Thursday
Game: San Diego at Denver
Pick: Denver - For as well as both teams have played to this point in the season, it really is a shame neither will get a full week to prepare for the other - especially the road team. Due to the shortened week and travels, I'm going to give the slight edge to the hometown Broncos. I'll take Denver by a touchdown.
Result: Denver 35 San Diego 21
Record: 1-0
Sunday
Game: Detroit vs. Atlanta (in London)
Pick: Detroit - Atlanta may be listed as the home team on ESPN.com, but the game is actually being played at Wembley in London, and as I've learned, if the Falcons aren't playing at home, the odds are not in their favor of winning the game. For as beat up as their offensive line has been, I have a hard time seeing the Falcons having a great deal of success against the stout Lions defense. Also, while Detroit's offense hasn't met expectations to this point in the season, they haven't played many defenses as bad as Atlanta's. I'll take the Lions by at least a touchdown.
Result: Detroit 22 Atlanta 21
Record: 2-0
Game: St. Louis at Kansas City
Pick: Kansas City - St. Louis is a very pesky team, but due to injuries, they've been limited this year on both sides of the ball, and I highly doubt the Chiefs will let the Rams get away with as much trickery as they got away with against Seattle this past weekend. With the game at Arrowhead and the Chiefs playing better of late, I'll go with them by a touchdown.
Result: Kansas City 34 St. Louis 7
Record: 3-0
Game: Houston at Tennessee
Pick: Houston - Houston's offense makes me nervous at times, especially if they're forced to throw the football, being led by Ryan Fitzpatrick. However, I'd be even more nervous if I were Tennessee's offense in this one, for they're not sure if they'll be led by Jake Locker or Charlie Whitehurst, and know J.J. Watt is on the other side. Arien Foster and Andre Johnson should be able to provide just enough spark for the Texans offense to vault them to a 4-point win on the road.
Result: Houston 30 Tennessee 16
Record: 4-0
Game: Minnesota at Tampa Bay
Pick: Tampa Bay - I really don't want to pick Tampa, arguably one of the worst teams in all of the NFL. However, while the Bucs have gotten blown out twice this year against the likes of Atlanta and Baltimore, they have been quite competitive against the likes of Carolina, St. Louis, and New Orleans, and even beat Pittsburgh. With the game at home and coming off a bye week, I'm going to give the ever so slightest of edges to Tampa. The main reason for this is Minnesota's offense. After starting the year off with a convincing 34-6 win over St. Louis, the Vikings have lost 5 of 6, and in those 5 losses, have scored a total of just 45 points (average of 9.0 per game). I don't care how bad Tampa is, if they can continue the bad trend for Minnesota's offense, they should come out with a W. I'll take the Bucs by 3.
Result: Minnesota 19 Tampa Bay 13 OT
Record: 4-1
Game: Seattle at Carolina
Pick: Seattle - In my opinion, Carolina's defense is the most disappointing defense to this point in the season. They were near dominant a year ago, but have seemingly lost it. Seattle's defense hasn't been as dominant as they were a year ago either, but haven't been nearly as disappointing as Carolina's. This is a huge game for both teams, whom are at .500, and trying to stay relevant in the playoff discussion. Even though they've lost two in a row, I have a great deal more faith in Seattle's offensive and defensive units (and coaching) than I do in Carolina's. I'll take the Seahawks by a field goal.
Result: Seattle 13 Carolina 9
Record: 5-1
Game: Baltimore at Cincinnati
Pick: Baltimore - If you had asked me to pick this game 3 weeks ago, I would have taken the Bengals at home by a touchdown. However, since Cincinnati started the year 3-0, they've gone 0-2-1, being outscored 107-54 in those games (average of 35.7 - 18.0 = 17.7). Baltimore, meanwhile, has played better, and unless Cincinnati is able to turn it around, the Ravens appear to be the best team in the AFC North. Given how these two teams are trending, I'm going to take Baltimore on the road by 4.
Result: Cincinnati 27 Baltimore 24
Record: 5-2
Game: Miami at Jacksonville
Pick: Miami - Congrats to Jacksonville on winning their first game of the season. I have a very difficult time seeing them win two in a row, however. Miami may be the most difficult team in the NFL to figure out and their 11-11 record in their past 22 games is a direct indicator of that. To the Dolphins' credit, though, they have played better in their past three games, so I'm going to give them the edge in this one. Miami improves to 4-3 with a 10-point win on the road.
Result: Miami 27 Jacksonville 13
Record: 6-2
Game: Chicago at New England
Pick: New England - Chicago may have a very talented offense, but they simply haven't played like it all season, and unless they can put up points against the Patriots defense, they won't stand a chance in this one. Tom Brady going up against this less-than-stellar Chicago Bears defense (to be kind) at home will result in a few points for the Pats, and I don't trust Jay Cutler and his inconsistencies to match the 3-time Super Bowl champion. I'll go with New England by a touchdown.
Result: New England 51 Chicago 23
Record: 7-2
Game: Buffalo at NY Jets
Pick: NY Jets - I went back and forth on this one a number of times. However, with Buffalo as banged up as they are at running back (Fred Jackson and C.J. Spiller will be out) and with the Jets acquiring Percy Harvin from the Seattle Seahawks, I like Rex Ryan's crew to pull out of their slump with a low-scoring, tightly-contested win at home against the Bills. I'll go with the Jets by a field goal.
Result: Buffalo 43 NY Jets 23
Record: 7-3
Game: Philadelphia at Arizona
Pick: Philadelphia - I have trouble picking against Bruce Arians' Cardinals anymore. The guy may very well be one of the top coaches in the game. However, for as well as the Eagles played two weeks ago in their 27-0 dismantling of the New York Giants, and being well-rested coming off a bye week, I'm going to take Philly by 4 on the road.
Result: Arizona 24 Philadelphia 20
Record: 7-4
Game: Oakland at Cleveland
Pick: Oakland - I had previously picked Cleveland, kept going back and forth, before deciding to go with the upset. Most analysts feel that Cleveland's 24-6 setback last week to then winless Jacksonville was an aberration and they should bounce back without much problem, especially against winless Oakland at home. However, I don't think it's going to be that simple. It's not like Jacksonville bolstered a good defense. Even after the win against the Browns, the Jaguars rank 28th in total yards allowed per game, 30th in passing yards allowed per game, and 27th in points allowed per game. Against this very defense, Cleveland racked up just 266 yards (3.6 per play), including 197 through the air (4.5 per pass) and 69 on the ground (2.3 per rush). While the sample size is very small, I think there's a bigger reason for Brian Hoyer and the Browns' offensive struggles last weekend than just having an off-week and that's the absence of Pro Bowl center Alex Mack, who was injured the previous week and will miss the rest of the season. Cleveland had one of the best ground attacks in all of football through their first 5 games, which was a big reason why Hoyer was able to be so efficient as a passer. Without Mack at center, however, the Browns looked like a completely different offense last week and I think it'll take more than two weeks to fully adjust. Oakland, meanwhile, has played better in recent weeks. Against San Diego and Arizona these past two weeks, whom are a combined 10-3, the Raiders have only been outscored 55-41 (average of 27.5 - 20.5), and last I checked, both San Diego and Arizona are quite a bit better than the Alex Mack-less Cleveland Browns. I'm going to take the Raiders in an upset by a field goal.
Result: Cleveland 23 Oakland 13
Record: 7-5
Game: Indianapolis at Pittsburgh
Pick: Indianapolis - After starting the year with two tough losses against Denver and Philadelphia, Indianapolis is unbeaten and playing better than I've seen them play for quite some time. Pittsburgh just doesn't seem to be the team they were up until about 3 years ago. Andrew Luck and company should be able to have their way with the Steelers secondary and keep their winning ways going. I'll take the Colts by 10.
Result: Pittsburgh 51 Indianapolis 34
Record: 7-6
Game: Green Bay at New Orleans
Pick: Green Bay - New Orleans is a great deal better at home than on the road, but at this point in the season, I just have a great deal more faith in Aaron Rodgers and the Packers than I do in Drew Brees and the Saints. Rodgers has been lights out ever since he told people to "relax" and should be able to continue his superman ways against the sub-par Saints defense. I'll take the Packers by a field goal.
Result: New Orleans 44 Green Bay 23
Record: 7-7
Monday
Game: Washington at Dallas
Pick: Dallas - Let's see here... The Dallas Cowboys are 6-1, having won 6 straight after losing their first game against San Francisco. Washington, meanwhile, doesn't seem to know if their quarterback will be Robert Griffin III, Kirk Cousins, or Colt McCoy. Who knows? Maybe they'll bring back Doug Williams or Mark Rypien... I'll go with the Cowboys at home by 14.
Result: Washington 20 Dallas 17 OT
Record: 7-8
Week 8 Record: 7-8 (.467)
Overall Record: 73-47-1 (.608)
Game: San Diego at Denver
Pick: Denver - For as well as both teams have played to this point in the season, it really is a shame neither will get a full week to prepare for the other - especially the road team. Due to the shortened week and travels, I'm going to give the slight edge to the hometown Broncos. I'll take Denver by a touchdown.
Result: Denver 35 San Diego 21
Record: 1-0
Sunday
Game: Detroit vs. Atlanta (in London)
Pick: Detroit - Atlanta may be listed as the home team on ESPN.com, but the game is actually being played at Wembley in London, and as I've learned, if the Falcons aren't playing at home, the odds are not in their favor of winning the game. For as beat up as their offensive line has been, I have a hard time seeing the Falcons having a great deal of success against the stout Lions defense. Also, while Detroit's offense hasn't met expectations to this point in the season, they haven't played many defenses as bad as Atlanta's. I'll take the Lions by at least a touchdown.
Result: Detroit 22 Atlanta 21
Record: 2-0
Game: St. Louis at Kansas City
Pick: Kansas City - St. Louis is a very pesky team, but due to injuries, they've been limited this year on both sides of the ball, and I highly doubt the Chiefs will let the Rams get away with as much trickery as they got away with against Seattle this past weekend. With the game at Arrowhead and the Chiefs playing better of late, I'll go with them by a touchdown.
Result: Kansas City 34 St. Louis 7
Record: 3-0
Game: Houston at Tennessee
Pick: Houston - Houston's offense makes me nervous at times, especially if they're forced to throw the football, being led by Ryan Fitzpatrick. However, I'd be even more nervous if I were Tennessee's offense in this one, for they're not sure if they'll be led by Jake Locker or Charlie Whitehurst, and know J.J. Watt is on the other side. Arien Foster and Andre Johnson should be able to provide just enough spark for the Texans offense to vault them to a 4-point win on the road.
Result: Houston 30 Tennessee 16
Record: 4-0
Game: Minnesota at Tampa Bay
Pick: Tampa Bay - I really don't want to pick Tampa, arguably one of the worst teams in all of the NFL. However, while the Bucs have gotten blown out twice this year against the likes of Atlanta and Baltimore, they have been quite competitive against the likes of Carolina, St. Louis, and New Orleans, and even beat Pittsburgh. With the game at home and coming off a bye week, I'm going to give the ever so slightest of edges to Tampa. The main reason for this is Minnesota's offense. After starting the year off with a convincing 34-6 win over St. Louis, the Vikings have lost 5 of 6, and in those 5 losses, have scored a total of just 45 points (average of 9.0 per game). I don't care how bad Tampa is, if they can continue the bad trend for Minnesota's offense, they should come out with a W. I'll take the Bucs by 3.
Result: Minnesota 19 Tampa Bay 13 OT
Record: 4-1
Game: Seattle at Carolina
Pick: Seattle - In my opinion, Carolina's defense is the most disappointing defense to this point in the season. They were near dominant a year ago, but have seemingly lost it. Seattle's defense hasn't been as dominant as they were a year ago either, but haven't been nearly as disappointing as Carolina's. This is a huge game for both teams, whom are at .500, and trying to stay relevant in the playoff discussion. Even though they've lost two in a row, I have a great deal more faith in Seattle's offensive and defensive units (and coaching) than I do in Carolina's. I'll take the Seahawks by a field goal.
Result: Seattle 13 Carolina 9
Record: 5-1
Game: Baltimore at Cincinnati
Pick: Baltimore - If you had asked me to pick this game 3 weeks ago, I would have taken the Bengals at home by a touchdown. However, since Cincinnati started the year 3-0, they've gone 0-2-1, being outscored 107-54 in those games (average of 35.7 - 18.0 = 17.7). Baltimore, meanwhile, has played better, and unless Cincinnati is able to turn it around, the Ravens appear to be the best team in the AFC North. Given how these two teams are trending, I'm going to take Baltimore on the road by 4.
Result: Cincinnati 27 Baltimore 24
Record: 5-2
Game: Miami at Jacksonville
Pick: Miami - Congrats to Jacksonville on winning their first game of the season. I have a very difficult time seeing them win two in a row, however. Miami may be the most difficult team in the NFL to figure out and their 11-11 record in their past 22 games is a direct indicator of that. To the Dolphins' credit, though, they have played better in their past three games, so I'm going to give them the edge in this one. Miami improves to 4-3 with a 10-point win on the road.
Result: Miami 27 Jacksonville 13
Record: 6-2
Game: Chicago at New England
Pick: New England - Chicago may have a very talented offense, but they simply haven't played like it all season, and unless they can put up points against the Patriots defense, they won't stand a chance in this one. Tom Brady going up against this less-than-stellar Chicago Bears defense (to be kind) at home will result in a few points for the Pats, and I don't trust Jay Cutler and his inconsistencies to match the 3-time Super Bowl champion. I'll go with New England by a touchdown.
Result: New England 51 Chicago 23
Record: 7-2
Game: Buffalo at NY Jets
Pick: NY Jets - I went back and forth on this one a number of times. However, with Buffalo as banged up as they are at running back (Fred Jackson and C.J. Spiller will be out) and with the Jets acquiring Percy Harvin from the Seattle Seahawks, I like Rex Ryan's crew to pull out of their slump with a low-scoring, tightly-contested win at home against the Bills. I'll go with the Jets by a field goal.
Result: Buffalo 43 NY Jets 23
Record: 7-3
Game: Philadelphia at Arizona
Pick: Philadelphia - I have trouble picking against Bruce Arians' Cardinals anymore. The guy may very well be one of the top coaches in the game. However, for as well as the Eagles played two weeks ago in their 27-0 dismantling of the New York Giants, and being well-rested coming off a bye week, I'm going to take Philly by 4 on the road.
Result: Arizona 24 Philadelphia 20
Record: 7-4
Game: Oakland at Cleveland
Pick: Oakland - I had previously picked Cleveland, kept going back and forth, before deciding to go with the upset. Most analysts feel that Cleveland's 24-6 setback last week to then winless Jacksonville was an aberration and they should bounce back without much problem, especially against winless Oakland at home. However, I don't think it's going to be that simple. It's not like Jacksonville bolstered a good defense. Even after the win against the Browns, the Jaguars rank 28th in total yards allowed per game, 30th in passing yards allowed per game, and 27th in points allowed per game. Against this very defense, Cleveland racked up just 266 yards (3.6 per play), including 197 through the air (4.5 per pass) and 69 on the ground (2.3 per rush). While the sample size is very small, I think there's a bigger reason for Brian Hoyer and the Browns' offensive struggles last weekend than just having an off-week and that's the absence of Pro Bowl center Alex Mack, who was injured the previous week and will miss the rest of the season. Cleveland had one of the best ground attacks in all of football through their first 5 games, which was a big reason why Hoyer was able to be so efficient as a passer. Without Mack at center, however, the Browns looked like a completely different offense last week and I think it'll take more than two weeks to fully adjust. Oakland, meanwhile, has played better in recent weeks. Against San Diego and Arizona these past two weeks, whom are a combined 10-3, the Raiders have only been outscored 55-41 (average of 27.5 - 20.5), and last I checked, both San Diego and Arizona are quite a bit better than the Alex Mack-less Cleveland Browns. I'm going to take the Raiders in an upset by a field goal.
Result: Cleveland 23 Oakland 13
Record: 7-5
Game: Indianapolis at Pittsburgh
Pick: Indianapolis - After starting the year with two tough losses against Denver and Philadelphia, Indianapolis is unbeaten and playing better than I've seen them play for quite some time. Pittsburgh just doesn't seem to be the team they were up until about 3 years ago. Andrew Luck and company should be able to have their way with the Steelers secondary and keep their winning ways going. I'll take the Colts by 10.
Result: Pittsburgh 51 Indianapolis 34
Record: 7-6
Game: Green Bay at New Orleans
Pick: Green Bay - New Orleans is a great deal better at home than on the road, but at this point in the season, I just have a great deal more faith in Aaron Rodgers and the Packers than I do in Drew Brees and the Saints. Rodgers has been lights out ever since he told people to "relax" and should be able to continue his superman ways against the sub-par Saints defense. I'll take the Packers by a field goal.
Result: New Orleans 44 Green Bay 23
Record: 7-7
Monday
Game: Washington at Dallas
Pick: Dallas - Let's see here... The Dallas Cowboys are 6-1, having won 6 straight after losing their first game against San Francisco. Washington, meanwhile, doesn't seem to know if their quarterback will be Robert Griffin III, Kirk Cousins, or Colt McCoy. Who knows? Maybe they'll bring back Doug Williams or Mark Rypien... I'll go with the Cowboys at home by 14.
Result: Washington 20 Dallas 17 OT
Record: 7-8
Week 8 Record: 7-8 (.467)
Overall Record: 73-47-1 (.608)
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