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Las Vegas at NY Giants – The Giants played well last week, and very nearly pulled off an upset at Kansas City. Now, they host a Raiders team that has a very good record, but I suspect also has some serious problems, and might not be as good as their record indicates. Not sure if Big Blue will disappoint me as they consistently have for a few years now, but the G-Men will be my pick this weekend for an upset special. My pick: NY Giants
Cleveland at Cincinnati - For once, the battle of Ohio teams not only means something, but it will pit two quality teams, each with playoff aspirations, against one another. The Bengals were looking terrific until an upset loss to the Jets last weekend. Meanwhile, the Browns looked great for a while, but have now lost three of their last four, and are desperately trying to remain relevant. First place in the division might be riding on this one, at least a tie for first. The stakes could hardly be bigger. In a tough game, I still figure that the Bengals will win. My pick: Cincinnati
New England at Carolina - The Panthers managed to surprise the Falcons and end a dreadful slide. However, the Patriots should prove a tougher test, as they have really been coming on lately. This is kind of a difficult game to make a pick for. But if I have to, then....My pick: New England
Buffalo at Jacksonville - The Bills seem to be going through some issues right now, especially since that heartbreaking loss to the Titans. Yet, they keep playing weak teams, which is helping them get through this stretch more or less unscathed...so far. A home game against one of the worst teams in the league is an opportunity for the Bills to continue to recover and heal their wounds, before the season turns tougher. My pick: Buffalo
Atlanta at New Orleans - The Saints are flying high right now, after a big win against the Bucs. But they now have to avoid a letdown against a team that might be a bit desperate in the Falcons. There is obvious familiarity on both sides. Should be a good, competitive game, but I still like the home team for the win here. My pick: New Orleans
Houston at Miami - The two teams with the worst record and longest active losing streaks in the AFC meet against one another. The only team in the league with a worse record, and longer active losing streak, than these two teams would be the still winless 0-8 Detroit Lions. It might be difficult to choose between these two teams right now, because they both have played so poorly. Yet, my suspicion is that one of these teams is significantly better than the other, and that team also enjoys home field advantage. Thus, the Fins should win it. My pick: Miami
Minnesota at Baltimore - The battle of purple and gold teams. The Ravens have an impressive record, but after suffering an embarrassing defeat against the Bengals, you better believe that the Ravens feel like this is a necessary win for them to get. The Vikings are a decent team, but cannot seem to find solid ground to make any kind of a run. The turf here should also be difficult for them to find any footing, and that is why I believe that the Ravens should win. My pick: Baltimore
Denver at Dallas - This should be a good game between two decent teams. But one of these teams is red hot right now, while the other is not. Yes, the Cowboys are flying high at 7-1, and have a nice seven game winning streak going for them. They have momentum, and frankly, they should be able to win this one comfortably. My pick: Dallas
LA Chargers at Philadelphia - An interesting match-up here. Two teams that have struggled at points this season, but also shown glimpses of promise. The Eagles have home field advantage, and also are the hotter team at the moment, with the Chargers having dropped two straight. This one will likely come down to the fourth quarter, but I suspect that the home team should prove to be ever so slightly better in the end. My pick: Philadelphia
Arizona at San Francisco - The Cardinals suffered their first defeat of the season, and now Kyler Murray may or may not play in this game. Whether or not he does will likely go a long way in determining who wins this game. Not that Arizona cannot win without him, but it would be a whole lot more difficult to see them doing it. The 49ers won last weekend in Chicago, and would love to start to get hot right when it would help them to make a playoff push. The Cards have a chance to almost put the Niners out, while San Fran has a chance to get back into it. Big game! Again, difficult to decide with all of the uncertainty regarding who starts at QB for the Cardinals, though. But my pick is based on if he plays, and assumes he will be in decent playing mode if he does, and avoids further injuries as well. My pick: Arizona
Green Bay at Kansas City - Well, this has been a very distracting week for the Packers and Aaron Rodgers in particular. Rodgers is nowhere near as intelligent as he had appeared to be prior to this week, at least in my eyes. But he is a damn good quarterback. With him, the way Green Bay has been playing, I would actually have favored them to win. But after the week that they had, and heading on the road to KC, who have not played well but still are loaded with talent and experience that, eventually, they are bound to show, I have to go with the Chiefs here at Arrowhead. That said, picking either team this particular week makes me nervous. But Green Bay without Rodgers, with a big winning streak, and with all of the distractions that they have had this last week gives the Chiefs plenty to be fired up about. And yes, I still do believe that while they are not what they have been in recent seasons, the Chiefs will eventually show why they have been the best overall team in the league for the prior three seasons. My pick: Kansas City
SNF: Tennessee at LA Rams - Another big game, where injuries may play a part. The Titans just might be the hottest team in the league right now, but they are now missing Derrick Henry, who is a large part of the reason that they got so hot to begin with. Now, going on the road out west to take on one of the best teams in the NFL in what actually just might be a Super Bowl preview? This should be a good one, but it would be better if both teams were at full strength. Since they are not, and since the Rams are at home, they are the team that figures to benefit the most here. My pick: LA Rams
MNF: Chicago at Pittsburgh - These are two teams heading in opposite directions at the moment. The Steelers overcame a serious hole at 1-3, and are now really cruising. Meanwhile, the Bears went from a seeming playoff contender to an inept team watching their season spiral out of control and go down the drain. They might have a chance at recovering if they had a relatively easy game or two in a row, to get back to winning. But heading to the Steel City with an active losing streak that will most likely grow bigger when this one is done? Fuddedaboutit. My pick: Pittsburgh
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