbers. With the game at home, I'll give the slight edge to the Colts - Indy by 4.
Result: Indianapolis 27 Cincinnati 0
Record: 4-2
Game: Minnesota at Buffalo
Pick: Buffalo - Like with all rookie quarterbacks, Minnesota's Teddy Bridgewater will have plenty of ups and downs in his first year as a starter. While he lit up Atlanta's less than stellar defense (to be kind) in his first start, he got lit up by Detroit's suddenly great defense in his second. Unfortunately for him, Buffalo's defense is more similar to Detroit's than Atlanta's, and with the game on the road and the Bills' defenders licking their chops, I give the advantage to the home team. I'll go with Buffalo by 4.
Result: Buffalo 17 Minnesota 16
Record: 5-2
Game: Miami at Chicago
Pick: Chicago - Both these teams make me nervous. Miami seems to always play games which come down to the last second and are decided by a couple of points. Chicago, meanwhile, can't seem to decide whether to be the league's worst defense or to be opportunistic and whether to be an explosive offense or a turnover-prone one. With the game at home, I suppose I'll go with the talented offensive unit of the Bears over the Dolphins by a touchdown.
Result: Miami 27 Chicago 14
Record: 5-3
Game: New Orleans at Detroit
Pick: New Orleans - This shouldn't have been a difficult decision for me to make, but it was. Even though New Orleans has been awful on the road over the past year, they've had an explosive offense for a number of years, have yet to hit their stride on that side of the ball, and are coming off a bye week. Detroit, meanwhile, will again be without wideout Calvin Johnson, which has definitely limited them offensively at times this season. However, with the game at home, New Orleans being a historically bad road team, and the belief that good defense beats good offense, I'll go with the Lions - Detroit by 4. UPDATE: With Calvin Johnson not playing for the Lions and Jimmy Graham going for the Saints, I'm going to reverse my pick and take the well-rested New Orleans Saints by a field goal to even their record at 3-3.
Result: Detroit 24 New Orleans 23
Record: 5-4
Game: Carolina at Green Bay
Pick: Carolina - This was the toughest game for me to pick. I typically hate picking against Aaron Rodgers, especially at home. However, Green Bay's defense isn't anything special, they haven't had much of a running game this year, and Carolina's defense is due to get back on track at some point, I have to imagine. Also, for the first time this season, Panthers quarterback Cam Newton looked like his old self this past Sunday against the Bengals, which will make the team more efficient at running the ball, and that will open up the passing game. Although this pick makes me nervous, I'm going to take the Panthers in an upset over the Packers at Lambeau by a field goal.
Result: Green Bay 38 Carolina 17
Record: 5-5
Game: Kansas City at San Diego
Pick: Kansas City - San Diego quarterback Phillip Rivers has played lights out this year, yet even then, the Chargers almost lost to winless Oakland this past weekend. Kansas City is coming off a dominating victory over New England and a bye week, so they've had two weeks to prepare for this game. It's also allowed Jamal Charles and some other players another week to get fully healthy. With the Chiefs starting to finally resemble the team that started off 9-0 a year ago, I'm going to take the well-rested road team in this one - Kansas City by 4.
Result: Kansas City 23 San Diego 20
Record: 6-5
Game: Arizona at Oakland
Pick: Arizona - Oakland played their best game of the season on Sunday against San Diego and still found a way to lose by a field goal. Carson Palmer surprisingly came back for Arizona and got them back on track with a win against Washington. I expect Oakland to keep it close for a little while, but have to believe the Cardinals defense will get to rookie quarterback Derek Carr enough to force turnovers, which should be enough for the win. I'm taking Arizona by 6.
Result: Arizona 24 Oakland 13
Record: 7-5
Game: NY Giants at Dallas
Pick: Dallas - Would the real New York Giants please stand up? Please stand up? Please stand up? In their three losses, the Giants have been outscored 87-28 (average of 29.0 - 9.3 = 19.7). In their three wins, they've outscored their opponents 105-51 (average of 35.0 - 17.0 = 18.0). It's like they can't decide whether they want to have a top 5 draft pick or play in the NFC Championship game. Well, after losing wideout Victor Cruz and the fact they're playing the hottest team in football on the road, I'm guessing they'll play more like the former than the latter. I'll go with the Cowboys by 10.
Result: Dallas 31 NY Giants 21
Record: 8-5
Game: San Francisco at Denver
Pick: San Francisco - While Denver has looked better on defense this year, their offense hasn't clicked as much as it did a year ago, largely due to the lack of a running game. With the 49ers great front seven, I look for that trend to continue in this game. Also, while the Broncos defense has improved, their only loss this year came at the hands of dual-threat quarterback Russell Wilson and Seattle. San Francisco's Colin Kaepernick, while struggling early in the season, has played much better of late, largely due to the team becoming a run-first offense again and getting a healthy Vernon Davis back on the field. Taking all these things into consideration, I look for the suddenly resurgent 49ers to continue their winning ways with a huge road victory against the Broncos. I'm going with San Francisco by 3.
Result: Denver 42 San Francisco 17
Record: 8-6
Monday
Game: Houston at Pittsburgh
Pick: Houston - With both teams at 3-3 heading into this game, it's a huge game for both. Pittsburgh's finding themselves looking up at Cincinnati, Baltimore, and even Cleveland in the AFC North. Houston is only looking up at Indianapolis, but with the Colts playing as well as they are and already beating the Texans once head-to-head, they don't want to lose any more ground than they already have. While Houston's offense makes me nervous at times, though, both Pittsburgh's offense and defense makes me nervous, and with J.J. Watt being the beast that he is, I have a hunch he'll cause some problems for Pittsburgh's offensive line, as well as Ben Roethlisberger. I'll take the Texans by a field goal.
Result: Pittsburgh 30 Houston 23
Record: 8-7
Week 7 Record: 8-7 (.533)
Overall Record: 66-39-1 (.629)
Game: NY Jets at New England
Pick: New England - To their credit, the New York Jets, especially their defense, played better this past Sunday against Denver. However, when all was said and done, they still lost by 14, and Geno Smith threw another pick-six to seal his team's fate. On the other side of things, New England's once "dead" offense has come back to life these past two weeks and analysts whom were saying the Patriots were "done" are now backtracking and saying, "Oh, we were just kidding." With both teams appearing to head in opposite directions and with the game being in New England on a shortened workweek, I give the definite edge to the Pats in this one. I'll take New England by at least 10.
Result: New England 27 NY Jets 25
Record: 1-0
Sunday
Game: Atlanta at Baltimore
Pick: Baltimore - Speaking of appearing to head in opposite directions, that can be said of these two teams. Atlanta failed to pass Chicago's 30-yard line in their 14-point loss at home to the Bears this past weekend, while Baltimore scored so many times in the first half against Tampa Bay, the players put their kids into the game for the second half. With this game being in Baltimore, Atlanta's history of struggling on the road, and the before-mentioned trends I just discussed, I think the trends will continue and the Ravens will win by at least 10 at home.
Result: Baltimore 29 Atlanta 7
Record: 2-0
Game: Tennessee at Washington
Pick: Washington - Tennessee almost managed to blow another game last weekend, but managed to hang on for a 16-14 home win against winless Jacksonville. For as unimpressed as I've been with the Titans after their week 1 victory against the Chiefs, the only way I see them winning on the road against Washington is if Kirk Cousins decides to hand out a few presents like he did against the Giants and Cardinals in recent weeks. I think Cousins will hold off on his recent generosity and Washington should win this one by at least a touchdown.
Result: Washington 19 Tennessee 17
Record: 3-0
Game: Seattle at St. Louis
Pick: Seattle - Seattle may only be 10-8 on the road the past 2+ years, but after getting smacked around at home by Dallas on Sunday, chances are they're going to play angry much like New England did last week against Cincinnati. Due to that, I look for the Seahawks to play focused, angry, and get back to their winning ways with a two touchdown victory over the pesky Rams.
Result: St. Louis 28 Seattle 26
Record: 3-1
Game: Cleveland at Jacksonville
Pick: Cleveland - To be perfectly honest, the only time I might think about taking Jacksonville is when they square off with Tennessee at home - that is unless they pull off an upset prior to that point. With how well Cleveland is playing right now, though, I don't see much chance for that in this game. I'll go with the Browns by a couple of touchdowns.
Result: Jacksonville 24 Cleveland 6
Record: 3-2
Game: Cincinnati at Indianapolis
Pick: Indianapolis - This was a tough game for me to pick. When both teams are fully healthy, I think Cincinnati may be slightly better than Indianapolis. However, standout receiver A.J. Green will likely be unable to play for the second straight week and linebacker Vontez Burfict could face some disciplinary action by the league, so his status is currently up in the air as well. Indy, meanwhile, has played better defensively in recent weeks and Andrew Luck, in his third year, is finally putting up elite-caliber numbers. With the game at home, I'll give the slight edge to the Colts - Indy by 4.
Result: Indianapolis 27 Cincinnati 0
Record: 4-2
Game: Minnesota at Buffalo
Pick: Buffalo - Like with all rookie quarterbacks, Minnesota's Teddy Bridgewater will have plenty of ups and downs in his first year as a starter. While he lit up Atlanta's less than stellar defense (to be kind) in his first start, he got lit up by Detroit's suddenly great defense in his second. Unfortunately for him, Buffalo's defense is more similar to Detroit's than Atlanta's, and with the game on the road and the Bills' defenders licking their chops, I give the advantage to the home team. I'll go with Buffalo by 4.
Result: Buffalo 17 Minnesota 16
Record: 5-2
Game: Miami at Chicago
Pick: Chicago - Both these teams make me nervous. Miami seems to always play games which come down to the last second and are decided by a couple of points. Chicago, meanwhile, can't seem to decide whether to be the league's worst defense or to be opportunistic and whether to be an explosive offense or a turnover-prone one. With the game at home, I suppose I'll go with the talented offensive unit of the Bears over the Dolphins by a touchdown.
Result: Miami 27 Chicago 14
Record: 5-3
Game: New Orleans at Detroit
Pick: New Orleans - This shouldn't have been a difficult decision for me to make, but it was. Even though New Orleans has been awful on the road over the past year, they've had an explosive offense for a number of years, have yet to hit their stride on that side of the ball, and are coming off a bye week. Detroit, meanwhile, will again be without wideout Calvin Johnson, which has definitely limited them offensively at times this season. However, with the game at home, New Orleans being a historically bad road team, and the belief that good defense beats good offense, I'll go with the Lions - Detroit by 4. UPDATE: With Calvin Johnson not playing for the Lions and Jimmy Graham going for the Saints, I'm going to reverse my pick and take the well-rested New Orleans Saints by a field goal to even their record at 3-3.
Result: Detroit 24 New Orleans 23
Record: 5-4
Game: Carolina at Green Bay
Pick: Carolina - This was the toughest game for me to pick. I typically hate picking against Aaron Rodgers, especially at home. However, Green Bay's defense isn't anything special, they haven't had much of a running game this year, and Carolina's defense is due to get back on track at some point, I have to imagine. Also, for the first time this season, Panthers quarterback Cam Newton looked like his old self this past Sunday against the Bengals, which will make the team more efficient at running the ball, and that will open up the passing game. Although this pick makes me nervous, I'm going to take the Panthers in an upset over the Packers at Lambeau by a field goal.
Result: Green Bay 38 Carolina 17
Record: 5-5
Game: Kansas City at San Diego
Pick: Kansas City - San Diego quarterback Phillip Rivers has played lights out this year, yet even then, the Chargers almost lost to winless Oakland this past weekend. Kansas City is coming off a dominating victory over New England and a bye week, so they've had two weeks to prepare for this game. It's also allowed Jamal Charles and some other players another week to get fully healthy. With the Chiefs starting to finally resemble the team that started off 9-0 a year ago, I'm going to take the well-rested road team in this one - Kansas City by 4.
Result: Kansas City 23 San Diego 20
Record: 6-5
Game: Arizona at Oakland
Pick: Arizona - Oakland played their best game of the season on Sunday against San Diego and still found a way to lose by a field goal. Carson Palmer surprisingly came back for Arizona and got them back on track with a win against Washington. I expect Oakland to keep it close for a little while, but have to believe the Cardinals defense will get to rookie quarterback Derek Carr enough to force turnovers, which should be enough for the win. I'm taking Arizona by 6.
Result: Arizona 24 Oakland 13
Record: 7-5
Game: NY Giants at Dallas
Pick: Dallas - Would the real New York Giants please stand up? Please stand up? Please stand up? In their three losses, the Giants have been outscored 87-28 (average of 29.0 - 9.3 = 19.7). In their three wins, they've outscored their opponents 105-51 (average of 35.0 - 17.0 = 18.0). It's like they can't decide whether they want to have a top 5 draft pick or play in the NFC Championship game. Well, after losing wideout Victor Cruz and the fact they're playing the hottest team in football on the road, I'm guessing they'll play more like the former than the latter. I'll go with the Cowboys by 10.
Result: Dallas 31 NY Giants 21
Record: 8-5
Game: San Francisco at Denver
Pick: San Francisco - While Denver has looked better on defense this year, their offense hasn't clicked as much as it did a year ago, largely due to the lack of a running game. With the 49ers great front seven, I look for that trend to continue in this game. Also, while the Broncos defense has improved, their only loss this year came at the hands of dual-threat quarterback Russell Wilson and Seattle. San Francisco's Colin Kaepernick, while struggling early in the season, has played much better of late, largely due to the team becoming a run-first offense again and getting a healthy Vernon Davis back on the field. Taking all these things into consideration, I look for the suddenly resurgent 49ers to continue their winning ways with a huge road victory against the Broncos. I'm going with San Francisco by 3.
Result: Denver 42 San Francisco 17
Record: 8-6
Monday
Game: Houston at Pittsburgh
Pick: Houston - With both teams at 3-3 heading into this game, it's a huge game for both. Pittsburgh's finding themselves looking up at Cincinnati, Baltimore, and even Cleveland in the AFC North. Houston is only looking up at Indianapolis, but with the Colts playing as well as they are and already beating the Texans once head-to-head, they don't want to lose any more ground than they already have. While Houston's offense makes me nervous at times, though, both Pittsburgh's offense and defense makes me nervous, and with J.J. Watt being the beast that he is, I have a hunch he'll cause some problems for Pittsburgh's offensive line, as well as Ben Roethlisberger. I'll take the Texans by a field goal.
Result: Pittsburgh 30 Houston 23
Record: 8-7
Week 7 Record: 8-7 (.533)
Overall Record: 66-39-1 (.629)
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