NY Giants at New Orleans - The Giants finally moved out of the ranks of the winless teams last weekend by stunning the previously undefeated Chargers. The Saints, meanwhile, stayed there by losing at Buffalo, although they were tougher than most people expected. Despite being 0-4, New Orleans really has not played terrible, having only gotten blown out once, a couple of weeks ago up in Seattle. Expect them to be tough again this weekend. The G-Men did finally earn that win, and so they might build momentum and win again. In fact, there is a temptation to pick them for this one. Still, the Saints surely feel that they have a winnable game this weekend, and I figure that they are likely just about due for a win. So I will go with the home team in this one. My pick: New Orleans
Dallas at NY Jets - Speaking of winless teams overdue for a win, Gang Green has been knocking on the door for a while. They really only got blow out in one game, when they hosted Buffalo. Otherwise, they were competitive in each of the other three games, although they found themselves on the short end in each contest. With the Cowboys coming in, the Jets probably feel that this should be the week. Dallas can still be a tough team, and they may surprise me and wind up in the playoffs. They do have talent. Still, this does not feel like a season headed in the right direction for the 'Boys, who come in with a somewhat puzzling 1-2-1 record. They can still win this and be competitive this season, although losing it will be clearly detrimental. I don't think that either team imagined that they would have so few wins entering October as they have, with Dallas having won one game, and the Jets none. This should be a good contest, and I will predict that the Jets earn their first win. My pick: New York Jets
Minnesota at Cleveland - It's strange, because teams playing an overseas game the week before used to get a bye week afterwards. Apparently not anymore, however. The Vikings had a rough week, first losing to the Steelers in Dublin, Ireland, then having a short week before having to get ready for a trip to Cleveland this week. Normally, I would pick the Vikings to win, and they still might. But the fatigue has to be factored in, and I suspect that gives the Browns a real shot to earn their second win of the season. My pick: Cleveland
Miami at Carolina - The Dolphins dug themselves an 0-3 hole to start the season. However, they now have a real chance to jump start a turnaround. Having just beaten their division rivals, the Jets, last weekend, they now visit the Panthers in Carolina. A road game makes this one a bit more difficult, and I am not forgetting how the Panthers absolutely dismantled the Falcons just weeks ago. Still, I expect the Fins to find a way to win this one. My pick: Miami
Las Vegas at Indianapolis - The Colts suffered their first loss of the season after heading west for a road game against the tough Los Angeles Rams. Now, another western team has to travel across most of the country for a road game against the Colts. Indy should not only benefit from home field advantage, but also from the sobering effects of last week's loss. Also, frankly, the Raiders just are not that strong of a team right now. My pick: Indy
Denver at Philadelphia - The undefeated defending Super Bowl champion Eagles host the Broncos in this one. While Denver is tough, and should be a playoff team this season, it feels like a really tall order to expect them to find a way to win in this one. Expect the Eagles to find a way to win this one as well, even if it takes until the end of the fourth quarter. My pick: Philadelphia
Houston at Baltimore - Two teams off to miserable 1-3 starts this season look to this game for a turnaround, before the losing gets out of hand. The Texans just put together a great game in shutting out the Titans last weekend to earn their first (and so far only) win of this season. However, beating the Titans (even by a blowout) at home and winning on the road against the Ravens are two very different things. Expect the Ravens to come out strong and earn a solid win in this one. My pick: Baltimore
Tampa Bay at Seattle - A battle between two 3-1 teams. The Seahawks have been surprising so far this season. And while the Bucs played fairly well in a comeback against Philly last week in which they still fell a bit short, going on the road across the country to play the Seahawks is going to be tough. I expect the Seahawks to win, and the Bucs will have to try to make sure this one does not get away from them if the Seahawks go up early. My pick: Seattle
Tennessee at Arizona - The Cardinals started off 2-0, and then dropped their next two games. But nothing serves a struggling team better than facing a weak opponent to help them out of their struggles. This game against the winless Titans, coming off an embarrassing shutout loss against the previously winless Texans, come at a good time for the Cardinals. The only game which the Titans managed to be fairly competitive in was on opening day, when they lost to the Broncos. Since then, they have pretty much gotten blown out. Not sure if the Cardinals will blow them out this time, although it would not exactly be a shock. But expect the Cards to win it. My pick: Arizona
Washington at LA Chargers - The Commanders have had a rough time, with tough teams on their schedule. This one is no exception, as they head off across the country for a West Coast game against a tough, 3-1 opponent. The Chargers are coming off their first loss of the season to the G-Men, and desperately do not want to drop a second game in a row. Expect them to come out swinging, and to find a way to win it. My pick: LA Chargers
Detroit at Cincinnati - Without Burrow the Bengals have just looked awful. They lost their last two games by a combined score of 76-13. Granted, those games were on the road, and this one will be played in Cincy. Still, the Lions are on fire right now. Meanwhile, the Bengals just look terrible. Given all of that, it is difficult to see how the Bengals find a way to win this one. My pick: Detroit
Sunday Night Football: New England at Buffalo - The Bills are provided a rare opportunity to almost clinch the AFC East early with a win in this one. If they manage the feat, they will remain undefeated and improve to 5-0, with wins over each of their divisional opponents. Also, they will open up a very comfortable three-game lead (with the tie-breaks, at least for the moment) in the AFC East. Not bad for early October. And you know what? Expect them to find a way, even if the Patriots seem to be seriously improving as of late. My pick: Buffalo
Monday Night Football: Kansas City at Jax - After a bad 0-2 start, the Chiefs now have won two in a row. However, they go on the road against the surprising 3-1 Jaguars. Expect this to be a tough game for both teams. However, KC has far superior experience in relatively big regular season games like this one. They also cannot really afford to fall any farther behind the Chargers in the AFC West. So expect them to play sharp, and to earn a tough road win again. My pick: Kansas City
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