🏈🏈🏈🏈
London Game: Miami at Jacksonville – The two teams with the longest active losing streaks in the AFC meet in London. The Jaguars have the hot young quarterback prospect to come out of this year's draft, although they also sport an 0-5 record at the moment. Also, they currently have lost 20 straight games dating back to last season, which ranks third in league history, so they are hungry to try and end this awful streak. And they have been coming closer to finally achieving a win. This could very well be the week, as the Dolphins are 1-4 for a reason. However, you should keep in mind that the Dolphins were legitimate playoff contenders last season, finishing 10-6 and missing only after losing the regular season finale. True, they have not exactly looked elite to this point in the season, but they are one team that truly feels legitimately are better than their record indicates. That is why I have to pick them to win in London, although the Jaguars could be in it right to the end, and possibly could even find their way to victory. My pick: Miami
LA Chargers at Baltimore - Two of the best teams in the AFC meet, with some possible playoff seeding ramifications on the line. Both teams are 4-1, alone atop their divisions, and both tied with Buffalo for best overall record in the AFC. The Chargers are hot, having won three straight, including at Kansas City. Yet the Ravens also are hot, having won all four games since losing their season opener. For this one, it feels like home field advantage can go a long way, with the Chargers having to travel across three time zones and then play quite early. That alone could be decisive. My pick: Baltimore
LA Rams at NY Giants - The G-Men may be better than their record indicates, although not much better, most likely. Also, they are coming off a bad loss at Dallas, where they seemed to get beat up with injuries. This game would be tough enough even if the Giants were at full strength. But when they are hurting and riddled with question marks, as they appear to be now? Well, that makes it very difficult to picture them winning this one. Hope I'm wrong. My pick: LA Rams
Green Bay at Chicago - Big game! The Bears, with a new and dynamic quarterback at the helm, figured to be the main rivals to the Packers this season in terms of NFC North supremacy. But the Packers are threatening to run away with it, if they remain hot. Strange to think that, at 4-1, they actually have allowed more points than they have scored. Still, so long as they keep winning, that is what matters the most. Historically in recent years - even decades - the Packers have owned Da Bears. And until the Bears change that, it is hard to pick against the Pack. My pick: Green Bay
Houston at Indianapolis - The Colts are probably better than their 1-4 record, while the Texans are likely more or less where everyone figured they would be at 1-4. Sure, the Texans played well against New England last week, but they still lost. Now this week, they go up to Indy to take on a Colts team that surely wants to have a statement kind of win. Right now, looking at how these two teams are playing and where they likely are, it is difficult to picture anything but a decisive win by the home team here. My pick: Indianapolis
Minnesota at Carolina - Another difficult game to predict. The Vikings feel like they are better than they have appeared thus far, and a win would get them back into a position of competing for the playoffs. As for the Panthers, they looked red hot to start the season, winning their first three straight. Now, however, they have lost two straight games, and it feels like they are riddled with question marks. The Vikings may have a losing record right now, but they are a very dangerous team nevertheless. A play here and there going the other way, and the Vikings could just as easily be 4-1. Also, they surely know the stakes if they can pull off a win here, with the Bears and Packers meeting in an important NFC North showdown. One way or the other, the purple and gold know that they need this win. This is a big one for the Panthers as well, of course, but it feels like momentum has shifted away from them. My pick: Minnesota
Cincinnati at Detroit - The Lions have lost one heartbreaker after another, it seems. They became the first team in league history last weekend to lose two games in the same season on 50+ yard field goal kicks on the final play of the game. That is just some terrible luck. Meanwhile, the Bengals had gotten off to a a hot start this season, but lost last weekend to the Packers. Still, they feel like a vastly improved team, ready to be competitive. Still, the Lions are too good to remain winless for much longer. They are overdue for a win, and this feels like the one where the Lions tame others, and not the other way around. My pick: Detroit
Kansas City at Washington - The Chiefs have not looked anything like what we imagined they would so far this season. Everyone expected them to remain a well-oiled offensive machine, and figured that they would be among the elites in the AFC playoff picture. Instead, they are 2-3, and looking very much like the problems that they faced in the Super Bowl remain problems, with other defenses enjoying success in slowing them down, and with receivers inexplicably dropping passes and just not looking as sharp as they usually do. Still, they are too good to have a losing record for very long. In this one, they should be able to handle Washington fairly convincingly. My pick: Kansas City
Arizona at Cleveland - This is a big game. The league's only remaining undefeated team goes to Cleveland to take on the explosive Browns, who are coming off a hugely disappointing loss to the Chargers. The Cards have shown that they can win in shootouts, as well as defensive slugfests. Still, this could be their biggest test yet, and it feels like the Cardinals are likely going to drop a game one of these days soon. Might as well be this one against a tough Browns team. My pick: Cleveland
Las Vegas at Denver - Just a few weeks ago, everything was going swimmingly for both of these teams. Both were undefeated at 3-0, and just seemed ready to keep moving in the right direction. But how quickly things can change! The Broncos lost a big showdown at home against the Ravens, and convincingly, and then followed that up with another loss at Pittsburgh last weekend. The Raiders, meanwhile, have also dropped two straight, and then found their head coach tangled up in a controversy over allegations of racism and homophobia. Now, Jon Gruden is gone, and the Raiders look far from a stable contender. One of these teams will come out of this looking like their season is completely unraveling at a very fast pace. The other will look like they can still salvage something, maintaining a winning record. For my part, it feels like the silver and black are the better team, and want to focus on the game to forget about some of the off field distractions that threaten to derail their season. My pick: Las Vegas
Dallas at New England - Now, this is an interesting match-up! Dallas finally looks like they may just be playing up to their potential this season, having won four straight. The Patriots, meanwhile, are trying to find solid footing after their first losing season in two decades last year, and a rough patch to start this season as well. The Pats have actually played some close games and could have reached a better record. Yet, this is likely a bit too big of a test for them. The 'Boys feel like they are running on all cylinders at the moment, and should come away with another victory here. My pick: Dallas
SNF: Seattle at Pittsburgh - The Seahawks and Steelers are both teams that could see their season go either way. That makes this a pretty important game for both teams. Whoever wins will remain relevant, even if only after a tough start to the season. The team that loses will likely be too far behind to be considered a serious contender. Not much margin for error in this one for either team, but that is what makes it intriguing. Have to go with the home town team in this one, because that can prove to be decisive. My pick: Pittsburgh
MNF: Buffalo at Tennessee - Big test for both teams. The Titans sit atop the AFC South, but they should have earned a bigger lead than they currently have. Meanwhile, the Bills are coming off a terrific road win at Kansas City, and are now being highly regarded as potential Super Bowl contenders, but they have to take this game very seriously, as well. This should be a tough game, and a good game that will remain competitive for four quarters. But it feels to me like the best team is the one that is red hot, with a big winning streak and a ton of momentum. My pick: Buffalo
No comments:
Post a Comment