Side note: The computer was acting very strangely this morning, and I did not know how to fix it. Many of the words were split right in the middle, going to the next line, which has never happened on this blog page before. Not entirely certain why it happened this time around, but I know how stupid it must look. Also, the margins seemed a little weird, for much the same reason. Still, I wanted to make sure to write this today, so here it is.
Okay, so it is that time again. Time to make predictions for the upcoming weekend in the NFL.
Last weekend, there were a lot of great contests, true feature matches. Some of the games had, what seemed to me, relative surprise results, such as the Bengals beating the Saints in New Orleans. Did not see that one coming. Another shocker was when the Rams not only defeated the Broncos, but downright dominated them. There were other upsets as well, such as the Texans downing the Browns in Cleveland, and the Bucs dominating at Washington. Some went, more or less, exactly as I had predicted, such as Kansas City wearing down the defending champion Seahawks.
This weekend does not quite appear to have the same level of intriguing match ups. In fact, some of the games, like the one tomorrow night, feel downright like mismatches.
Yet, upsets happen almost every week. You never know what is going to happen on any given Sunday, of course. That is why they play the game. And that is why I like to give my predictions. So let's get to it:
Kansas City at Oakland - Yes, the Chiefs are going to visit "The Black Hole." There used to be a time when that truly was intimidating. That has not been the case now for a long, long time. Oakland is still winless, and even though they are hosting this game, I do not see them having a chance against the red-hot Chiefs. My pick: Kansas City
Jacksonville at Indianapolis - Another laugher. Yes, anything can happen, I know. But the Jaguars are one of the weakest teams in the league, while Indianapolis is one of the toughest places to play. Plus, the Colts are coming off a loss and should be on guard, feeling a need to bounce back. My pick: Indianapolis
Tampa Bay at Chicago - Again, another game that really should be decisive. Yes, Tampa Bay just got another impressive victory, but so did the Bears. And Chicago absolutely needs this one to keep their slim, fading playoff hopes alive. This should be a relatively easy victory for the Bears, although the way that they have been playing this season, you just never know. My pick: Chicago
Green Bay at Minnesota - The only thing that makes me scratch my head over this one is that it is not being played at Lambeau. The Packers traditionally have struggled in Minnesota, even when the Vikings are not that great (and they are not that great this season, either). Still, you look at these two franchises where they stand right now, and there is simply no question which one is the better team, so I am going with that. My pick: Packers
Detroit at New England - The Lions still have the best ranked defense in the league, and despite the problems on offense, they can potentially explode at any given moment. Yet, I just do not see them being able to stand up long to the Patriots at Foxboro. If this were in the dome in Detroit, maybe. But at New England, in late November? Sorry, but no. My pick: New England
Cleveland at Atlanta - Both teams really need this one. The Browns had a humiliating and very costly loss last week at home. The Falcons looked dead for about a month and change, but suddenly have roared back to life and are in first place in the NFC South right now by virtue of the tiebreaker advantage they hold over the Saints, for now. But both teams really need this one to keep their hopes alive and well. Only one will win. This could be the game of the week, potentially. My pick: Atlanta
N.Y. Jets at Buffalo - Another so-so match-up, at least on the surface of it. The Jets finally got a big win this season against Pittsburgh, and now, they are coming off a bye, and should be well rested. The Bills, in the meantime, have lost two very costly games in a row, and desperately need a win. This game is at home for them, and I suspect that might prove the difference in this one. My pick: The Bills
Tennessee at Philadelphia - Another less than intriguing match. Tennessee was not supposed to be great this season, but even by their standards, they are suffering through a terrible seasons thus far. Now, they have to go to Philly, to take on the Eagles, who themselves just suffered a humiliating blowout loss at Lambeau Field? The Eagles should make short work of the Titans here. My pick: Philadelphia
Cincinnati at Houston - This one is more interesting than it might seem at first glance. Remember, the Bengals lost two playoff games in a row to the Titans fairly recently. The revenge factor surely is on their side. Plus, the Bengals absolutely need this one to maintain first place in the AFC North. But the Texans have been surprising at times this season, much like they were last weekend at Cleveland, lending the Bengals a huge favor in the process. They can do the Bengals a big favor this weekend as well, and I am predicting that they will. My pick: Bengals
Arizona at Seattle - Wow! This should be a good game! So much at stake! The Seahawks suddenly look quite vulnerable this season, struggling both on and off the field, while the Cardinals look as close to dominant as any team has so far in this NFL season. Arizona's defense is tough, but obviously, the Seahawks have a solid defense, too. The Cardinals do not exactly light up the boards most weeks, but they usually produce enough points to get them through. Arizona seems like the logical choice, yet a part of me hesitates, because you figure at some point, Seattle is going to get the kind of statement win that revitalizes a season on the brink. Could this be the one? It might be. But with all of the problems that they are having, and the way the Cardinals are playing, I just cannot bring myself to go against them. My pick: Arizona
St. Louis at San Diego - The Chargers finally got a win to keep their quickly fading playoff hopes alive, even if it was a less than impressive win against the Raiders. They will host the Rams, who just got a huge win against Denver, one of the biggest of their entire season. The Rams can obviously sneak up on teams. It is hard to pick the Rams in this one, even though I am on the verge of doing so. Yet, you figure that the Chargers, who looked so awesome earlier this season, are going to recover enough at some point to make a run at the playoffs, right? So, I'm going to stick with them. My pick: San Diego
Washington at San Francisco - Yet another seeming mismatch. Washington just suffered one of their worst losses last weekend, at home to one of the worst teams in the league. In the meanwhile, the 49ers are rising, having won their last two games, and playing more basic football that is their bread and butter. Not a difficult choice to predict, here. My pick: San Francisco
Miami at Denver - The Dolphins really need this win. But then again, so do the Broncos. And Denver usually has a way of bouncing back after suffering losses. Plus, Denver is still always one of the toughest places to play in the NFL, with the thin air, and a tough team to boot. It is hard not to be impressed with Miami's season so far, but the Broncos at Denver are just a little too tough for them, one would think. My pick: Denver
Dallas at N.Y. Giants - I would love to say that the Giants are going to win this one. They played well against the 49ers, in a game that I feel they should have won. But they still have problems, a lot of them, and at 3-7, how much is left in their tank? In the meantime, the Cowboys have been struggling as of late, too. But they are 7-3, fighting not just for their playoff lives, but for the NFC East division title, which they currently are tied with Philly for. Dallas needs this one more, and they are coming off a bye week following a win in London over Jacksonville. Hate to do this, but.... My pick: Dallas
Baltimore at New Orleans - The Ravens are tough, and usually (before this season, anyway), so are the Saints, and especially at home. But not so much this season, it seems. New Orleans seems to be defined so far by their weaknesses, and the question is how effective the Ravens will be at exploiting them. It is fair to say that both teams really need this one. Only one can get it. My pick: New Orleans
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