Buffalo at Chicago – Chicago. With the way the Bears defense has been playing the last few years they're easily one of the best teams in the NFC. Now that Rex Grossman has finally gotten to start for a few consecutive games he's really coming into his own and leading this offense, making smart decisions with the football, and putting points on the board. Plus the Bills suck and there's no way they're going to upset the Bears at home. Daaaaaaaaaa Bears, FOR THE WIN!
Cleveland at Carolina – Carolina. I like Carolina at home this week against the Browns. Even though the Browns are coming off of last weeks come from behind win, let's not forget who they beat: Da Raidaaas. Now Carolina is a much better team than Oakland so if the Browns struggled for as long as they did last week against Carolina this week, well there's just no way they come back against the Panthers defense. Plus with Steve Smith back in action you can really see the impact he has on that offense. It's going to take a lot from the Browns secondary to come up and try and make big plays and take Steve Smith out of the equation.
Detroit at Minnesota – Minnesota. Here we go, a nice NFC North match up. The Vikings are one of those teams that no one expected to be doing this well so far into the season. At 3-1 the Vikings are proving that they put last season and all the scandals that came with it to rest and they've got their minds on the game again. Brad Childers has done a good job of taking a weak team in a very weak division (except for the Bears that is) and turning them around and possibly making them a Wildcard contender. Plus let us not forget that the Lions are just plain bad.
Miami at New England – New England. Again, here's a nice division showdown, except this time we have the AFC East. Miami was one of those teams that everyone picked to win the division during training camps and the preseason. With Dante Culpepper working that offense, and with Miami's receiver corps, they were a top preseason pick. Now that the regular season is well underway, reality is rearing its ugly head once again for Nick Saban and his Dolphins. After getting off to a 1-3 start everyone's jumped off that bandwagon and it would seem most people are putting their faith into the Pats to take the division again, especially after showing people they still have what it takes to win a ballgame after blowing out my pick to win the AFC, Cincinnati last week. Tom Brady is a smart, quick thinking QB, who's more than capable of reading the defense and working through his progressions during the play, and I just don't see Miami's defense stepping up and making the stops where it counts, especially since they're playing in Foxboro. Also Bill Belichick is a football genius.
St. Louis at Green Bay – St. Louis. – Come on? Did anyone actually expect me to take the Packers here? Brett Favre just isn't the same QB he once was. He's always had that "gunslinger" mindset but he seems more content to try and force the pass into tight spots more than ever lately. Last season injuries plagued the Packers, but they still don't have what it takes in a division that has the 4-0 Bears, and the 3-1 Vikings. Experience counts on the field and Green Bay is severely lacking in that department with the team age averaging somewhere in the low to mid 20's. The Rams however, have a very experience and explosive group of receivers and if Green Bays secondary doesn't make the big plays this weekend then it looks like this year might be just as bad for Green Bay fans as last year.
Tampa Bay at New Orleans – New Orleans. Tampa Bay is just playing bad football. Plain and simple. With Chris Simms out indefinitely with a spleen injury that included internal bleeding, there's no way Tampa Bay can upset New Orleans at home. After a hot 3-0 start, New Orleans received its first loss last week on the road in Carolina in what was a close match up decided by a last minute field goal by Carolina. The Saints are playing with a desire to win that I haven't seen them have in years…. Or ever for that matter. Look for Reggie Bush to get his first NFL TD this week against a weak Tampa defense.
Tennessee at Indianapolis – Indy. Hmmm… the 0-4 Titans led by the rookie Vince Young, or the 4-0 Colts at home led by the always dependable Peyton Manning. Nuff said.
Washington at N.Y. Giants – Washington in a close one. After a rough start with two straight losses, the Redskins now stand at 2-2 and are starting to look a bit more like the playoff team we saw last season. Mark Brunell had a hell of a game last weekend and while I don't expect him to be quite as successful as last week, I still think that as long as he doesn't turn the ball over too much they can get out of New York with a win. I wouldn't count the Giants out altogether though. I think they're hungry for a win after getting embarrassed by the Seahawks two weeks ago and I think they'll come out quick and try and put some points on the board fast. If they can't get ahead early, then I think Washington takes this one. The Giants secondary has allowed 829 yards through the air and with a deep threat like Santana Moss they're going to have to put the pressure on him and force Brunell to look elsewhere.
Kansas City at Arizona – Arizona. I like Matt Leinart starting at home against Kansas City this week. Dennis Green finally put him in last week against the Falcons after the game was well out of their hands, and other than the fumble lost and the one interception I think Leinart looked pretty well in his debut. With Fitzgerald and Bolden he has two powerful weapons at wide out and Kansas City isn't exactly known for their defense so I like Arizona over Kansas City this week.
N.Y. Jets at Jacksonville – Toss Up. This game could go either way from where I sit. Eric Mangini has done a good job so far but his one area that could use some improvement is his decision making. Going for it on 4th and 1 last week cost them a chance at ultimately getting into overtime against the Colts in what turned out to be one hell of an exciting game. That said, the Jags defense also gave the Colts offense a run for their money and the Colts are far from some of the bottom feeders the league has. This is going to be a battle between the defenses. I don't see this being a high scoring game and whoever is able to find a weakness and exploit it is going to be the one heading to the locker room with another win under their belt.
Oakland at San Francisco – Oakland. If Alex Smith had Vernon Davis this week then I'd take them over Da Raidaaaaas but he doesn't. And Oakland just has to win at least one game this season, right? RIGHT? That being said, you couldn't pay me to watch this game.
Pittsburgh at San Diego – San Diego. Phillip Rivers is playing better than expected. During his fumble ridden preseason, Chargers head coach, Marty Schottenheimer was asked if he was worried about Rivers abilities under center, he said he was confident in his skill and was positive he'd make the right moves once the season began. After a 2-1 start, with their one loss coming against a stingy Ravens defense in Baltimore last week, I think the Chargers have what it takes to pull one over on the defending Super Bowl champs. The Steelers just haven't been playing the smash mouth football their known for and I don't see their defense stepping up this week against an offense that includes LaDainian Tomlinson and Antonio Gates.
MONDAY NIGHT MATCH UP - Baltimore at Denver – Baltimore
This is a tough one. You have a Baltimore team that has its defense playing much like they did when they won the Super Bowl in 2001, add a potent offense with Steve Mcnair under center and you have a recipe for another championship season. However, Denver isn't exactly a pushover and playing in Mile High Stadium always has some sort of affect on the visiting team but with the way Jake Plummer has been turning the ball over, I see him being benched sometime during the game in favor of the rookie preseason stand out, Jay Cutler. Fans in Denver have been clamoring for weeks to see head coach Mike Shanahan start Cutler over Plummer and if Plummer has another bad game, well it may be a while before we see him start another NFL game. Unless the Raiders make a nice offer that is.
*GAME OF THE WEEK - Dallas at Philadelphia*
Did you really expect anything else here? The showdown in Philly. Terrell Owens and his "25 million reasons to live" against Donovan McNabb, his Mother, and her Chunky Campbell's Soup. I see why everyone is so excited about this game and the hype surrounding it but at the same time I don't. It's not like they're going to be on the field at the same time. If T.O. was a DB or a LB, then I could see why its so hyped up but its just going to be them taking turns on the field out there. I know McNabb is having a career season so far, but with the Eagles secondary plagued with injuries I don't see them being able to take Owens out the equation. Plus even if they manage to put the pinch on Owens they still have to contest with Terry Glenn who is also having a great year so far. Then if they make a deal with devil and somehow manage to cover both Owens and Glenn you still have the Tight End, Jason Whitten over the middle. The only way Dallas can loose this game is if Drew Bledsoe throws more than 2 interceptions. So, I like Dallas over the Eagles.
So yeah, those are my picks for this week in the NFL. So this week, winning I have: Chicago, Carolina, Minnesota, New England, St. Louis, New Orleans, Indy, Washington, Arizona, Oakland, Dallas, and Baltimore, with the Jets vs. Jags a toss up.
Also since the MLB playoffs kicked off this week, I figured I'd lay out my picks all the way to the World Series.
AL – the Yankees over the Tigers. The A's over the Twins. From there we get the Yankees over the A's.
NL – Mets over the Dodgers. St. Louis over San Diego. Then, the Mets over the Cards.
World Series – Mets over the Yanks in 6.
posted by Jerr @ 12:39 PM
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