With all of the surprise upsets last week it’s no wonder that I went 7-8 with my picks and now am17-14 on the year. I think this week’s games are a little more predictable and hopefully I can right the ship even though I said that last week too
Chargers @ Bills
- The Chargers surprised everyone by exposing the Legion of Boom last week. Rivers and Co. will now go into Buffalo and try to unseat the surprise 2-0 Bills. The Chargers are one of the more underrated offenses in the league, and should give the Bills defense problems in this one.
- The Bills are off to a hot 2-0 start after knocking off both Miami and Chicago in recent weeks. They were able to win both games by controlling the clock and leaning on the ground game with C.J. Spiller and Fred Jackson. They may have to lean on EJ Manuel a bit more in this one as the Chargers were able to limit Marshawn Lynch to 36 yards last week.
Prediction: Chargers - 24 Bills - 10
Titans @ Bengals
- Jake Locker and the Titans offense struggled against a Dallas defense last week that was supposed to be one of the worst in the league. This week they'll be going against one of the better defenses in the league. The Titans could have problems moving the football all game and will unlikely be able to keep pace with Cincinnati.
- Bengals leading receiver AJ Green went down with a toe injury early in last week's game. Although he returned to practice on Thursday he may not be 100% come kickoff. Without Green, who will bail out Dalton on his less than accurate throws down the field? Look for the Bengals to lean heavily on the running back tandem of Jeremy Hill and Giovani Bernard in this one as Tennesse was gashed for 167 yards by DeMarco Murray last week.
Prediction: Bengals - 20 Titans - 10
Ravens @ Browns
- The Ravens looked sharp against the Steelers last Thursday and moved the ball with ease. I believe that they will be able to do the same against the Browns defense as well. Browns corner Joe Haden will likely be shadowing Steve Smith all game, but Flacco has more than enough weapons to take advantage of in other areas of the field.
-Johnny Who? Although the world has not completely forgotten about Johnny Football, it does appear as though the media has largely ignored him at this point. The Browns are off to a surprise start, having beaten the Saints in the closing seconds last week and nearly mounting a comeback against Pittsburgh in Week 1. Hoyer may not set the world on fire, but he showing that the Browns’ front office made the right decision in starting him.
Prediction: Ravens – 27 Browns - 20
Packers @ Lions
- The Packers defense scared me last week. Not in a good way either. Down 21-3 early to the Jets, Dom Caper’s unit looked lost and couldn’t stop a thing. This week they face a very high-powered offense in Detroit. The Packers’ offense will need to score a ton of points in this one as their defense will be giving up plenty.
- The Lions had trouble finding room to maneuver against a very good Carolina defense last week. That won’t be the case this week. I fully expect this to be a very high scoring game and the only question is whether or not Detroit’s defense can hold up against the Packers’ offense. Last team with the ball will likely walk away with this one.
Prediction: Packers – 31 Lions - 23
Cowboys @ Rams
- I thought the Cowboys defense looked really good last week as they were able to stop Tennessee in their tracks. If their defense can just be average, I really feel that the Cowboys can take the NFC East. On a side note, despite being on the Cowboys practice squad, I’m curious to see how many times Michael Sam’s name comes up in this game.
-The Rams can’t seem to catch a break. Sam Bradford was lost to the season early and then his backup, Shaun Hill, went down with an injury shortly after. Not only that, defensive end, Chris Long, is also out for an extended period of time. I think the Cowboys are too strong on offense for the Rams to keep up in this one.
Prediction: Cowboys – 27 Rams - 9
Raiders @ Patriots
- Nothing has gone right for the Raiders this year as they have fallen to 0-2 on the year losing to both the Jets and Texans. Quarterback Derek Carr has shown flashes and James Jones appears to be a steal in free agency. However, it’s the run game and defense that have struggled this year and both were considered strengths this preseason.
-Despite Gronkowski being back in the lineup, the Patriots just don’t look like the Patriots we are used to seeing. Brady seems to have taken a step back even from his down year, last year. We have seen the pass happy Pats, rely more on the run game this season than before. This should be the week Brady turns things around as he goes against the slow Raiders defense.
Prediction: Patriots – 35 Raiders - 10
Vikings @ Saints
- I don’t think the Vikings would have moved the ball even with Adrian Peterson on the field last week. Matt Cassel and the offensive line looked terrible. Head coach Mike Zimmer has to be at least considering a quarterback change as Cassel forced the ball into double/triple coverage on all 4 of his picks. With that kind of play, there is no way they will be able to keep pace with the Saints inside the dome. Don’t be surprised to see Teddy Bridgewater take a few snaps this game.
-The Saints find themselves at 0-2 after a loss to the Browns last week. Rob Ryan’s defense has struggled to stop anyone as they are on pace to take Dallas’ spot as the worst defense in the league. However, if they can contain Corderrelle Patterson and let Cassel try to beat them, then the Saints should be able to get their first win of the season.
Prediction: Saints – 24 Vikings - 13
Texans @ Giants
- The Texans are another team that is off to a surprising 2-0 start. Granted, they haven’t really faced the stiffest competition in Oakland and Washington. It looks like they might sneak to 3-0 following this week. The Texans will feed Arian Foster the ball in this one as the Giants haven’t been able to stop anyone and won’t anytime soon.
-This is going to be a long year for the Giants as Manning and the entire offense has struggled to adjust to the new offensive system. Manning does not look like a 2-time Super Bowl winning quarterback and his offensive line can’t keep him upright. Not to mention when he does get the ball to his receivers, they can’t hold on to the ball. Against J.J. Watt and the Houston defense, look for more of the same.
Prediction: Texans – 17 Giants - 10
Redskins @ Eagles
- Coming in for an injured RG3, Kirk Cousins played pretty well last week against Jacksonville. With RG3 sitting on the sidelines again for this one, Cousins will get his chance to start. Cousins seemingly outplayed RG3 during the preseason and now is his time to show he's a better fit for what head coach Jay Gruden is trying to do.
- The Eagles have struggled early on in games only to come back and win in the second half. This won't be an issue this week as Washington's defense has had problems stopping any one. Look for the Eagles to keep the pedal pushed down and run circles around Washington's tired defense.
Prediction: Eagles - 27 Redskins - 10
Colts @ Jaguars
- The Trent Richardson trade seems to have failed on the part of the Colts as Ahmad Bradshaw has emerged as the better looking back in Indy. Although the two backs had similar yardage totals last week, it took Richardson twice as many carries to get there. Both backs should find more then enough room to run against Jacksonville.
- The Jaguars defense can't be looking forward to facing Andrew Luck and the Colts this week. After giving up a combined 75 points over the past 2 games, they seemingly can't stop anyone from scoring. Both those games came against average starting quarterbacks in Nick Foles and RG3/Kirk Cousins. They haven't face anyone like Andrew Luck this season, who could throw close to 400 yards in this one.
Prediction: Colts - 34 Jaguars - 17
49ers @ Cardinals
- Colin Kaepernick and the 49ers offense fell apart last Sunday night against the Bears. Kaepernick ended up throwing 3 interceptions last week, 2 of which were picked off by rookie corner Kyle Fuller. The 49ers defense also seemingly couldn't get Chicago off the field. The 49ers fell apart late in that game and never regained their momentum. I don't see them doing that again this week, but the Cardinals do have some weapons that can make this game interesting.
- It looks like Carson Palmer will have to sit out his 2nd game as he is dealing with a shoulder injury. Enter Drew Stanton who was able to lead the Cardinals past the Giants last week. Stanton likely won't have the same kind of success he did against the Giants as the 49ers will apply pressure all day. Look for the Cardinals to struggle to move the ball and for the 49ers to bounce back with a win this week.
Prediction: 49ers - 20 Cardinals - 10
Chiefs @ Dolphins
- Running back Jamaal Charles suffered a high ankle sprain in last week's loss to the Broncos. Originally listed as out, he has been able to practice on a limited basis the past few days and has been upgraded to questionable. I still have a hard time imagining him suiting up for this game. Knile Davis will be his back up and could end up having a big game as the Dolphins have given up a ton of yards on the ground so far this year.
- Similar to the Chiefs, the Dolphins will be without their lead running back, Knowshon Moreno. Lamar Miller has ran well behind Moreno averaging 4.8 yards a carry and has also caught 6 balls. The Chiefs are another defense that has struggled against the run, so the Dolphins could look to lean on Miller as they try to control the clock and tire out the Chiefs defense.
Prediction: Dolphins - 17 Chiefs - 13
Broncos @ Seahawks
- In a rematch of last year's Super Bowl, the Broncos will travel to Seattle and face the Seahawks. Denver's offense is pretty much the same as was when these two met earlier this year minus Eric Decker. Their biggest change has been on the defensive side of the ball bringing in DeMarcus Ware, Aquib Talib, and T.J. Ward. They're defense should have an easier job containing Russell Wilson in this one and keeping it close, unlike the Super Bowl.
- Last week the Chargers figured out the key in beating the Seahawks and the Legion of Boom. They were able to win with short passing and a good run game. The Broncos could look to duplicate that in this one and expose the Seattle secondary. Seattle will also have the 12th Man behind them, as they didn't have that last week when they were in San Diego.
Prediction: Broncos - 24 Seahawks - 21
Steelers @ Panthers
- The Steelers have had problems stopping teams all year and this week could be no different. The Steelers have worked over the past few years to make their defense younger and quicker, but in doing so they have lost a lot of expeirence on that side of the ball which may be the reason they are struggling. Thier offense hasn't helped matter either as they have struggled to move the ball against the Ravens and in the second half against the Browns. They'll have a hard time doing it again against Carolina's tough defense.
- Although expected to take a step back, the Panthers defense looks almost as good as last year. They were able to hold the Lions high-powered offense to only 7 points in last week's game. They are likely to do the same this week, as Pittsburgh looks like a shell of its former self. Look for the Panthers to apply pressure to Roethlisberger and force him into turning the ball over.
Prediction: Panthers - 24 Steelers - 3
Bears @ Jets
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