Cincinnati at Tennessee - The Titans are fighting with everything that they have to keep up with Jax and remain atop the AFC South. Meanwhile, the Bengals are close to that point where this is a lost season, and they would need to play for pride and/or prepare for the next season. Mariota looks hot, looks every bit like the emerging star that he was billed as, while the Bengals? Well, not so much. If this game were being played in Cincinnati, it might make a difference. But since this is in Tennessee, it is hard to imagine the Bengals pulling off an upset here. My pick: Tennessee
Cleveland at Detroit - The Browns come off a bye week and resume their pursuit of their first win of the season. Unfortunately for them, they have to take on a Lions team that should be feeling good and confident after earning a rare victory up at Lambeau Field against Green Bay. I have been saying for weeks that the Lions need a break, as the first part of their schedule was simply brutal. But a convincing win against a reduced Packers team is now followed up with a home game against one of two winless teams in the league. They finally have that relatively easy game on their schedule, although they obviously cannot afford to overlook Cleveland in this one. Still, it would seem to be madness to predict anything but a solid Lions win here in this one, and I certainly am not going to predict a Browns upset here. This should be a very important win for the Lions, one that would get them back to a winning record as Thanksgiving approaches. My pick: Detroit
Green Bay at Chicago - These two teams renew the oldest rivalry in the NFL in this game. And who could have guessed that this particular game would be as relevant as it might be? For the Packers, they have now gone from an elite 4-1 team, to 4-4 after three straight, dispiriting losses. If they lose this game, they would officially have a losing record, and would still not have proven that they can win without Aaron Rodgers. Meanwhile, Chicago's perennial struggles have given way to enthusiasm and hope with Mitch Trubisky at the helm. The Bears look more excited, and are playing better, having come up with a modest, two-game win streak that was snapped by the Saints in New Orleans. But there is no shame losing to the Saints, and Chicago kept that game relatively close. The Bears are coming off a bye week, and should be feeling good. These two teams seem to be headed in opposite directions, and that is why I have to go with the team that appears hotter, even though they have a losing record. My pick: Chicago
L.A. Chargers at Jacksonville - The Chargers are coming off a bye, although their last game was a tough loss up at New England. Yes, they lost, but that snapped a three game winning streak that saw the Chargers go from a seemingly disastrous 0-4 start, to sudden relevance. Now, let's be clear: the Chargers have no room for losses, and to realistically keep their playoff hopes alive, they would need to beat the Jaguars here. The thing is, Jacksonville is also surprising many people so far this season, as they are 5-3 and locked in a first place battle with the Titans. Philip Rivers is an experienced and potentially explosive quarterback, but the Jaguars defense has been quite tough this season, and should be able to more or less contain the Chargers offense. This is a relatively tough game to call, as it feels like it could go either way. But in the end, the Jaguars should be tough to beat at home, and that makes it a little too tough to go pick against them. Still, picking against the Chargers at this point, the way that they are playing makes me nervous. Tough call. My pick: Jacksonville
Minnesota at Washington - What a game this one should be! Washington has home field advantage, and is coming off a huge win at Seattle. However, Minnesota is red hot themselves, and are well-rested, coming off a bye week. So, both teams go into this one with a ton of confidence, which makes this an interesting football game to watch! Washington's defense played well last weekend at Seattle, but they have not been an especially great unit thus far, while Minnesota's defense has looked impressive! The Vikings offense might be able to score some points against Washington, and they should be able to produce a good road win, and an important and necessary one given Detroit's sudden resurgence, as they now need to fight to stay comfortable ahead of the Lions. My pick: Minnesota
New Orleans at Buffalo - Not a very conventional match-up, as these two teams hardly ever meet. Yet, there is a lot at stake in this one for both teams. If this game were being played down in New Orleans, it would be easy to pick a Saints victory. However, Buffalo is a tough place to play, especially when the weather is cold, although it is not expected to be particularly brutal this weekend in Buffalo. The Saints offense is not nearly as explosive as they were last season, although their defense has been playing much better, particularly the last month or so. Still, they might not have the best defense on the field this Sunday, as the Bills have been looking good defensively, as well. But the Bills just got a kick in the pants against the Jets, and their defense was clearly compromised, while the Saints have won six straight, and look like one of the hottest teams in the league. My guess is that the momentum continues with a solid road win for the Saints. My pick: New Orleans
N.Y. Jets at Tampa Bay - The Jets are doing better than almost anyone could have expected, although they are still in last place in the AFC East, and by some margin, too. However, they are clearly trying to fight to make this a respectable season, even though a lot of their fans are actually not that happy about it. Some Jets fans that I know feel that the team should have tanked this season, so that they could get a few decent high draft picks that could make a difference for this franchise. However, if they win this game in Tampa - and it looks like a winnable game - they will reach .500 again. That is something that most people would never have guessed before this season started. The Bucs themselves had relatively high expectations for the season, but it wound up being a disaster! And I suspect that Gang Green finds a way to win this, and get back into playoff contention, wonder of wonders! My pick: N.Y. Jets
Pittsburgh at Indianapolis - The Colts earned an impressive win last weekend, but this would be an incredibly tall order for them. Let us not mistake one surprising upset victory against a mediocre team, and think that the Colts are somehow going to make an unlikely playoff push late in the season. The Steelers are coming to town, and they are one of the elites. And frankly, they are unlikely to either take Indy too lightly, or to lose this game. Too many weapons, too much experience, and too much at stake to expect Pittsburgh to have a letdown in this one. My pick: Pittsburgh
Houston at L.A. Rams - This one would be a very tough game for the Texans to take. Yet, considering how many losses they have accumulated so far, and how far behind they are in the AFC South, they absolutely need to win this one. Yet, the Rams have been looking incredible so far, and a trip to the West Coast is not what the Texans need. The Rams have a tough defense and an explosive offense. They are coming off a thrilling game not so much in terms of excitement, but in terms of providing a glimpse of just how good they might be. So, this team should be reaching a peak in terms of confidence levels. Houston has played some of their best games against the best opponents, although even then, they have lost some tough games. The only chance I see for the Texans is that the Rams would have a letdown, and that does not seem too likely, because this is a must-win to stay ahead in the NFC West, given that the Seahawks beat Arizona last night. My pick: L.A. Rams
Dallas at Atlanta - Another tough game for the Falcons, as well as for Dallas. This comes on the heels of the 'Boys learning that Eliot's suspension is apparently back on. But for now, the Cowboys seem to have a good offense and a decent defense, and are in the process of recovering from a bad start to the season. Meanwhile, the Falcons hot start earlier this season feels increasingly like it was completely irrelevant, as they have now lost four of their last five games. It will be difficult, although certainly not impossible, for them to end it against the Cowboys, but momentum counts for a lot in sports. And right now, the 'Boys clearly have some solid momentum, while Atlanta just seems like they are heading in the opposite direction. Hell, they did not even seem overly upset about losing that huge game last week, so maybe they have resigned themselves to a fate of mediocrity for this season. My pick: Dallas
N.Y. Giants at San Francisco - I already wrote about this rivalry extensively, so I will not get into it here and now. However, just in case you missed it, I will at least make my prediction. here. Both teams are miserable at this point, obviously. After all, these teams have a combined record of 1-16! They clearly seem to be the two worst teams in the NFC. The Giants should have been better, but injuries and problems with an inefficient, low-scoring offense, have doomed their chances to be competitive. The Niners were expected to be bad, but until lately, they had at least kept games close. Both teams just want a win, to stop the bleeding at this point, and both teams are surely eyeing each other as beatable opponents. The thing is, neither team inspires confidence, and picking either one is obviously a huge risk, because neither team has awarded fans with good hopes and faith this season. This used to be such a tremendous rivalry! Now, his might be a battle where the winner might get the prize of a first pick in the draft. By default, I suspect the Giants will win, but that is not by any means feeling like a sure bet. My pick: N.Y. Giants
Sunday Night Football - New England at Denver - The Patriots go into Denver, which has been very hostile territory to them for years now. However, that was during the Peyton Manning era, which was when the Broncos were legitimate Super Bowl contenders. Right now, they clearly are no longer that any longer. In fact, it feels like a very long time ago when Denver won the championship, even though it was only two seasons ago! In the meantime, the Patriots are really starting to play on the level that we always expected them to, and are on the cusp of taking a solid lead in the AFC East if Buffalo should slip, and the Bills do not have a gimme this weekend. New England has won four in a row after a mediocre start, while the Broncos have lost four in a row after a hot start. These two teams are heading in opposite directions. The Pats have a ton of momentum heading into this game, and they have more solid experience, and better talent and prospects. That counts for a hell of a lot, and it would simply be insane at this point to pick against them in a game like this. My pick: New England
Monday Night Football - Miami at Carolina - Two teams meet who are not familiar with one another, yet both teams need this win. The Dolphins cannot afford to fall any farther behind in the AFC East, while the Panthers need to stay in the tight race with New Orleans, regardless of how the Saints fare up in Buffalo. Neither of these teams has shown the consistency necessary to be a comfortable pick to qualify for the playoffs, although Carolina has clearly been better thus far. The Panthers have been more consistent, and really, they have only had one kind of bad loss recently, at that was against the Bears, who themselves are surging right now. The Dolphins, in the meantime, have not shown that level of consistency. Plus, the Panthers have home field advantage, and all of that makes it difficult to pick against them. My pick: Carolina
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