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Baltimore at NY Giants - Well, I am very pleasantly surprised at how well the G-Men are doing so far this season. They are 4-1, which is one of the best records in the entire league. Yet this season, with the NFC East suddenly resembling the very tough and competitive division that it used to be back in the eighties and nineties, they are more or less this in the division at this point. Still, I am happy. However, they have a very tough test today, as they host the dangerous Baltimore Ravens, led by the man who, quite possibly, could be the NFL MVP for what would be a second time in his still young career, Lamar Jackson. The G-Men historically always seem to struggle against mobile quarterbacks, especially those who can throw, dating back to the days of Randall Cunningham in Philadelphia. So while impressed with such a hot start, my expectations are that the Ravens get past Big Blue in this one. Hope I'm wrong1 My pick: Baltimore
NY Jets at Green Bay - Like the G-Men, Gang Green has been a pleasant surprise this season. They are 3-2, and the win over Miami last weekend had them tied for second place in the AFC East, and only a game behind the Bills. However, having to go to Lambeau Field to take on the Packers is a tough assignment. And Green Bay will want to bounce back from that tough loss in London to the Giants last weekend. The Jets are doing well, even much better than expected. And thus far, they are also undefeated in their two road games. But this is probably a bit too much to ask of them to beat an elite team like the Packers on the road. My pick: Green Bay
New England at Cleveland - Belichick and his new Pats sans Brady go to Cleveland, where Belichick got his first ever NFL head coaching job. The Browns are hard to figure. They look very good one week, and then follow it up by looking like...well, the more traditional Cleveland Browns that we have grown used to the very next week. My guess is that neither of these two teams is very good. The Pats are very tough at home still, but tend to struggle on the road, I think. So in a tough, competitive game, I like the home team to squeak past New England in this one. My pick: Cleveland
Tampa Bay at Pittsburgh - Tom Brady and the Bucs hit the road to face the Steelers. Pittsburgh is never an easy place for road teams to have to play. That said, this Steelers team looks more vulnerable than they have in recent memory. The Bucs, meanwhile, are a good team, but with a record that looks a little below them at this point. Look for them to set the tone early, and to carry the momentum for a solid win again. My pick: Tampa Bay
Cincinnati at New Orleans - Now this is an interesting game. Neither team is where they wanted to be a this point. Both have losing records at 2-3, and both appear to just still be trying to find their footing. This could go either way, but the better overall team feels like the Bengals. So they are my pick for this one. My pick: Cincinnati
Jacksonville at Indianapolis - A good one, although it feels like these two teams are heading in opposite directions. The Jaguars looked hot earlier in the season, but have cooled off in recent weeks. Meanwhile, the Colts got off to a very rough start, but appear to be heating up and getting hot in the past few weeks. That, plus home field advantage, makes me feel that one team has the clear advantage for this one. My pick: Indianapolis
San Francisco at Atlanta - The Falcons are probably better than I expected them to be this season. I had assumed - wrongly, perhaps - that they would be one of the worst teams in the league. However, they still do not rank among the elites in the league, or anything. And the 49ers probably are one of the better teams in the league. So that makes this a relatively easy one to predict, at least on paper. My pick: San Francisco
Minnesota at Miami - The Vikings have raced out to an impressive 4-1 start. Meanwhile, the Dolphins looked awesome a few weeks ago after a 3-0 start, and with two straight wins against serious contenders in Baltimore and Buffalo. But they have cooled off quite a bit, and now feel more suspect than anything else. With Minnesota hot and coming to town, look for the Vikings to hand the Fins a third straight loss. My pick: Minnesota
Arizona at Seattle - Yet another game involving a team that I had underestimated. That being the Seahawks, who I had wrongly assumed would be one of the worst teams in the league. Is it possible that Geno Smith is leading all quarterbacks in pass completions and overall QB rating? Who could have seen that one coming? So while the Seahawks look a bit suspect on defense, they appear to have found some answers on the offensive end, and that gives them a shot in any game. My pick: Seattle
Carolina at LA Rams - The Rams are not the team that they were last season. Gone is the talk of repeating, which some members of the team were doing in the aftermath of last year's title. They are learning just how difficult it is to be the defending champions now, and so far, it feels like it has been a bit too much for them. And they just have not been able to protect the quarterback at all, with an offensive line that feels simply full of holes. Still, they are a talented team, and should be able to get past the lowly Panthers here in this one. My pick: LA Rams
Buffalo at Kansas City - Here is the big showdown of the week. These two teams have now met in two consecutive postseasons, and some big regular season meetings, as well. In fact, this is probably the top rivalry in the NFL at the moment. Both teams enter with identical 4-1 records, so they are the top two teams in the AFC so far this season. Not sure why all of these meetings always seem to take place at Arrowhead. It seems a bit excessive, frankly. However, that's the way that it is. And I still feel that overall, this year, the Bills should be the better team. This is their chance to prove it. My pick: Buffalo
Sunday Night Football: Dallas at Philadelphia - Another huge showdown. Dallas enters with a 4-1 record, and four straight wins entering this one. But they head into Philly, where the Eagles remain the league's sole remaining undefeated team. The Eagles look solid all around, and a number of people feel that they are the best team in the league. Maybe, although it is early in the season, and there is still plenty of football left to go yet. Still, I do believe that the Eagles are looking awesome thus far, and I suspect that they carry that to a victory in this one, as well. My pick: Philadelphia
Monday Night Football: Denver at LA Chargers - The Chargers and Broncos both have gone through struggles and droughts so far this season. But the difference is that the Chargers appear to be emerging stronger from their swoon, while the Broncos seem to be filled with doubts and not ever quite meeting expectations. Russell Wilson just does not look as good or promising at the helm in Denver as many expected, myself included. That is troubling, and it does not bode well in a game where two teams seemingly heading in opposite directions meet on Monday Night Football. My pick: LA Chargers
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