N.Y Giants at Detroit - As a Giants fan, I would love to believe that the G-Men can go on the road to Detroit and win this game. But being objective, there is little reason to believe that they will come out on top. They just are not very good. Meanwhile, the Lions have fallen on some hard times, having been cheated of a win in Green Bay, and then getting pounded by the Vikings. But this is an opportunity to stop the bleeding against a weak opponent - yes, I mean my Giants. Only too rarely does New York put together a solid game on both offense and defense to earn a solid win, as they did against Washington. But Detroit is not Washington, and this will be too tough for the G-Men. My pick: Detroit
N.Y. Jets at Jacksonville - Like with the Giants, I hope the Jets can win this one, but they give me little reason to believe that they can pull this one off. The Jaguars are far from an unbeatable team, but the same thing can very clearly be said of the Jets, who are coming off a demoralizing 33-0 shutout loss at home. Granted, the Jaguars are not the Patriots, but they are still better than Gang Green, and this will be at Jax. Hard to see how the Jets can really win this one. My pick: Jacksonville
Philadelphia at Buffalo - Before this season started, I would have predicted for the Eagles to definitely win this game. And although I still think that they can win, it is a matter of whether or not they will win, and there is a difference. Philly won the Super Bowl about one year and a half ago, yet they have hardly looked even remotely similar to that team ever since, and particularly this season. They just seem to lack that something special that pushed them over the top back then. And playing in Buffalo, against one of the league's toughest defenses, and a team playing some of the most determined football in the league right now, I have to say that the advantage at least seems to be with the home team. My pick: Buffalo
Tampa Bay at Tennessee - Neither of these teams have had the kind of season that they wanted. But while the Buccaneers are having a tough time in a division dominated by the Saints and the Panthers currently, the Titans are much more relevant in the playoff picture. They have struggled mightily on offense at times, but their defense is very tough and physical. That, plus home field advantage, should be enough to see them get past the Buccaneers in this one. My pick: Tennessee
Denver at Indianapolis - Denver at Indianapolis – Historically, the Colts drafted John Elway and Peyton Manning, and yet they both wound up leading the Broncos to Super Bowl titles. Elway is still with Denver, albeit in a very different capacity. He brought in Joe Flacco to be the quarterback, but the jury is still out as to how much he has resolved the quarterback question for the Broncos. Many questions remain for the 2-5 Broncos, especially after they got blown out last week against Kansas City. This will be a huge challenge for them, on the road at Indianapolis. Probably a bit too much for them, as well, as the Colts look hot, and should be feeling extremely confident. This one should go for the home team. My pick: Indianapolis
L.A. Chargers at Chicago – Chicago desperately needs a win to stop the bleeding, and to get back to a winning record. Remember, this team went 12-4, and coasted to the NFC North division title last year, but they have shown far too much inconsistency thus far this season. But so have the Chargers, who like the Bears, also went 12-4 last season, even if they have shown little of that old form so far this year. The Chargers seem incapable of not getting in their own way, and whatever toughness they showed in avoiding losses and finding ways to win last season seems long lost. Look for the Bears defense to return to elite form, and possibly for the offense to have a very decent day, as well. My pick: Chicago
Seattle at Atlanta - Seattle suffered a disappointing home loss last week to the Ravens. But they have an easier game this week, or at least a game that should be much easier for them, as they travel to Atlanta to meet the Falcons. Yes, this season is spiraling completely out of control for Atlanta, as they never really got any kind of footing. Now, they are 1-6, and basically already out of the playoff picture. They cannot seem to get out of their own way, and a rough schedule against tough teams is not helping. The Seahawks have a productive offense, and a tough defense. More importantly, they have a lot still to fight for this season, and every reason to win this game against a disheveled, frankly imploding team. Hard to believe that the Falcons have gotten this bad so quickly, but they really have not shown any reason to have faith that they can win these kinds of games this season. My pick: Seattle
Arizona at New Orleans - It appears that the Cardinals are a dangerous team on the rise, with a hot new quarterback in Kyler Murray. They got the better of the Giants last weekend, and have already won three games this season, which they struggled to do last season. But they have yet to really have a test against a team like the Saints, who look like one of the true elites in the NFC, and indeed of the NFL. New Orleans has an offense that keeps producing enough to win, even with the absence of Brees. And their defense is playing well enough to help secure these wins, which is somewhat of a surprise. Indeed, the Saints look better than most would have expected from them at this point, and they have home field advantage, as well. They do have vulnerabilities, and could conceivably lose, of course. But in making picks based on what we have seen thus far, it feels like it would be ignoring too much of the obvious to pick anyone but the home team in this one. My pick: New Orleans
London, U.K. Game - Cincinnati at L.A. Rams – While I realize this is not exactly a home game for the Rams in a traditional sense, it is also not a traditional road game for the Bengals, either. And the Bengals, who really could use a break right now as one of two winless teams left in the NFL, now have to drag themselves across an ocean in order to most likely face another loss. Not that the Rams are unbeatable. In fact, their win last week snapped a three-game losing streak, so they clearly do have some vulnerabilities. But that’s just the thing: the Rams know this, and they know just how important it is to win these kinds of games at this point. Last season, the Rams lost three games during the entire regular season, and they matched that after their first six games this year. So, they know how crucial this game is, and how they simply cannot afford to lose. So the Bengals, who’s ability to take advantage of the vulnerabilities of the Rams is questionable to begin with, will face a fired up Rams team that will likely be fully bouncing back from that terrible losing streak. Look for the not exactly home team to win, and probably win big, against the helpless and hopeless Bungles. My pick: L.A. Rams
Carolina at San Francisco - The Panthers are red hot, and so is undefeated San Francisco. This could be a playoff preview. The Niners do have home field advantage, and their defense has proven to be one of the toughest in the past few weeks, shutting down the Rams and shutting out Washington. Still, Carolina feels like the team that has the greater sense of urgency after that dismal 0-2 start, with less margin of error. Whatever has pushed this current win streak I believe can keep going, so for an upset pick, I will go with the Panthers. My pick: Carolina
Cleveland at New England - The Browns entered this season with a lot of hype, with some big name talent and a season last year under their belts that seemed to promise good things for the future. But a tough regular season schedule to start the first half of the season now culminates with a date with destiny up at Foxboro. The Browns are teetering on the edge of another disastrous season of broken promises, and they need to turn things around in a hurry. But to do so in this game would require not just a tremendous effort, but a hell of a lot of luck, as well. Why? Because beating the Pats in New England this season is a Herculean task, and it would likely take the cream of the crop in the league to do it. Frankly, the Browns give little reason for anyone to believe that they will be the team to do it. My pick: New England
Oakland at Houston - The Raiders seem to be an inconsistent team so far this year. They show glimpses of a serious turnaround in fortunes, yet they also backtrack downwards too frequently to ignore. Are they a playoff contender, or are they just another also ran team? They have had some demoralizing losses already, and going into Houston to take on the Texans seems like a bit too much for the silver and black right about now. The Texans still believe that this season could be special, but they now need to win games like these just to stay in the playoff picture. They need to recover after that stinging loss to the Colts, and the Raiders have the misfortune of being the next team on their schedule. Hard to see how Oakland wins this one. My pick: Houston
Sunday Night Football - Green Bay at Kansas City - A possible Super Bowl preview. One of the league's best offenses in KC, versus one of the league's stingiest defenses in the Pack. Plus, Green Bay has Aaron Rodgers. The Chiefs have shown some difficulty in trying to contain tougher, more physical teams, and the Packers have made huge strides towards becoming exactly that. But are they ready to go to Arrowhead and face the explosive Chiefs? This will be the biggest test yet for Green Bay, and it is a huge game between two division leading teams with serious hopes to reach the Super Bowl. Both of these teams could be counted as Super Bowl contenders, and even though I do not necessarily predict either of them going, this still is a huge game before a nationally televised audience. But in the end, hard to go against the home team for this one. My pick: Kansas City
Monday Night Football - Miami at Pittsburgh - Last week, it was the Patriots and an overmatched Jets team. They follow it up with this? The Dolphins...well, suck. And they are going to Pittsburgh to take on a team that seems on the verge of catching fire. I know, theoretically, that anything can happen on any given Sunday. But this is a Monday game, and frankly, the Dolphins are clearly overmatched, even if the Steelers are not what they used to be. Pittsburgh has a more complete team in almost every way, and they are playing this on their home fields, which is usually a significant advantage. Hard to see how the Dolphins can win this, or even keep it close to make a game of it one the fourth quarter, and perhaps even halftime, rolls around. My pick: Pittsburgh
N.Y. Jets at Jacksonville - Like with the Giants, I hope the Jets can win this one, but they give me little reason to believe that they can pull this one off. The Jaguars are far from an unbeatable team, but the same thing can very clearly be said of the Jets, who are coming off a demoralizing 33-0 shutout loss at home. Granted, the Jaguars are not the Patriots, but they are still better than Gang Green, and this will be at Jax. Hard to see how the Jets can really win this one. My pick: Jacksonville
Philadelphia at Buffalo - Before this season started, I would have predicted for the Eagles to definitely win this game. And although I still think that they can win, it is a matter of whether or not they will win, and there is a difference. Philly won the Super Bowl about one year and a half ago, yet they have hardly looked even remotely similar to that team ever since, and particularly this season. They just seem to lack that something special that pushed them over the top back then. And playing in Buffalo, against one of the league's toughest defenses, and a team playing some of the most determined football in the league right now, I have to say that the advantage at least seems to be with the home team. My pick: Buffalo
Tampa Bay at Tennessee - Neither of these teams have had the kind of season that they wanted. But while the Buccaneers are having a tough time in a division dominated by the Saints and the Panthers currently, the Titans are much more relevant in the playoff picture. They have struggled mightily on offense at times, but their defense is very tough and physical. That, plus home field advantage, should be enough to see them get past the Buccaneers in this one. My pick: Tennessee
Denver at Indianapolis - Denver at Indianapolis – Historically, the Colts drafted John Elway and Peyton Manning, and yet they both wound up leading the Broncos to Super Bowl titles. Elway is still with Denver, albeit in a very different capacity. He brought in Joe Flacco to be the quarterback, but the jury is still out as to how much he has resolved the quarterback question for the Broncos. Many questions remain for the 2-5 Broncos, especially after they got blown out last week against Kansas City. This will be a huge challenge for them, on the road at Indianapolis. Probably a bit too much for them, as well, as the Colts look hot, and should be feeling extremely confident. This one should go for the home team. My pick: Indianapolis
L.A. Chargers at Chicago – Chicago desperately needs a win to stop the bleeding, and to get back to a winning record. Remember, this team went 12-4, and coasted to the NFC North division title last year, but they have shown far too much inconsistency thus far this season. But so have the Chargers, who like the Bears, also went 12-4 last season, even if they have shown little of that old form so far this year. The Chargers seem incapable of not getting in their own way, and whatever toughness they showed in avoiding losses and finding ways to win last season seems long lost. Look for the Bears defense to return to elite form, and possibly for the offense to have a very decent day, as well. My pick: Chicago
Seattle at Atlanta - Seattle suffered a disappointing home loss last week to the Ravens. But they have an easier game this week, or at least a game that should be much easier for them, as they travel to Atlanta to meet the Falcons. Yes, this season is spiraling completely out of control for Atlanta, as they never really got any kind of footing. Now, they are 1-6, and basically already out of the playoff picture. They cannot seem to get out of their own way, and a rough schedule against tough teams is not helping. The Seahawks have a productive offense, and a tough defense. More importantly, they have a lot still to fight for this season, and every reason to win this game against a disheveled, frankly imploding team. Hard to believe that the Falcons have gotten this bad so quickly, but they really have not shown any reason to have faith that they can win these kinds of games this season. My pick: Seattle
Arizona at New Orleans - It appears that the Cardinals are a dangerous team on the rise, with a hot new quarterback in Kyler Murray. They got the better of the Giants last weekend, and have already won three games this season, which they struggled to do last season. But they have yet to really have a test against a team like the Saints, who look like one of the true elites in the NFC, and indeed of the NFL. New Orleans has an offense that keeps producing enough to win, even with the absence of Brees. And their defense is playing well enough to help secure these wins, which is somewhat of a surprise. Indeed, the Saints look better than most would have expected from them at this point, and they have home field advantage, as well. They do have vulnerabilities, and could conceivably lose, of course. But in making picks based on what we have seen thus far, it feels like it would be ignoring too much of the obvious to pick anyone but the home team in this one. My pick: New Orleans
London, U.K. Game - Cincinnati at L.A. Rams – While I realize this is not exactly a home game for the Rams in a traditional sense, it is also not a traditional road game for the Bengals, either. And the Bengals, who really could use a break right now as one of two winless teams left in the NFL, now have to drag themselves across an ocean in order to most likely face another loss. Not that the Rams are unbeatable. In fact, their win last week snapped a three-game losing streak, so they clearly do have some vulnerabilities. But that’s just the thing: the Rams know this, and they know just how important it is to win these kinds of games at this point. Last season, the Rams lost three games during the entire regular season, and they matched that after their first six games this year. So, they know how crucial this game is, and how they simply cannot afford to lose. So the Bengals, who’s ability to take advantage of the vulnerabilities of the Rams is questionable to begin with, will face a fired up Rams team that will likely be fully bouncing back from that terrible losing streak. Look for the not exactly home team to win, and probably win big, against the helpless and hopeless Bungles. My pick: L.A. Rams
Carolina at San Francisco - The Panthers are red hot, and so is undefeated San Francisco. This could be a playoff preview. The Niners do have home field advantage, and their defense has proven to be one of the toughest in the past few weeks, shutting down the Rams and shutting out Washington. Still, Carolina feels like the team that has the greater sense of urgency after that dismal 0-2 start, with less margin of error. Whatever has pushed this current win streak I believe can keep going, so for an upset pick, I will go with the Panthers. My pick: Carolina
Cleveland at New England - The Browns entered this season with a lot of hype, with some big name talent and a season last year under their belts that seemed to promise good things for the future. But a tough regular season schedule to start the first half of the season now culminates with a date with destiny up at Foxboro. The Browns are teetering on the edge of another disastrous season of broken promises, and they need to turn things around in a hurry. But to do so in this game would require not just a tremendous effort, but a hell of a lot of luck, as well. Why? Because beating the Pats in New England this season is a Herculean task, and it would likely take the cream of the crop in the league to do it. Frankly, the Browns give little reason for anyone to believe that they will be the team to do it. My pick: New England
Oakland at Houston - The Raiders seem to be an inconsistent team so far this year. They show glimpses of a serious turnaround in fortunes, yet they also backtrack downwards too frequently to ignore. Are they a playoff contender, or are they just another also ran team? They have had some demoralizing losses already, and going into Houston to take on the Texans seems like a bit too much for the silver and black right about now. The Texans still believe that this season could be special, but they now need to win games like these just to stay in the playoff picture. They need to recover after that stinging loss to the Colts, and the Raiders have the misfortune of being the next team on their schedule. Hard to see how Oakland wins this one. My pick: Houston
Sunday Night Football - Green Bay at Kansas City - A possible Super Bowl preview. One of the league's best offenses in KC, versus one of the league's stingiest defenses in the Pack. Plus, Green Bay has Aaron Rodgers. The Chiefs have shown some difficulty in trying to contain tougher, more physical teams, and the Packers have made huge strides towards becoming exactly that. But are they ready to go to Arrowhead and face the explosive Chiefs? This will be the biggest test yet for Green Bay, and it is a huge game between two division leading teams with serious hopes to reach the Super Bowl. Both of these teams could be counted as Super Bowl contenders, and even though I do not necessarily predict either of them going, this still is a huge game before a nationally televised audience. But in the end, hard to go against the home team for this one. My pick: Kansas City
Monday Night Football - Miami at Pittsburgh - Last week, it was the Patriots and an overmatched Jets team. They follow it up with this? The Dolphins...well, suck. And they are going to Pittsburgh to take on a team that seems on the verge of catching fire. I know, theoretically, that anything can happen on any given Sunday. But this is a Monday game, and frankly, the Dolphins are clearly overmatched, even if the Steelers are not what they used to be. Pittsburgh has a more complete team in almost every way, and they are playing this on their home fields, which is usually a significant advantage. Hard to see how the Dolphins can win this, or even keep it close to make a game of it one the fourth quarter, and perhaps even halftime, rolls around. My pick: Pittsburgh
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